The very thought of losing our Singapore Girl icon has roused public views and support for the SIA Girl. Or is it only in ST?
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The Straits Times, Tues, Jan 23, 2007
The courage not to change
By For The Straits Times, Kai-Alexander Schlevogt
IT IS unusual for high-flying women to retire at 35, but that is exactly what critics of Singapore Airlines (SIA) are suggesting. Ostensibly prompted by a round birthday, avant-garde marketing experts argue that the 'Singapore Girl', the touchstone brand of graceful flight attendants, has become obsolete. They are cheered by feminists who, not without a hint of innuendo, characterise their attentive service as submissive behaviour out of tune with the modern world of gender equality. So should SIA prepare a soft landing of its girlish assets?
The dilemma of the celebrated marketing icon illustrates one of the toughest challenges for a leader: to decide whether elements of a successful formula are obsolete and need to be changed. If he fails to adjust in time, competitors might force him to his knees. On the other hand, he risks throwing out the baby with the bath water.
SIA needs to ask a few fundamental questions. First: How viable is the full-service business model in a changing environment of hyper-competition and decreasing margins?
On the surface, worrying about service quality when faced with nimble budget airlines is reminiscent of trench warfare specialists investing in heavy artillery when mobility is all that counts. Drawing an analogy from high-end retailing, we might ask how sustainable is an orange sold at Harrods? By the time the customer has passed the impeccably dressed doorman and travelled up an exquisite escalator, the meticulously trained shop assistants need to sell it for several pounds to make a profit.
Niche market
BUT SIA's position may not be so bleak. Like Harrods, it has carved a niche for itself in the luxury sector. So the second question it should ask: What do customers in this sector really want?
Many passengers will be reluctant to go against the thought dictatorship of a vociferous minority. They will not admit that they love to be served by polite and youthful attendants instead of lugubrious and cantankerous hostesses approaching their sixties. But the fact remains that sophisticated travellers, from Asia in particular, require attentive professional service. They very well understand the fine distinction between cheap seduction, which appeals to basic human instincts, and timeless grace, which enchants the refined mind. That this is true for both male and female customers should put ideological concerns to rest.
It might be best to talk informally to passengers, read between the lines of traveller news groups, or just observe what happens in service industries across China and the Middle East. The flight attendants on Hainan Airlines, for example, routinely help passengers to change shoes. Even in the West, many customers increasingly expect luxury service at affordable prices.
On the ground, this hidden desire was masterfully satisfied by Starbucks, a self-styled people business that serves more than just gourmet coffee. Its cheerful employees are called 'partners'. This analogy helps thinking about the cult icon at high altitude.
Timeless asset
CAN SIA leverage the Singapore Girl, immortalised in Madame Tussauds wax cabinet, to serve the newly emerging market segment of discerning travellers?
To my mind, the theory of the product life cycle is much older than the Singapore Girl and a more obvious candidate for scrapping. Not every brand goes through predictable stages of growth, maturity and inevitable decline.
A successful established brand is a priceless and timeless possession. In contrast to new evanescent brands, it is much sought-after by Wall Street because it reliably generates cash. Iconoclastic brand managers can rejuvenate it by providing new information, adding and strapping benefits and changing positioning and category.
Going beyond simple dichotomies, JetBlue, for example, eliminated in-flight meals but added luxury features such as satellite television. As a result, it delivered a unique value proposition that attracted a wide variety of customers.
If a product fades, it is the marketer who is to blame, not the brand. Just witness the miraculous career of the venerable VW Beetle. Built at the request of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, it transformed itself into the totem of anti-authoritarian hippies after World War II.
While retaining nostalgic references to an idealised past, the Beetle redux managed to distance itself sufficiently from the imbroglio of the 1960s and embody new features to charm the affluent classes in the United States.
The transformational opportunities of the Singapore Girl are endless, not only because of the brand equity but, more importantly, because of the underlying competencies that helped to build it.
It is one thing to mimic SIA by distributing booklets that prescribe the colour of eye shadow, but quite another to understand and emulate the vision of excellence that transfuses the organisation. What motivates flight attendants to go beyond service mechanics and walk the last metre to the customer without constant supervision and official imprimatur?
