Commentary

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore take up 99%[1] of all enterprises on this island. This is indeed an overwhelming figure, coming to think of it. They employ 7 out of every 10 workers, and contribute over 50% towards the National GDP[2].

Social media has indeed transformed itself to be the new mainstream in marketing brands and businesses mainly because of its convenience, practicality and usability. But just like any kind of business strategy, not all companies get to succeed in achieving their sales objectives via social media.

“Let’s do a sales promo ad. It will entice people to purchase more products. Yes! That sounds great! Insert a big blurb stating the discount and a huge photograph of the product. Can you send us a first draft tomorrow at 4pm?” Sounds familiar? As an agency account manager in Singapore, what would you do next? Would you go and brief your creative team exactly what the client told you and get them to do the first draft within the time line stipulated by the client? Let’s get back to this question at the end. My journey in this amazing business of ideas has taught me many a lesson. Some lessons are learned quickly. Some…take time. Like with any form of business, it is important to learn the basics. Secret to a solid structure is a good foundation. As an account management person in an agency, it is important to learn how to answer this question: What are you selling? This is the paramount question you need to ask yourself as soon as you get a client brief. What are you selling? Even though it sounds like a simple question, you need to sensitize your thinking to the soft elements of your client’s product/service. After all, in a world where physical product features become parity overnight, the soft elements do make the biggest difference. Does Adidas sell shoes? Apple sell communication devices? Coke sell cola? Are Apple products the best in the market? As consumers, the majority of us believe they are the best. For most of us, we cannot imagine our lives without our precious ipads, iphones etc. Does Apple sell only due to its product features? Or is there something else that binds all Apple products together? Something intangible that all of us as humane beings drawn to? What is this magical element? Is it the fact that Apple was the first brand to sell us a completely new style of living? Is it because Apple decided to sell us ‘fashion’ and not communication devices? Is it because of the uplifting feeling you get when you buy into the ‘Apple lifestyle’? What are you selling? It is an intrinsic branding question. A question, which every account management person needs to figure out. Be it a launch, branding ad or even a sales promotion, it is critical that you incorporate what you are ‘trying to sell’ into every piece of communication. So, next time you get a new client brief.. If it’s to sell             - shoes… you might want to ‘really’ sell ‘self-belief’.             - credit cards… you might want to sell ‘convenience’             - wireless products… you might want to sell ‘freedom’             - tourism… you might want to sell ‘exploration’ The trick is to analyse and deduce the most intrinsic humane value the product is associated with. Something I would like to call ‘Brand Humanisation’. Let’s go back to where we started this conversation. Would you do exactly what the client wanted? Well, that’s a completely different conversation. But you know where to start. No matter what the client brief is… start with: What are you trying to sell? Think about it. Even if it’s your next big interview. What are you trying to sell?

“Why my website always show up at the bottom of the search results?” “How can I make my page more search-friendly?” Have you asked yourself these questions?

Cloud computing continues to occupy the minds of CTOs of large enterprises, but to many SMB owners, it remains a puzzle as many still do not have a clear idea of its business implications, operational benefits and cost-effectiveness.

"Brands with local businesses: Learn the key methods of driving sales through Facebook and understand how fans really work to increase your revenue."

Yacht chartering in Singapore has seen an upsurge in demand in the last 4 years. This can be seen by the number of companies in the yacht charter business and the number of yachts they operate. Prior to 2008 there were only a handful of companies offering charter yachts, with as few as half a dozen yachts.

In this series of 10 short essays, I will provide ten easy rules for you to adopt to instill innovation at the core of your company in Singapore or the rest of Asia. These rules are bold and will surely contravene inherited teachings and convictions. 1. Don’t listen to customers; observe them Unlike what we are taught in Marketing 101 MBA classes, customers rarely know what they want. The gap between needs and beliefs is the trap that separates "good" from "great".

According to our latest Hays Quarterly Report, experienced Chemical Engineers, Marketing and Business Development Managers and supply chain professionals are just some of the skills in demand in Singapore. However, finding good people with the right skills remains a challenge for employers.

In a recent conversation with a Singaporean acquaintance of mine he explained that there are two types of Singaporeans, the cosmopolitans and the Heartlanders.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released the flash estimates for prices of private residential properties in 1Q 2012 in early April. Based on the flash estimates, private residential property prices showed the first quarterly decline in 1Q 2012 since 2Q 2009.

As Singaporean professionals compete with one another for jobs, recognition and overall markers of success, there is an interesting body of research that suggests if you want to lead the pack, you better speed up or risk getting run over.

At Google, we believe that the future of marketing is simpler than you might think. Marketers are familiar with all sorts of specialized terms: branding, creatives, assets, CPC, multi-channel, etc.

Why should more digital and social media entrepreneurs come to Singapore to create and launch new tools and applications? Is it the ease of doing business factor? Or this nice oasis feeling, with palm trees, beaches and sunshine all year long?

With the advent of B2B events in Asia, companies are seeking higher return-on-investment by hosting events themselves. In essence, internal event let the host dictate what to sell, who to sell to and how to sell. Primarily, audiences stem from existing clientèle and potential ones for various good reasons, emphasizing on the last 3Ps in the science of Marketing (Process, Physical environment and People) and the quest to let their users advocate the host's thought leadership instead. Investment on unique infrastructure as demanded by the hosts, ability to tweak details and the logistical environment can and are usually answered at least by the last P.

With the world’s largest smartphone user base per capita – a 90 per cent penetration rate – Singapore is out in front as an important global leader in the mobile revolution. This strong embrace of advanced mobile technologies says a lot about the dynamic consumer market in Singapore. Yet, it also poses unique challenges for the companies serving or selling into this highly mobile consumer market.