The programme of Singapore Brand Conference 2008 has been specifically crafted to address the needs of small and medium sized enterprises. With a focus on building global brands, this event is set to be the definitive branding conference.
Singapore Brand Conference 2008 Programme
Differentiate Or Sell Cheap
Keynote Address
If You Don’t Manage Your Brand, Your Competitors Will Do It For You
Mr Stephen Lee Yen Ching, Chairman, Singapore Business Federation
If you are a Singapore company, there is one thing that you would do well to remember: Whatever you can do, you competitors can do also. And the scary thing is, they might even do it better and cheaper than you. This situation has resulted in products within any given category becoming more and more commoditised. The only difference between these products is usually the brand which is not so easy for competitors to copy. Mr Stephen Lee will talk about what Singapore companies need to do to manage this strategic asset better so that they can be more competitive on the international arena.
Differentiate Or Sell Cheap: The 13 Strategies Of Differentiation
Mr Jacky Tai, Principal Consultant, StrategiCom
Differentiation is the most important aspect of any branding project because if customers cannot perceive any difference between your brand and your competitors’ brands, then they will buy from whoever is cheaper. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to build a strong brand using a low price strategy provided you have structural cost advantage. Competing on price is getting harder and harder in The China Age. You need to differentiate but differentiation is also very difficult to achieve because not many people understand it fully. Mr Jacky Tai will lay out the 13 differentiation strategies that will allow you to differentiate your brand in any market.
Transforming Your People Into True Blue Brand Ambassadors
Mr Ray Bigger, Principal Trainer, Think8
Once you have found your differentiating idea, you will need to communicate it consistently at all customer touch points. There are two types of communicators – static and dynamic. Static communicators refer to things like your logo, website, corporate presentation and video, brochures, etc and are quite easy to manage. Dynamic communicators refer to your people and they are not that easy to manage. Get it wrong and your brand can be damaged. Get it right and you have an army of brand ambassadors that can help you build a better brand. Mr Ray Bigger will show you how to transform your people into effective brand ambassadors.
Study On The Co-Relation Between Brand Strength And Financial Performance
Ms Audrey Lim, Consultant, StrategiCom
There have been many studies which have shown that strong brands have better financial performance. There was even one that showed strong brands enjoy 365% higher returns on investments. However, none of these studies were conducted in Singapore on Singapore companies. Until now. Audrey Lim will share the results of the first study to measure the link between a Singapore’s company perceived brand strength and its financial performance.
Operational Challenges in Brand Strategy Formulation
Panel Chairman: Dr Wilson Chew, Group Principal Consultant & CEO, StrategiCom
Brand strategy cannot be developed in a vacuum. Companies who do that often end up with unrealistic strategies that are next to impossible to implement successfully. Brand strategy needs to take into account the kind of operational challenges that are unique to every company and how to tackle them so that the brand strategy can have a chance of success. Our panel of experts will share with you their experience in reconciling the ideal brand strategy with the operational challenges that they face within their organisations. Singapore companies can learn a lot from these brand champions who can say, “Been there. Done that.”
Panel Members
- Mr Kenny Ng, Group Marketing Manager, Tai Sin Electric Limited
- Mr Victor Chew, Group General Manager, Enviro-Hub Holdings Limited
- Mr Terence Wong, Co-Head of Research and Senior Vice-President, DMG & Partners Securities Pte Ltd
- Ms Elly Sim, CEO, Jan & Elly English Language Centre
How To Energise A Brick-And-Mortar Company Through Branding
Mr Steven Tham, CEO, Leeden Limited
Many businesses adopt the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. There is nothing wrong with that approach. You will continue to have a viable business. The only downside is, you might not realise the company’s full potential with that play-it-safe strategy. Many traditional companies can be energised by a proper branding strategy that will give them a clearer strategic direction. Leeden wasn’t broke before it took on a branding project but it went ahead with the project because it wanted to stretch the brand. Steven Tham will share with you the lessons learned from Leeden’s branding journey and how it energised the brand.
Monetising Your Intellectual Property
Mr Tony Yeo, Director, Drew & Napier
Every company has some intellectual property that it can use to generate new business, provided that it knows how to commercialise that precious intellectual property. Many companies are aware of the need to protect their intellectual property but protection is often seen as a necessary but unwanted expense. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can actually make money from all that intellectual property that you have developed. Tony Yeo, one of the top intellectual property lawyers in Asia Pacific according to the prestigious Asia Law & Practice publication, will share with you the strategies for turning that intellectual property into real money.
Landmines To Avoid When Taking Your Brand International
Panel Chairman: Dr Wilson Chew, Group Principal Consultant & CEO, StrategiCom
Singapore is an island of 800 square kilometres and a population of 4.5 million people which makes it a tiny market by any standards. As such, Singapore companies that want to continue to grow have little choice but to venture into foreign markets. But internationalisation is a process that is fraught with problems as each market is different. Even within large countries like China or India, each region is different. Our panel of experts which have many years of experience in taking their brands into international markets will share with you on the potential landmines to avoid so that you can take some of the risks out of your internationalisation programme.
Panel Members
- Mr Benedict Chen, Executive Chairman, VibroPower Limited
- Mr Murali Nair, Vice President, Marketing, Amtek Engineering
- Mr Steven Tham, CEO, Leeden Limited
- Mr David Low, CEO, Futuristic Store Fixtures International
How To Use Design To Differentiate Your Brand?
Mr Ulrich Johannes Schraudolph, Chief Designer, PSB Technologies
Design is one of the 13 strategies of differentiation but it is also one that is often misunderstood by companies as it is seen as a subjective and aesthetic thing. But design is as much about how things look as how they work. A good looking product (whether consumer or industrial) that doesn’t work well is as good as useless. There is actually as much science in design as there is art. Ulrich Johannes Schraudolph will share with you what makes a design great. He will also show you many examples of how companies in various categories have used design to increase their sales by as much as 2,000%. You can’t afford to miss this session.
