Building The Lion City

Your brand name sounds great. Your brand logo is definitely unique. Your brand colour and brand elements can be easily recognised anywhere. You’ve done well with your brand differentiation and have certainly created a stand-out brand identity from the rest of the crowd… so what’s next?

Branding involves so much more than just revamping an old outlook to a new and trendy image. Many brands think it is enough to have a new brand name or brand logo without going into the deeper details of branding such as developing the brand system, brand culture and brand association with their target audiences. However, creating a differentiated brand identity is just the first step in branding. Once a brand has managed to capture its audience’s attention, it needs to work at retaining brand loyalty. This is where brand building plays a role to reinforce the brand in terms of brand recall and brand memorability.

Through various key aspects including brand protection, brand positioning, brand promotion and brand distribution, brand building fuels a brand’s growth by creating brand association and solidifying the reputation of the brand. A brand’s target audience will have a chance to get to know the brand better, interact with the brand and experience the brand through proper brand building.

Brand building is a long-term process that requires years of investments and effort. However, it is this process that nourishes the growth of brands, yielding Return On Investments (ROI) through increased brand value and brand equity.

Singapore, for example, is a small country with minimal natural resources. Yet, this Lion City has achieved the status of developed nation with prominence throughout the world. From progressive takes in its economy and structure to the preservation of rich history and diverse culture, Singapore has built many aspects of its country to become unique brands for the world to experience.

In the past, Singapore had been a great trading port due to its strategic location. The ancient kingdoms of Sri Vijaya as well as the Majapahit were once rulers of Singapore during the 14th century. The British found it invaluable as the halfway point for refuelling ships and refurbishing supplies. During World War II, Singapore was taken by the Japanese before it joined Malaysia. In 1965, the country split from the federation to become an independent republic.

Since independence, the brand of Singapore has been built with great vision through the guidance of the People’s Action Party (PAP) and also its leaders. During the term of its first Prime Minister

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore enforced many significant changes to build the structures of its country including tackling widespread unemployment and relocating residents through the HDB public housing programme. The leaders of Singapore also developed the country’s economy with modern plans concentrating on electronics manufacturing, petrochemicals, tourism, financial services and entrepot trade. Today, Singapore is a leader in many aspects of its concentrated economy with over 600 shipping lines and 130 banks (http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/
stbportal/en/home/about_singapore/singapore_
today.html). It is also one of the Four Asian Tigers, alongside Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea, recognised for maintaining high growth rates in its economy. Singapore also ranks fourth as the world’s largest foreign exchange trading centre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore).

Besides the economy and standard of living, Singapore has also strived to build its cultural sectors, resulting in brand protection for its country’s unique heritage. The annual Singapore arts festival has been a celebration of the local dance, music and theatre arts for over 30 years since 1977. In 2006, Singapore also hosted its first Singapore Biennale that featured global contemporary art. Local culture and religion are preserved through its people of different races who live together harmoniously. Through an education system that integrates its population, Singapore has created a brand culture of united and competitive citizens with world class thinking.

Aggressive brand positioning and brand promotion of its country’s beautiful and unique tourist spots has created great impressions of Singapore with the outside world. Through tourism campaigns featuring attractions such as Sentosa Island, Singapore Zoo, F1 Night Race and more, the world has come to associate Oriental charm with Singapore. Also, Singapore Airlines or SIA is globally recognised for its graceful service, further enhancing the brand image and brand distribution of the country.

The brand of Singapore is recognised throughout the world, thanks to its many years and effort in brand building. Truly, Singapore’s investment in its brand and country has created improvement in every sector – economy, education, culture, transportation, arts, tourism… progressively moving its people forward through its structured systems for high ROI and elevated standard of living. Currently experiencing the rewarding fruits of its brand building, the Singapore brand looks well defined and well built for prosperous growth and increase in brand value, making it branded and wanted the whole world over.

To build your brand into a wanted brand talk2us@peopalove.com or call
+604-2288 696.