Brand Singapore (Third Edition)

Buck Song Koh

Description

How can Brand Singapore renew itself once again, amidst a global pandemic? Reputation is precious, more than ever, in the face of deep global displacements exacerbated by Covid-19. Top talent and hot money typically gravitate only to the most attractive, respected nations. For a nation as small and as young as Singapore, its brand is its most valuable asset, as seen in its stunning ascent from Third World to First World in just 30 years since 1965, spearheaded by targeted country branding that builds on unique, longstanding brand attributes. This fully revised and updated edition of Brand Singapore analyses the challenges and opportunities of its latest repositioning for a post-Covid-19 world. The book also examines major events of the last four years since the Second Edition, including the "Passion Made Possible" country brand concept, the 2020 General Election, the reserved Presidency and the Singapore Bicentennial's revised perspectives on 700 years of ancient history. "A must-read for all policy-makers and business leaders. The secret of Singapore's success is precisely uncovered by Koh Buck Song." - Yasu Ota, Nikkei Asian Review, Japan

Sujets

• Marketing et communication
• Public relations

Informations

• Publié par: Marshall Cavendish International
• Date de parution: 09 novembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814928496
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praise for Brand Singapore
Few governments have moulded their country s image as consciously and diligently as Singapore s. Koh Buck Song has written an illuminating and entertaining account of the building of Singapore s brand , an effort so successful that its politicians sometimes seem to confuse their country with a Fortune 500 company.
S IMON L ONG The Economist , United Kingdom
Koh is a writer of style and substance on country branding. His book is a must-read for anyone interested in place branding on a national scale, especially in the Asian region.
P ROFESSOR R UTH R ENTSCHLER University of South Australia Business School, Australia
A must-read for all policy-makers and business leaders, who are struggling to survive in the ever-intensifying global competition. Building the brand of a nation is not magic. There are fine-tuned mechanisms and strong volition behind the front stage. The secret of Singapore s success is precisely uncovered by Koh Buck Song.
Y ASU O TA Nikkei Asian Review , Japan
Koh s well-documented story (on Singapore) offers inspiring ideas it is almost a declaration of love to place branding by a prominent practitioner in the field.
G RUPO T ASO Place branding consultants, Spain
Koh provides a highly illuminating account of Singapore s nation branding. The acknowledgement of the political environment within which nation branding occurs is a particularly welcome contribution to the place branding literature.
D R K EITH D INNIE Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice (Routledge), UK
A wonderful way to describe how to create excitement for a country, define its spirit, and sell its promises.
D R R AFARAVAVITAFIKA R ASATA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Madagascar
Beyond telling Singapore s brand story in such a clear and easy-to-read book, Koh has managed to take readers into a journey that conciliates core concepts from the academic shores of place making, place branding and place marketing strategies, with the practitioner s trails.
D ANIEL V ALVERDE B AGNARELLO Nation Brand Director, Costa Rica
An important contribution to the discipline and research field of nation branding. Koh s book illustrates the central role nation branding can play in long-term economic development, and outlines how Singapore s clear nation branding strategy has been core to the city-state s transformation over the last 50 years.
J ONATHAN M C C LORY The Soft Power 30 index, UK
Comprehensive and well-researched, giving readers insight into the mechanisms and multifaceted nature of Singapore s nation branding Koh s enlightening account truly expands notions of Singapore beyond the strict regulations, stable environment and economic prowess that it is most known for.
R ACHEL C HAN Center on Public Diplomacy, University of Southern California, USA
A fascinating account of brand Singapore s imaginative campaigns and visionary concepts shaping the country s identity and image.
F LORIAN K AEFER The Place Brand Observer , Switzerland
Brand Singapore
BRAND SINGAPORE
THIRD EDITION
Nation Branding in a World Disrupted by Covid-19
KOH BUCK SONG
2021 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Pte Ltd
First edition published in 2011; second edition published in 2017
This third edition published in 2021 by Marshall Cavendish Business An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International

