Image courtesy of DiscoverySchool.com
I came across this post by Kian Ann recently on the need to write well on the Internet. While crafting some suggestions to him on the comments section, I decided that I might as well expand this into a blog post.
How does one write well? Is there a secret formula that you can apply in order to be a wicked wordsmith?
We celebrated two birthdays by two dear nieces this month. As usual, it was a mixture of family fun and chaos when you have multiple kids in a restaurant. There were some uncanny similarities between the two celebrations, which I thought I should highlight.
1) Both the girls’ names start with A – Ariel & Alycia.
2) Both birthdays occur in April. Ariel’s birthday is on 10th April while Alycia’s birthday is on 22nd April.
Students from St Margaret’s Secondary reciting Swie Hian’s poem “A Tribute to Gandhi” in Mandarin.
Recently, we had the privilege of being invited to the launch of the 9-volume Selected Works of Tan Swie Hian and Recital of Tan Swie Hian’s Poetry and Songs by the man himself. Happening at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, the event was graced by Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health and an ardent fan of Chinese art himself.
Put together by Candid Creation Publishing and the National Library Board, the event was certainly well orchestrated. The room was packed with close to 200 friends, students, and supporters of Swie Hian – one of Singapore’s foremost multi-disciplinary artist. He was literally mobbed by the hordes of fans, especially students, who clamoured for his autograph! The event was well covered by the press too.
A dabbawalla doing a balancing act. Steady bro!
Hat tip to Seth Godin for this fascinating food phenomenon in India called the Dabbawalla. These guys deliver food in tiffins (metal containers like the one below which we also use in Singapore) to thousands of offices every day.
Saw this interesting looking banner outside Strip – a hair removal joint – at Wheelock Place recently while having lunch at nearby Sun & Moon Dining. Apparently, they remove hair from everywhere, including the famous (or infamous) Brazilian waxing (ouch!) treatment. I thought the huge banner outside their shop was pretty eye catching and different from the usual humdrum marketing (cue TV actress or singer) given to beauty treatments.
The use of comic style characters in the tradition of Roy Lichtenstein certainly catches one’s attention. This is complemented by the clever use of the WANTED style of advertising, coupled with provocative images and cheeky copy that is different from the oft-preferred option of blah advertising by beauty salons. I had a look at their website and apparently, they have quite a funny TV commercial too. I certainly wished that more companies in Singapore can inject greater humour in their marketing.
My family loves to go to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, one of our island’s most well-loved tourist attractions which draw about 3 million visitors annually. Its enticing mix of free admission, beautiful 52 hectare landscape, awe-inspiring greenery and thoughtful touches makes it a must visit for us. We always feel rejuvenated after our trips there.
Our journey begins near the Visitor’s Centre section of the Gardens. Most of the amenities are located near here.
Thanks to my new toy, my latest posts tend to be picture heavy. This one revolves around the Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC) petrol station at Havelock Road.
Those active in share investing would know that homegrown SPC has been doing extraordinary well in the local bourse. Most notable amongst their achievements was the ability to fend themselves against much larger foreign competitors like Shell, Exxon-Mobil and British Petroleum (BP).
SPC’s biggest coup was in purchasing all 28 BP stations in Singapore. It broke away from convention by maintaining an attractive price-based discount instead of offering customers loyalty points which can be redeemed for products and services. This subsequently led the other petrol giants to follow suit.
As I was opening the door to my home recently, out popped this slip of paper which looked like a hastily scribbled personal note.
When I looked closer at the details, I realise that this was actually a printed flyer and not a request from my relative. Yes, it wasn’t blue ink but print! While the language left much room for improvement, the note does catches one’s attention. It appears to be a genuine request for help, with the offer to pay high cash price for a unit in my estate. Pity that I am not in a hurry to sell though.
Compare that flyer to this one.
Apparently, I was (faint) according to the cool folks at the Digital Movement. They apparently liked my 5 parter on Nexus 2007 so much that they have given me a free T-shirt for Best Coverage Award. Wow!
Thanks for the cool accolade folks. I really appreciate it and I think that you guys are doing a swell job too. Keep it up! The future is bright for Singapore 2.0!
Paris Hilton – just a fad or an enduring icon in the age of attraction?
I have been reading Derrick Daye’s awesome blog for its unique branding insights and came across the idea of the Attraction Economy and its accompanying concept of Lovemarks. Both were created by CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi, Kevin Roberts.
According to Kevin,
“Human attention was the principal coinage of the Attention Economy; human emotion is what funds the Attraction Economy. Emotion is tough to nail down because its complexities are beyond measure. Just take that at face value. Our facial muscles can move in 10,000 possible combinations to reveal what we are feeling. The Attraction Economy is not “one hit and you’re it.” Attraction demands emotion, but emotion with purpose.”