STB's brand goes digital with "YourSingapore"

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has launched an evolution of Singapore's destination brand - from "Uniquely Singapore" to "YourSingapore".

The new campaign boasts fresh new digital features, including a new website, significant investment into search engine marketing, blogger engagement, mobile, social media and travel e-commerce.

Launched at the Tourism Industry Conference on March 5, the new branding underpins Singapore's strengths as a destination, that is, an experience which can be easily personalised thanks to the concentration of sights, sounds, tastes, culture and attractions coupled with unparalleled user-centricity.

Riding the digital wave

In tandem with the launch, the STB has also announced a $5 million iDigital scheme to assist companies in the local tourism sector to go digital.

Ms Aw Kah Peng, Chief Executive of the STB, said: "In the past few years, the way that people plan and book travel has fundamentally shifted from passive content consumption to the active engagement of empowered individuals, primarily due to the dominance of digital and social media.

"Video on demand, online news, blogs, websites that enable social interaction have dramatically changed the way that travellers seek and obtain information. YourSingapore is a response to the pervasive influence of digital media and the rise of virtual communities, as well as consumer demands for personalised travel plans."

Using the Internet to influence travel decisions

At a media briefing, Mr Chang Chee Pey, Director of Brand Management, STB, said that with the big shift in media consumption habits, the three biggest influencers of peoples' decision to travel were now recommendations from friends they knew, customer opinions and branded website.

More people were also using the Internet to plan and research travel and in fact, 53 per cent of visitors to Singapore said the Internet was their most important source of pre-arrival information, said Mr Chang.

""YourSingapore" builds on the equity built by "Uniquely Singapore" and takes a fresh, digital approach that will differentiate the way Singapore communicates about itself from other destinations," he explained.

Differentiating Singapore

Mr Ken Low, Assistant Chief Executive of the STB's Marketing Group said, "The strategy in developing YourSingapore was three-pronged: to leverage the equity of the Uniquely Singapore brand by single-mindedly qualifying Singapore's uniqueness and attributes as a destination; build upon the emotional connection that visitors experience in Singapore and at the same time connect with potential visitors in the digital media space.

"YourSingapore taps into the motivational factors which drive their decision-making while differentiating Singapore in the destination brand marketplace," he said.

He added, "We firmly believe that to differentiate Singapore in what is becoming a crowded market for destination marketing, STB has to embrace global trends and the shift in media consumption, to the extent that we have put digital at the heart of our marketing communications, in order to transform the way we reach out to our potential visitors.

"We will continue to use traditional media in our communications but it will play a more specific role to emotionally engage our audience and drive potential visitors to our digital platforms where they can experience and have a glimpse into what Singapore has to offer."

Empowering travelers with digital tools

Now travelers can plan their personalized travel itinerary through the user-friendly website www.yoursingapore.com. Both overseas visitors and local residents can share their experiences on the site, which is powered by up-to-date multimedia content about all things Singapore.

It also has a meta-search interface, powered by Wego, the travel search portal, which will allow visitors to search and purchase items such as flights and accommodation.

Mr Chang said the STB would provide support to industry partners to embrace the digital channel. "We want to encourage SMEs in our tourism sector to take advantage of the iDigital scheme."

This scheme, which has been carved out of the $10 million Tourism Technology Fund, would fund up to 50% of qualifying costs.