Singapore: A photographer’s dream ‘Beyond Words’

To renowned photographer Ian Lloyd, Singapore represents an ever-changing artistic canvas.

The Singapore-based veteran lens man, whose photos have brought travel destinations alive to millions around the world, shared his ‘unique, personal experience’ of Singapore during the launch of the next phase of Singapore Tourism Board’s branding campaign, ‘Beyond Words’.

He told the hundreds of travel industry folks gathered for the launch at Suntec City’s Fountain of Wealth, ‘It's a great place for a photographer because it's constantly changing, so there's always something new to photograph even if you go back to the same places. Sometimes I get quite lost because it's changed so much, but artistically it's wonderful for me.’

It is ‘unique, personal experiences’ such as these that the STB wants to bring alive in the second stage of its ‘Uniquely Singapore’ branding journey by going beyond promoting product attributes.

The new campaign, ‘Beyond Words’, positions Singapore as a place that offers enriching experiences for each discerning visitor – ‘where no two experiences are the same and a place that no two people can experience in the same way’.

‘Visitors look for journeys to destinations that provide memorable experiences to bring back home. Our new campaign pushes the boundaries of destination marketing and focuses on unique experiences that resonate emotionally with each individual,’ said Mr Ken Low, Assistant Chief Executive of Brand and Communications at the STB,

‘The key objective is to evolve the expression of the Uniquely Singapore brand in a way that would further differentiate Singapore and enhance our global brand positioning, while being flexible to allow the brand to permeate all aspects of our tourism offerings.’

During the event, ‘An Evening Beyond Words – a Uniquely Singapore night’, the STB unveiled eight new print advertisements and two new TV commercials as well as a comprehensive on-ground and online campaign to communicate the brand vision to a global audience.

The new message will be carried through in all aspects of destination promotion, including trade shows and in-market activities run by STB’s overseas offices.

The new advertising campaign, ‘Beyond Words’, is being bolstered with celebrity endorsements including the appointment of celebrity ambassadors in key markets, such as singer JJ Lin in Greater China, and testimonial vignettes with celebrities from various markets like Yana Gupta and Madhavan from India and Chun Xiao from China.

In the online space, STB will reach out to global consumers via partners like Yahoo, MSN, Google, CNN, MTV and IndiaTimes. The VisitSingapore.com site now comes with a refreshing and trendy look with several unique features displaying a high level of interactivity.

Some of these features include a logic-based itinerary planner, online forum and photo postings, videos and ‘voxpox’, a new range of Ecards and games, polls and monthly quizzes, currency converter and real-time weather information.

As part of the new campaign approach, the STB has also adopted a strategy to create branded content through strategic tie-ups with some of the biggest international networks to brand Singapore to a global audience.

Successful examples of this strategy are already visible through the CNN Future Summit, a four-part series over two years; the recent MTV-Nickelodeon collaboration to bring 17 branded awards and shows over four years to Singapore such as the MTV Asia Awards; as well as STB’s own Film in Singapore! Scheme with its successful slew of 10 projects over two years.

The ‘Beyond Words’ global media campaign will be rolled out over the next few months and build awareness and position Singapore as a must-visit destination. It will comprise print and broadcast advertisements on key international networks and in major publications, outdoor advertising and online media.

View the ads from the 'Beyond Words' campaign