All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Requests for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.marshallcavendish.com
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this book, and specifically disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offices:
Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 800 Westchester Ave, Suite N-641, Rye Brook, NY 10573, USA Marshall Cavendish International (Thailand) Co Ltd, 253 Asoke, 16th Floor, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a registered trademark of Times Publishing Limited
National Library Board, Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data
Names: Koh, Buck Song.
Title: Brand Singapore : Nation branding in a world disrupted by Covid-19 / Koh Buck Song.
Description: Third edition. | Singapore : Marshall Cavendish Business, 2021. | Includes index.
Identifiers: OCN 1200192267 | eISBN 978 981 4928 49 6
Subjects: LCSH: Place marketing-Singapore. | National characteristics, Singaporean. | Branding (Marketing)-Singapore.
Classification: DDC 959.5700688-dc23
Printed in Singapore
For Dora, whose brand of zest for life enriches Singapore, even as it extends far beyond
The author would like to express deep appreciation and gratitude to Keith Dinnie, Florian Kaefer, Simon Long, Jonathan McClory, Yasu Ota, Rafaravavitafika Rasata, Ruth Rentschler, Daniel Valverde Bagnarello, Adithi Khandadi, Justin Lau and Melvin Neo.
CONTENTS
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
For Hearts and Minds: Once upon a country brand
The value of branding
Countries are not like companies
The Google trick
Brand affinity: How sweet is your brand?
Public diplomacy and brand ambassadors
Third-party endorsement: The holy grail of branding
Brand equity: Nothing like a good story
CHAPTER 2
State of Play: The government s visible hand in nation branding
The GDP city
A clean and smart nation
The tourism brand journey
YourSingapore : Tourism DIY
Passion Made Possible : Best tourism concept
Culture: The quest for focused substance from SG50
Harvesting the fruit of the Garden City model
The paradigm shift: City in a Garden to City in Nature
The mastery of man
Singapore as a global entrepolis
Expertise for export and generating buzz
Formula One: Turning night into day
LKY and after
The reserved Presidency: Symbol to the world
Singapore s Bicentennial: History revised, reaffirmed
The government s visible hand
CHAPTER 3
Beyond the Singapore Girl: The brand promise and positioning of Singapore Inc.
Reclaiming Singapore Inc. ?
Raffles: Selling a brand
Time for a Tiger
Celebrity rub-off effect
Peranakan culture and the appetite for more
CHAPTER 4
The People s Action Partly - Until SG50 : Cultural capital and Singaporeans contributions to nation branding
SG50 : The game-changer
Cultural capital and soft power
Singlish: Last time not OK, now maybe can?
On screen and stage
Singapore stories
Crazy Rich Asians and the real Singapore
Canvas for nation branding
New ways to score
Track two diplomacy in a little red dot
From cultural desert to cultural dessert
CHAPTER 5
Hear the Lion Roar: Myth, the Merlion and Singapore s regal brand
Mining Singapore s history
The Lion King of Temasek
Singapore s Beowulf
Commerce versus culture
The Merlion in Singapore literature
A royal heritage
Singapore s national animal, or lack thereof
CHAPTER 6
Enough to Chew On? Sticky stereotypes, brand keloids and brand recovery
The nanny state
The media and brand keloids
The people as nanny
The 911 effect
Learning from the nanny
Reverse bungee options
The semi-permeable membrane
A new Singapore: The 2011 and 2015 general elections
The 2020 general election: A maturing democracy?
CHAPTER 7
Remaking Singapore - Overcoming Covid-19: New and future branding challenges assessed 208
The Spirit of Singapore
The global city era
Let the five stars sparkle freely
Brand Singapore on the ground
National metaphors and analogies - sampan or cruise ship?
Is Singapore future-ready ?
The overall initial impact of Covid-19
How Covid-19 affects the four main sub-brands
Brand Singapore s value for future growth
Singapore s orientation to the world
Multiculturalism s X factor and Singapore s standing
Endnotes
Index
About the author
INTRODUCTION
T HE COVID-19 PANDEMIC that surfaced in late 2019 has turned the world upside-down. By the end of August 2020, this coronavirus strand had already claimed more than 24 million known cases, and more than 820,000 deaths worldwide. The global economy, totally upturned, will take years to recover. But the fundamentals of place branding have maintained their centre of gravity. When human wellbeing is being washed aside by relentless tsunamis of asymptomatic infections, and foreign aid, international collaboration and most travel are being kept ashore by waves of protectionism and currents of deglobalisation, anyone venturing out must tread water more carefully, and try to swim towards the dry land of safe, welcoming and trustworthy country brands.
Reputation is precious, now more than ever. Of all earthly possessions, your brand is the most valuable thing you could have for moving up in the world - whether as a person, company or country. Without a good CV, you would not be entrusted with a high-level job. For businesses, success rests on corporate standing and customer support, both of which start with having a good name. As for countries, only the most attractive and respected places have the power to draw top talent and hot money. With country brands, larger nations have some room for manoeuvre - they could even take a few knocks and still proceed unscathed. But for small states, a nation brand is all the more valuable