Commentary

Mixed Signals in Sales Activity 2011 ended with December having the least monthly number of private residential units that were sold by developers in the past 2 years. Only 937 units were launched by developers in December, and only 632 units were sold.

Once a catchphrase for techies looked at as delusional, and two words that have been thoroughly misunderstood- ‘Social Media’ looks like it is finally getting the recognition it deserves in Singapore and in the whole of Asia.

Singapore is a bustling nest of small businesses and new up and coming enterprises waiting to tell the world who they are and what they do (or what they sell). I often walk into meetings with small business owners and start-ups with a ton on things to introduce my company but when it’s my turn to ask them for information, most can only speak their ideas and plans without anything to show for. Although the amount of work to be done to make their dream into reality can be a real put off, creative briefs are essential to start off any projects big or small. That way, everyone is heading for the same goal and start of on the mission together in tandem. Waking up one day, I received a call from an old friend whom I have not met for over 10 years. He had found out what I do through Linkedin and Facebook and decided to give me a holler for old times sake. Johnson was seeking to start out on his own after years of toiling for other people. He had saved enough to incorporate his company and now needed to have an online front to help his marketing. He had no clue what’s needed to be done on that end and felt that he needed someone to “trust” to help him tell the world about his company. “You know, dude” he said when we met at my favorite coffeeshop in the north. “I have this big vision of BRANDING my company. I want many people to see my products and services and also read my blog. I want the company to be in everybody’s minds and they will surely look for my products when the need arises. This branding will help me make back my money in one year.” “I want this…this, this, this, this…” Johnson went on and on. “Since you are in this business, can do or not?” I told him it was an ambitious idea and it will take a lot of planning before it could take flight with proper RESEARCH and DATA collection in order to achieve optimal results in his marketing and branding your online campaign. A CREATIVE BRIEF will also go a long way in achieving success. Johnson scratched his head. “Research? Data collection? Creative Brief? What for?” 1. Research No deep space scientific sort of method needed here. You can just use the web, find out what your competition is like or what they are doing. In fact, find out WHO your competitors are! Go to the library, get some reading done on branding and how successful companies achieve that. It may be Apple, Microsoft, Chanel or Borat, they each have their success story to tell on how they reached the top. No two campaigns are exactly the same and reading up on it let’s you know the upside of their methods as well as the pitfalls you might encounter. Read and research away! 2. Data Collection Collect your own data. This is essential when you are coming up with your own creative brief for the campaign. It helps the designer help you come up with the best approach towards your target audience. These days, designers don’t just create graphics anymore, they are often tasked to double as copywriters to come up with zany and catchy quotes that goes along with the graphics. Data is also key in getting your marketing right by reducing wastage in selling to the wrong crowd. 3. Creative Brief This is probably the hardest to come out with despite it needing to be brief. You’ll need to gather points 2 and 3 and then come up with what I call blueprint to your company’s success. There is no wrong or right way to come up with a creative brief, but as long as it shows the following: a) Background of company / project b) An objective you want to achieve c) Audience – this is where your data collection comes important d) Any form of tagline to work with e) COLORS to use f) FLEXIBILITY – yes, it is important to include this in invisible writing for your marketers and designers so that you get the best out of them. Remember, you paid for their ideas too! “Oh.” Johnson said in a less enthusiastic tone and goes into a pause. “That’s great information. Without all these, my plans could be going into any directions. I know mine is a small business, but it makes sense to sit down and do all you have told me to so that I also will save both time and money.” So, however big or small you might think your next branding exercise or marketing campaign is, do take time to research for it, collect as much data as possible (better to have overflow of data than not enough data), and a creative brief to kick start that successful campaign. American designer Charles Eames once said, “Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose”.  

Here’s what I thought to myself: why didn’t I have this fiery drive to start a business when I first graduated? Why didn’t I make this move to Singapore years ago?

I had just attended the Startup Asia Singapore event, and the question of whether the start-up scene here in Singapore is dead often popped up in my conversations.

Blogs are fast becoming the next advertising phenomenon. And this is not just in Singapore.

Team working is now a vital part of organisational life in most companies in Singapore. Yet working in teams is a complex process with many difficulties involved. The Harvard Business Review recently highlighted eight major problems that teams encounter.

Singapore businesses need to take a critical look at Social Media.

There has been much intense debate in Singaporean about a recent speech by the Education Minister in which he said that many CEO’s had complained to him about the young Singaporean workforce. They were particularly scathing about young Singaporean’s lack of drive, confidence and ability to think outside the box and outside of their comfort zone apparently. Although everyone acknowledged that Singaporean’s work hard senior business leaders were concerned that this wasn’t necessarily as effective as it could be, not imaginative enough and not above and beyond normal working.

Gandhi was a charismatic and revolutionary but until past few decades little was known about him outside India. Similarly De Gaulle inspired defeated France but he left little for his successors.

No one doubts the value of good data. It can transform enterprises, informing their marketing, their procurement, their production techniques – in fact, their entire strategic direction. But in the corporate real estate (CRE) sphere, the potential of management data is possibly less appreciated than it should be. Yes, finance departments appreciate the value of market data, and of data like cost per square metre and cost of occupancy. But in many instances the management and operational data they track does not reflect changes in the way people work. Businesses are missing opportunities to improve performance. In 2011, Regus published a report by two highly-respected academics, Barry Varcoe and Martha O’Meara, on how best CRE practice correlates to company success.[1] The report analysed forty Global Fortune 500 companies, with a total operational portfolio size of 221 million gross square metres. One key finding of the report is the correlation between company performance and CRE data. The authors found that a well-developed operational and management data practice correlates positively to return on assets (RoA) and return on equity (RoE :) a 25% improvement in management information practice relates to an addition of 0.82% to an organisation’s RoA, and of 1.77% to its RoE. Most people realise the link between data and performance: the ability to make better decisions relates to better returns on resources. But the Varcoe and O’Mara research is ground-breaking in that it quantifies the benefits of good CRE data. In turn, it encourages companies to explore what good data entails. Traditionally, property departments think in terms of average cost per square metre, rather than how space is used. But as employees become more mobile, traditional corporate space sits un-used for some of the week. Companies know this, but they may not measure it.

Naturally maximising productivity and efficiency is something every Singaporean business needs to do, especially in the uncertain economic climate of today; thus waste elimination is crucial. The biggest opportunity lies in unused human talent.

Especially today, with the advent of internet, social media and many people having their own smart phones and tablets, being nice to your customers is so important. And it is so much important when your company is a prominent brand in your country.

The comment “Screw the divers” posted on Facebook led to Singapore’s largest supermarket chain, NTUC Fairprice to announce they will stop the sale of shark fin products by the first quarter of 2012.

With all the innovation in technology and business in and around Singapore, as well as new consumer behaviour, it’s sometimes difficult to separate what will shape the future of payments from what is just hype.

It is only the third month of 2012 and already the hiring outlook in Singapore is bleak. Organizations are looking to cut back on spending to stay afloat – too often this means layoffs and salary freezes, with the recruitment process either stopping completely or taking place at a much more selective and slower rate.