Tag: advertising

Staying Afloat in a Shopper’s Paradise

February 22, 2007 • Blog • 17 comments

Crowds thronged VivoCity when they first opened

Recently, quite a few shopping centres in Singapore seem to be left behind in the retail race despite our buoyant economy. Poor customer traffic, contractual spats, tenants going on “strike”, empty shop spaces, decay and disrepair seem to be some of their common woes.

Some are new and spanking. They include Dhoby Xchange, which is strategically located next to the Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station yet attracting hardly a soul. Another recent case is an unnamed shopping mall at Commonwealth Market (to be renamed Queenspoint) which apparently ran afoul of the law. Its owners Pagar Park did not have approval to sub-let its spaces but still went ahead, with 70% of its 150 retail outlets taken up. Now it is tangled in a messy litigation case involving multiple parties including the Singapore Land Authority.

Are F&B Flops Uber Unlucky?

February 16, 2007 • Blog • 16 comments

Courtesy of www.uberburger.com

Over the years, we have seen quite a few high profile F&B failures in Singapore. They include Rainforest Cafe at Liang Court, Hello Kitty Cafe at Downtown East, and of course the numerous bubble tea shops whose bubbles have popped.

The latest casualty in the scene is Uber Burger. This uber upmarket joint has folded on 7 February 2007 barely 10 months after a much-heralded opening. Famous for their S$101 Wagyu Burger stuffed with truffles, foie gras and all things decadent, they claimed to offer unique mouth watering experiences that you can never get at cheaper chains.

Haughty Horses and Clueless Crocodilians

January 25, 2007 • Blog • 13 comments

Two things caught my eye today as I scanned the newspapers.

The more highly publicised one was of course the untimely demise of Crazy Horse Paris, a topless cabaret show that kicked off 14 months ago with much ra-ra and buzz. Touted to bring Singapore’s entertainment to an exciting feverish pitch, it somehow failed to live up to expectations.

What led to its early departure from Singapore’s nightlife scene?

Superstars and Rice and Everything Nice

January 17, 2007 • Blog • 10 comments

I am sure everybody would have noticed lately Singapore’s biggest pop export Stefanie Sun’s elfin face peeping out at you behind a bag of rice. Part of the New Moon advertising campaign for its new brand of rice, she beckons with a disarming “Ni chi fan le ma” which translates to “Have you eaten rice?”

It is interesting to note the marketing strategies of food manufacturers and importers in recent years. What is especially intriguing is how they can take a commodity item – like rice – and put a sexy spin on it to make it more palatable to the market.

December 22, 2006 • Content Marketing, Social Influence • no comments

Came across this quirky bit of thinking by Copyblogger about how the legendary Mark Twain (the artist formerly known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens) will make an excellent blogger and perhaps even content marketing guru!

Try to apply these gems to blogging – heck, any form of content marketing or writing – and you will understand the wisdom of the man.

“Whenever you find you’re on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.”

Clever Copy Writing

December 21, 2006 • Blog • 1 comment

Think that your investment in a wraparound Straits Times or TODAY ad is going to save your business? How about that huge poster in the MRT station, where gazillions pass by every day. Well, think again. Without good copy, the most in-your-face, eye-popping, jaw-dropping advertisement is going to just go down the drain.

Seth Godin puts it very elegantly in this post:

Top Two Best Times to Invest in Good Copy

Read More

The 4 Cs of Marketing

November 24, 2006 • Content Marketing • no comments

Getting a bigger bang for the buck (or any bang for that matter) counts more than ever in an increasingly saturated marketplace.

The advent of multiple new and traditional media channels – and the ever increasing weapons of mass distraction – makes it prudent for one to do so.