Monthly Archives: February 2012

As a proud Singaporean, I found a lot to relate to in the article “How Singapore Airlines Keeps its Brand Strong in An Age where Everybody Hates Flying”.

It reinforced my opinion that marketing is the most delicious layer of icing on a cake, but if the cake is not delicious, it will not sell itself. Ultimately, product quality is really what matters. “Maintaining a high standard that is executed by an impressively trained staff is but one of the methods.”

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My personal favourite Singapore Airlines video is the above one – tinged with sepia and nostalgia, whereby a pleasant, personable and beautiful Singaporean air stewardess attends to the needs of customers in various cities.I feel like this embodies what the whole Singaporean Airlines brand is about: “The Singaporean Girl Service Experience”- classiness and meticulous attention to customer’s needs.For instance, they know their customers exceedingly well – even to the point of catering to their brand preferences “Dom Perignon or Krug champagne, With caviar, nine different types of rolls to choose from and eight varietals of wine”. Furthermore, “they cater to expectations is that they don’t have to suspend the lives that they lead on the ground because they are boarding an aircraft.” This would bode well for customers, especially regular business travellers, who hate flying (I can strongly identify with this!) because of how uncomfortable it is.

The only peeve I have is that Singapore Airlines’ inclination to segment its customers based on a high level of luxury, customers who would be likely to travel via economic class might feel alienated. Singapore Airlines must pump in sufficient resources to ensure that this customer segment is still well-targeted by catering to their expectations. I feel realistically optimistic about the future of Singapore Airlines despite the bleak airline industry outlook due to the lengths it is willing to go to create an individualized experience for its customers.

 

 

Response to Kiip: 1st Marketing Blog Assignment

I really appreciated reading Jessica Li’s post on Kiip’s style of value-based marketing.

I do agree that slogans such as “you should really be awarded for the effort you put into the games!!!” and “reach them when they win” do place Kiip as a cut above the rest in terms of interaction with customers. This is a clever link to social and personality psychology – in which users gain an earned sense of satisfaction after receiving Kiip rewards. I feel like this complements the concept of intrinsic motivation and lets customers know that they are valued, as their needs are specifically catered to. “Real rewards for virtual achievements” sums it up perfectly.

Kiip’s method of merging the mobile space, gaming space and personal space is admirable and caters to the lifestyle of many mobile customers.

My personal favourite video is the following one, developed by Epipheo Studios.

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This advertisement embodies the spirit of Kiip – fun-loving, dynamic, user-friendly and customer-centred.

 

 

 

Response to “When Chucks Met the Dead”

I strongly agree with Catherine’s point on how customers can strongly identify with the brand Converse Chuck Taylor Allstars might be the most badass shoes in American history. The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, & Dexter were determined by an informal official poll to 3 of the most badass and popular television shows, and rightly so!

To add on to this point, I believe that the strong fan following of the sneakers will not only create brand equity, but also create a customer lifetime value, improving the value of entire stream of sneaker purchases that customers make over their lifetime. This is a super creative and smart technique as Dexter and The Walking Dead are both shows which have massive fan followings. The more loyal the profitable customers and fans, the higher the firm’s equity will be.

Furthermore, this is likely to contribute to true friends, as there will be high profitability and long-term customers.

What struck me at most amazing is how the sneaker designs “exploded across the Internet, collecting Facebook likes and endless comments from readers wondering how they can get their hands on a pair of these amazing shoes.” This, to me, is testament to the enduring power of social media and how an extensive campaign need not be carried out if the product already has a very strong fan following. The product can sell itself.
I am looking forward to watching the television shows, and am sure to be absolutely smitten when I get my hands on these babies – if they are not already sold out!

Creepily glorious - what a work of art!

On the topic of Zombies...

More blood and gore, Dexter-style!

Credits: https://blogs.ubc.ca/catherineguan/2011/11/06/when-chucks-met-the-dead/