A Colourful Twist in Advertising

July 12, 2011 • • no comments

At lunch recently, I was attracted to this simple bus stop poster ad by Jurong Bird Park. Even though the copy isn’t factually correct (one can’t really feed colours), the metaphor associating avian species with their colourful plumage is cleverly and imaginatively conceived.

While text is kept to the absolute minimum, the brand imagery is clear. As most Singaporeans would know where the bird park is, there isn’t a need to include a map or an address in this poster.

Would such an advertising approach work for your business? If not, why?

Event Marketing Strategies from a Disney Veteran

July 10, 2011 • Business and Management • 4 comments

The annual Flower and Garden Festival at Walt Disney World’s Epcot is the world’s biggest (courtesy of WDW Parkhoppers)

How can you continually engage your guests at a theme park, zoo, museum, or other themed destination?

While building new attractions (rides and exhibits) can add value, showcases innovation and drives attendance, they are rather expensive.

When the Journey Matters as Much as the Destination

July 7, 2011 • Blog • 1 comment

Sightseeing tours are all about the journey

What is your idea of a job well done? Is it that golden moment when you can proudly tick off the box on your “To Do” list? Would completion alone be equated to success?

While some may argue that one should just “do whatever it takes to get there”, I believe that the process of reaching that goal is often just as important as breasting the finish line. The path which we take – the way in which things were done, the people whom we worked with, the relationships forged, the kicks that we get along the way – play a far stronger role in influencing its eventual outcome than we imagine.

Playing Paparazzi at the Shine Youth Festival

July 5, 2011 • Blog • 2 comments

“Ready, 1, 2, 3…. strike a pose and smileeee!”

Last Saturday, I had the chance to be a “press photographer” at the festival opening of Shine Youth Festival, thanks to the kind folks at Panasonic Lumix and Omy.sg.

David versus Goliath: Ocean Park Hong Kong’s Experience

July 3, 2011 • Business and Management • 4 comments

Courtesy of Ocean Park website

In a leisure world dominated by American brands like Disney and Universal Studios, Ocean Park has distinguished itself year after year.

Thanks to my colleagues from the Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA), I had the privilege to learn how Hong Kong’s Ocean Park managed to hold its ground against HK Disneyland.

Fortune Cookie Wisdom

July 1, 2011 • Blog • no comments

One of the more intriguing aspects of Canada (like in the US) was how meals at Chinese restaurants often end with a fortune cookie being served to us. These little flour, sugar and vanilla flavoured confectioneries come hidden with a prophetic message like “Eating lots of ice cream makes you fat” or something like that.

What’s unusual about fortune cookies are that…

Is Branding a Silver Bullet for Business?

June 28, 2011 • Business and Management • no comments

Courtesy of fvza.org

“Brand it like Beckham” so we’ve been taught, and untold fame and fortune may just follow you.

Learn to emulate Nike’s brand success story, and be inspired by how cleverly it came up with its world famous “Swoosh” logo and its unforgettable “Just Do It” tagline.

Sticking to the Course

June 26, 2011 • Blog • no comments

Obedient tourists keeping to the straight and narrow path (Capilano Suspension Bridge at Vancouver)

We’ve all been through this before. There is simply an abundance of juicy bits of knowledge and information that you want to share, but your airtime is limited.

The same applies equally in any endeavour. Be it in presenting a proposal, updating a blog post, pushing an ad, making a speech, sharing an anecdote, or cracking a joke. In an age of increasing attention deficit, flooding is the last thing you want to do.

Let’s Get Social at Singapore’s First Social Media Day!

June 23, 2011 • Blog • no comments

Happening 25 June (that’s tomorrow!) from 2 to 9 pm at *Scape, Singapore’s first Social Media Day promises to be quite a hoot with games, performances, blogshops, food and more. The event is one of more than 500 Social Media Day events around the world celebrating how social technologies have democratised media and made it so much more… ummm…. social!

Organised by a dedicated and hardworking team of Omy.sg bloggers, Social Media Day (or SoMe! for short) promises fun with a warm and fuzzy heart. Every dollar spend will help to raise funds for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (SPMF).

Gadgets, Gears & Geeks Galore at CommunicAsia2011

June 22, 2011 • Blog • no comments

Thanks to the kind folks at MSL Asia and the organisers Singapore Exhibition Services, I had a chance to visit CommunicaAsia2011 during lunch. With over 2,000 exhibitors from 59 countries in Asia, the integrated event for broadcasting, digital media and infocomm (ICT) industries is a veritable paradise for techies, auteurs and anybody who needs to work with the latest hardware and software.

Blackberry’s tablet shows they’re no longer just thumbing the competition