Singapore Tourism Board's new marketing campaign: "Singapore, "See where the world is heading"

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) recently launched its marketing campaign for the Philippines,  entitled “Singapore. See where the world is heading,” a key source market for Singapore. As part of a series of differentiated marketing campaigns previously launched in China, Australia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, this campaign is similarly designed with the Filipino visitors’ needs in mind.

‘Singapore. See where the world is heading,’ aims to encourage Filipinos to experience the pulse of the world through the various innovative and world class experiences Singapore offers. 

“Over the past years, we have been actively engaging the Filipino market to better understand their needs and preferences. By incorporating these insights into the ‘Singapore. See where the world is heading.’ marketing campaign, we are confident of being able to better curate and deliver offerings and experiences that are customised to the Filipino traveller in order to engage them at a deeper and more meaningful level,” says Mr Kenneth Lim, Regional Director, Southeast Asia (II) and Oceania, Singapore Tourism Board. 

Recognising the unique, evolving needs of the Filipino traveller

The Filipino consumer today is becoming more evolved and deliberate in terms of planning and choosing their holiday destination, and vacationing has become an important lifestyle choice. They typically travel as families, ‘barkada’ (group of friends), or couples to bond through shared experiences. A large majority are free and independent travellers (FIT) who plan their own itineraries, and rely heavily on recommendations by family, friends and online communities.

Through in-market engagements with consumers and travel partners, it was found that most Filipinos have a dated and surface-level awareness of Singapore. Those who have visited the city in the past three years were pleasantly surprised by the transformed Singapore, offering a multitude of rich experiences easily accessible in a comfortable and safe environment. 

Tailoring differentiated experiences for Filipino travellers

With a deeper understanding of the Filipino consumer needs as well as recognizing the strengths of Singapore as a destination regarded by the Filipinos, the campaign ‘Singapore. See where the world is heading’ is therefore designed to highlight the evolving and ever-changing landscape of Singapore, and as a destination, being able to provide those aspirational experiences in entertainment, dining, sight-seeing and shopping as favoured by Filipinos, to enjoy with their loved ones. 

Following teaser ads to generate excitement of the campaign launch, STB unveiled its ‘Singapore. See where the world is heading’ marketing campaign on 11 February 2014 at Greenbelt 3 Park.

Filipinos will get to enjoy an amazing Supertree installation inspired by Singapore’s own Gardens by the Bay at Greenbelt 3 Park and have a taste of how far Singapore has come as a destination and truly exemplify a destination that is always pushing boundaries and representing where the world is heading. The Supertree structure offers a unique fusion of nature and technology, just like the country itself. The Supertree display will be up until 10 March 2014, where mall-goers can deepen their awareness of Singapore with snippets of facts, and prizes being offered for trivia organized throughout the day. They can post photos of themselves with the Supertree with the hashtag #SGSupertree.

In tune with how Filipinos regard Singapore as constantly renewing and being at the cutting edge, the campaign will also leverage heavily on digital to reach out to the Filipino consumers. Specifically, the campaign includes a microsite and consumer interactive digital platform called #TheCuriousTraveller at yoursingapore.com/ph and YourSingapore Planner, downloadable itinerary planner mobile application that hopes to encourage Filipinos, not just to look at the aspirational experiences Singapore has to offer, but discover them on their own, provoking and inspiring them to become their own #TheCuriousTraveller. 

Users can opt to download the recommended itinerary based on whom they are travelling with and if they are heading to Singapore for shopping, food, sightseeing and entertainment or all of the above. Or they can choose to create their own itinerary where there are 40 experiences to choose from. The YourSingapore Planner app is available on Google Play or iTunes App Store. 

As the sharing of personal travel experiences and travel tips are important to Filipinos, STB has appointed a key opinion leader to be the face of the campaign through #TheCuriousTraveller. Erwan Heussaff was on hand to share his experiences at the launch and he will be sharing his exciting adventures in Singapore on yoursingapore.com/ph/thecurioustraveller. 

Lastly, to complement the digital efforts, other channels such as PR, above and below-the-line advertising will sustain the campaign in the coming months, with each platform promoting a refreshing side of Singapore.

“Whatever the reason for travelling – romantic getaway, barkada trip, or relaxing family vacation, the Singapore Tourism Board is dedicated to making sure Filipinos have the ultimate differentiated bonding experience the whole year round,” expressed Ms Sherina Chan, Area Director, Philippines & Brunei, Singapore Tourism Board. “We hope Filipinos will take to our campaign positively, be amazed by the bountiful new offerings that Singapore has to offer and see where the world is heading,” concluded Ms Chan. 

About the Singapore Tourism Board 

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is a leading economic development agency in tourism, one of Singapore’s key service sectors. Known for partnership, innovation and excellence, STB champions tourism, making it a key economic driver for Singapore. We aim to differentiate and market Singapore as a must-visit destination offering a concentration of user-centric and enriching experiences through the “YourSingapore” brand.

For more information, please visit http://www.stb.gov.sg/ or http://www.yoursingapore.com/