Besides, in contrast to many Western airlines, SIA manages to attract bright and beautiful young candidates who would otherwise shun a mundane service job that, as one questionable perk, involves cleaning restrooms! The Singapore Girl image offers them social status comparable to pop stars and mannequins. Even ambitious Asian parents applaud the career decision.
The brand, too, can be leveraged to fit any future strategic moves, such as a drive to maximise the lifetime value of a customer by appealing not only to reason but also emotions. For example, instead of just delivering excellent transportation services, SIA could enter the business of creating an ineffable 'third place in the sky' that complements home and work. The halcyon Singapore Girl could establish strong emotional bonds with passengers and turn them into loyal customers.
Integrating the ambassadors in the sky with complementary growth engines, such as the Uniquely Singapore destination campaign, would further buttress its marketing power.
The ageless Singapore Girl is a timeless asset that will help SIA. The arbiter and choreographer of branded life is leadership. Only if the corporate gardener stops nurturing his plants will the theoretical prophecy of product mortality fulfil itself.
The writer is an associate professor at the National University of Singapore Business School.
schlevogt@schlevogt.com
They will not admit that they love to be served by polite and youthful attendants instead of lugubrious and cantankerous hostesses approaching their 60s. But the fact remains that sophisticated travellers, from Asia in particular, require attentive professional service.
The Straits Times, Tues, Jan 23, 2007
Should the S'pore Girl stay?
WHEN Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced on Jan 8 that it would tender out its advertising account for the first time in 35 years, marketing gurus had two immediate thoughts: (a) it's about time; and (b) will the Singapore Girl (below) stay or go?
In 1972, the SIA icon in her famous Pierre Balmain kebaya was conceived by fledgling ad agency Batey Ads. Founded by British-born Ian Batey, it had held on to the account till now.
Batey Ads, whose chief executive Alan Fairnington has said it will pitch to retain the account, declined to be interviewed.
The one constant thing about the Singapore Girl through three decades has been SIA's strict policy of featuring only SIA stewardesses - and not models - in the advertisements.
In his book, Asian Branding: A Great Way To Fly (2002), Mr Batey recalls the Singapore Girl causing a stir in more ways than one: 'Some feminist groups in Europe and the United States have taken swipes at the advertising from time to time.
'Their view is simple and dogmatic: The sexual attraction of the stewardess is being exploited to sell seats.'
For his part, as he explained in his book, his agency's kebaya-clad creation embodied 'natural femininity, natural grace and warmth, and a natural, gentle way with people'.
He then hit upon the idea of, as he put it, 'taking her out of the aircraft cabin' in ads and placing her in global locales. 'We felt it was useful to spread the message that SIA was a growing global brand.'
It worked.
But global branding whiz Tyler Brule says SIA should watch that the Singapore Girl does not become 'just an object'.
Mr Brule, an avowed fan of SIA, points out: 'When your stewardesses are from 17 different countries because labour there is cheaper, the Singapore Girl is no longer the polished young woman who got a good education in Singapore.'
So, he says, the main question for whichever agency wins the SIA tender would be whether it wants 'to continue to embrace the Singapore Girl or not'.
For branding expert Paul Temporal, there is no question that the Singapore Girl is integral to SIA's identity.
'To remove her would be akin to removing the Golden Arches of McDonald's,' he says.
Says Mr Stephen Forshaw, SIA's vice-president of public affairs: 'We won't jettison what's worked - and worked very well - in the past.'
He declines to comment on possible tweaks to SIA's positioning from now on.
Marketing don Hooi Den Huan says of the 35-year-old icon: 'The relevance of the Singapore Girl is not a question of age.
'The question the ad agencies must ask is whether she is still fresh and does she resonate with people today?
'Unless people no longer appreciate good service, I don't think she'll go out of style.'
He adds: 'In any airport, you don't even have to look for the words Singapore Airlines. All you need to do is spot a cardboard model of the Singapore Girl.
'If such a gracious and confident lady is willing to put her life in this airline's hands, why wouldn't I?'
Jan 23, 2007
Air power
HERE is a comparison of marketing strategies for some top-notch airlines today.
SINGAPORE AIRLINES
Cachet: One of the world's best and biggest airlines, with the youngest fleet around, including its spanking-new Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A380 jets
Slogan: 'A great way to fly.'
