Singapore rebrands itself with people, places and passion at its core
SINGAPORE: Singapore is taking a bold step forward by going beyond its well-know brand of being a business hub and introducing a new campaign to rebrand itself as a city for the people and their passion.
Last week, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) jointly unveiled a new unified brand deemed ‘Passion Made Possible’, to market Singapore internationally for tourism and business purposes.
“With ‘Passion made possible’, STB is presenting a brand that tell a fuller Singapore story beyond tourism. This brand articulates what we stand for as a country and supports the telling of many stories about this destination and its people,” STB chief executive Lionel Yeo said during the launch here, which was graced officially by Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry (MTI) S Iswaran and supported by the Ministry of communications and information (MCI).
“It will allow us to build a deeper and more personal connection between Singapore and our fans and friends, even when they are not actively thinking about travel. This brand is in line with quality tourism as it will appeal to the more sophisticated tourists who are seeking more aspirational value propositions in their travel,” Yeo added.
The new brand is STB and EDB’s first joint brand. The new unified brand empahsizes on Singapore’s passion-driven, never-settling spirit of determination characteristics that constantly pursues possibilties and reinvention.
The unified brand also aims to communicate the country’s value proposition in addressing the needs of travellers and companies, and help Singapore stand out on the international stage. .
“Brands must develop an emotional affinity with fans and consumers. And to stand out, brands must stand for something and come to mean something to consumers. We decided to develop a brand that captures the spirit and attitude of Singapore, and reflects what we stand for as people. Such a brand will build a connection with our audiences so that we are at their hearts and minds even when they are not actively considering travel,” Yeo added.
“Singapore will continue to make a positive impact on her citizens and on the millions more who visit us, trade with us, invest in us, and partner with us.
“By creating impactful and memorable experiences, we enrich the lives of many,” he said.
EDB chairman Beh Swan Gin said, “Singapore is making the shift from being primarily an investment-driven economy to one that will be led by innovation. In particular, local and international companies are seeking to create new products, services and solutions that will have a stronger impact in Asia.
“It is timely to send a strong and clear signal that companies can do this successfully from Singapore and turn possibilities into reality. Singapore and Singaporeans are where we are today because we pushed the limits of what’s possible, and did not allow constraints to hold us back.”
Under the new brand, STB and EDB have embarked on qualitative and quantitative research with close to 4,500 respondents on what Singapore stands for, reaching to to residents, industry stakeholders, and international audiences in Singapore and across the world.
Hence, ‘Passion Made Possible’ was created to capture the spirit of the nation in a way that builds affinity, affiliation, and top-of-mind recall for choosing Singapore as a detination to visit and invest in.
‘Passion Made Possible’ also presents Singapore’s attributes beyond tourism and business. It encourages Singaporeans and its residents to showcase their enterprising and persevering spirit to the world, and serve as a unifying brand for Singapore on the international front.
Therefore, aside from STB and EDB, the new brand will be adopted by other statutory boards and agencies under the MTI and incorporated into their marketing campaigns and tradeshows.
Following its debut, over the next few months, Singapore will be showcasing the ‘Passion Made Possible’ brand across the world via consumer launches, trade events, industry partnerships, and global marketing campaigns, featuring campaign films and visuals.
The unified brand starts its global tour at Singapore: Inside Out Tokyo (August 25), and it would be rolled out across Asia Pacific as well as Europe and US, starting from September 2017 onwards.
In Malaysia, the in market brand launch will take place with the Singapore Fest at 1Utama Shopping Centre on September 20 to 24, 2017, featuring a showcase of passions, experiences, and travel offers.