Value proposition: The world's best in-flight experience and service, highest quality products and innovations, good value and a broad global network, among other things.
Spokesman says: 'Our planes and seats may please many customers, but it's easy enough for others to copy those. All you need is money. But it will be a lot harder to copy the service proposition we offer, and the innovations we include in that.'
JETSTAR
Cachet: Asia's best low-cost carrier for 2006
Slogan: 'All Days, Every Day, Low Fares with Jetstar'
Value proposition: Total convenience for all, including easy payment options, one-stop hotel and travel insurance arrangements online, and generous luggage allowances.
Spokesman says: 'The market here relies heavily on interconnectivity, and our challenge is to make sure our services are constant despite many factors beyond airlines' control.'
UNITED AIRLINES
Cachet: Airline with the best economy/coach class for 2006, as judged by passengers polled by global travel and transport information company OAG
Slogan: It has several, including 'It's time to fly'.
Value proposition: Providing the best service, comfort and convenience possible to its customers so that their next flight is always on United Airlines.
Spokesman says: 'United Airlines is always at full throttle when competing for business.'
EMIRATES
Cachet: World's best in-flight entertainment winner for 2006
Slogan: 'Fly Emirates'
Value proposition: An innovative, modern, leading international airline providing customer-oriented high quality air travel.
Spokesman says: 'Initially, when we started operations in 1985, there was low awareness of Emirates and also doubt as to how successful an airline based in the Middle East could be, compared to more established international carriers... Since then, we have marketed ourselves as an international airline (which) elevates our brand perception to one of a premium brand.'
BRITISH AIRWAYS
Cachet: Airline Of The Year 2006, despite in-flight catering woes, terror alerts and occasional staff strikes
Slogans: It has several, including current ones such as '21st century air travel' and 'Have you clicked yet?'.
Value proposition: High quality, professionalism, excellent service and safety.
Spokesman says: 'We take care to ensure that our marketing is appropriate for the audience. We use a mix of above-the-line and online advertising, public relations, sponsorships, events and direct marketing to reach this diverse customer base.'
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The Sunday Times, Jan 21, 2007
Readers express support for SIA Girl
COMPANY CEOs, former flight stewardesses, expatriates and foreign visitors wrote to The Sunday Times last week to express their support for the Singapore Girl.
Their response was triggered by a Sunday Times feature last week, discussing whether the Singapore Girl should be shelved to make way for a more modern branding icon.
While women's groups and media academics say she represents the 'subservient Asian woman' stereotype, creative industry experts feel she should be given a makeover.
Online forums have also been flooded with discussions.
Many of those who wrote to The Sunday Times were appalled that some experts reommended scrapping the Singapore Girl.
Senior sales consultant Tan Lin Neo, 48, thinks the Singapore Girl deserves more respect.
'This 35-year-old icon has come a long way in bringing fame to our national airline. She definitely does not deserve to be chucked away like some old car that has outlived its use,' she said.
British expatriate and managing director Mark Carpenter, 43, never found Singapore Airlines' ads sexist or demeaning to women.
'In fact, my wife applauds the image of the Singapore Girl and loves the standards of perfection they set for their appearance,' he said.
Some readers are concerned that the kebaya, which has become an important part of the country's identity, will be junked.
Mr Michael Miller, a visitor from the UK, said it is irrelevant that no one in Singapore wears the kebaya any more.
'No one in London dresses like the beefeaters, the colourful guards at the Tower of London. Nor do our soldiers go into battle wearing uniforms like the Household Cavalry, but these two images are among the key attractions for visitors to London,' he said.
The problem with SIA is not the sarong kebaya but the ads, said Ms Cheryl Chong, founder of a Shanghai mobile phone content firm.
'The problem is the shallow portrayal of the Singapore Girl. The advertising for Singapore Airlines has become an embarrassment,' she said.
Despite wanting the Singapore Girl to stay, some do concede that her makeup needs an update.
Personal assistant Jessica Leong, 36, suggests something more subtle than the 'screaming red lipstick and over-the-top blue eyeshadow'.
However, former stewardess April Tan, 38, believes the Singapore Girl should not be touched.
'Some old things earn their authenticity through the years and are better kept as they are.'
Nur Dianah Suhaimi
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