sentosa aims to establish itself as a leading leisure destination in Asia. It began rebranding efforts in 2002 which included developing a new identity and brand platform. The brand campaign launched in 2004 helped attract 5 million guests that year. sentosa visitors comprise both tourists and local residents, with slightly more male than female visitors. Younger age groups are more common among local visitors. Top source markets internationally include India, China, Japan, UK, Australia and Malaysia. sentosa seeks to shift from being Singapore-centric to becoming a choice destination in its own right through strategic branding and partnerships.

1. sentosa
Building A Destination Brand
November 2006

2. Sydney is not Australia …
On a map, Sydney is inside Australia.
But in the mind, “Sydney” and “Australia”
are in two different places
Sydney is sophisticated, Australia is not
Singapore is dull, sentosa must not

3. Began In 2002
• New identity developed.
• Brand platform completed.
• Brand campaign launched.
• Broad marketing strategy implemented.

4. Guests At sentosa
sentosa Guest Profile
sentosa Guests comprise 49% tourists and 51% residents.
The gender spread is has been consistent and continues to be slightly skewed
towards males (60%).
Additionally it is useful to note that amongst resident visitors, age groups
arriving tend to be younger, 15 to 24 years (40%) and 25 to 34 years (31%).
With more singles (62%).
The profile for tourists tend to include older age groups tending to be married
(61%) with recognizable proportions being Empty Nesters.
Top arrivals came from India, China, Japan, UK, Australia and Malaysia.

5. The Current Position
Take A New Look / Discover More Brand Campaign
The campaign achieved its key objective of informing its target audience that
sentosa has new facilities, new attractions and a new look. It has also
improved perceptions about sentosa. Most important of all, it helped attract 5
million guests in 2004.
- 72% respondents claimed they had seen the campaign.
- 40% “sentosa has new facilities/attractions/look”.
- 57% perceptions of sentosa improved after seeing the campaign.
- 69% confirmed more likely to visit after the campaign.
- sentosa top of mind 53%, Zoo 21%

6. The Existing Framework
Has Enabled
- Alignment with tourism board initiatives
both domestically and regionally.
-Strengthened sentosa’s brand identity.
-B2B approach in foreign markets.
-B2C approach in domestic markets.
-Use of Take A New Look (domestic)
and Discover More (international).
-Inclusion of attractions / partners into overall
sentosa branding campaign
-Focused promotion for key location based events (Siloso NYE Splash,
sentosa Flowers, FOY, Jazz By The Beach, Arabian Nites, etc.)

7. The Objectives
2006 and beyond calls for positive development on:
-Visitor Spending
-Investment Commitment
-Share Of Tourist Arrivals
-Visitor Satisfaction

8. Branding

9. The Brand Moving Forward
There are 3 stages to the sentosa brand journey.
Currently we are at the end of stage one. Successful definition of the
brand’s salience has been installed (2002 to 2006)
Definition of this is now starting to take root (2006 to 2008).
Confirmation (2008 onwards).

10. The Brand Moving Forward
The sentosa brand has begun to show some traction, but more remains to
be done.
Positioning Current Situation Next
Domestic Invite them to make
Take A New Look They have. Now what? it a behavioural habit
International This makes sentosa a Make sentosa a
Singapore’s Island Resort consequence, must choose choice destination in
Discover More to visit Singapore first in its own right

11. Shifting Beyond Being
Singapore Centric
Asia’s Premium Playground
Transition Point
Singapore’s Island Resort

12. The Brand Moving Forward
The new position will provide a credible longer term platform for both the
main brand and the three sub-brands.
Domestic International
Recognized
Beach
Domestic
Market Recognized
Activity
Sentosa Singapore
Recognized
Nature
Amongst domestic visitors, sentosa must come to be Internationally, the sentosa brand must
recognized as one of Asia’s leading project
and most dynamic leisure destinations in a powerful regional promise,
order to make visiting a regular habit that stands parallel to host Singapore
Creation of domestic sentosa Ambassador base

13. Conveying The Brand Idea
sentosa
Asia’s
Premium
sentosa Playground
Come Play!
Sunny & VISION
Landscaped
Attractions
DISRUPTIVE IDEA
Singapore’s
Island Resort
CONVENTION

14. Moving Forward
sentosa sentosa
Come Play Asia’s Premium Playground
Singapore’s Island Resort
Stage 1 Stage 2 Come Play II
Take A New Look Introduction & Preparation Stage 3
Discover More (all main (all main
features announced) features available)
As with any change with brand expression, its
always useful to have accompaniment by
significant symbolic milestones, such as:
- the launch of a new major facility (express) Launch of
- the announcement of a bold new plan (FR) major new facilities
- a major international events (Clipper, Forbes, Installation of
Singapore Open) different
Corporate &
Island Brand

15. Special Projects
(Branding Vehicles)

16. sentosa/STB/EDB/Forbes
Administrative Management
Objective: Strategies:
sentosa, to establish and maintain a leadership role with Maintain leadership and working relationships in
tourism and Singapore business related, organizations relevant tourist board, government and private
and institutions to ensure that sentosa’s activities organizations. Specific to the unique business / golfing
are beneficial to the sentosa island community and event proprietary to sentosa. This being the Forbes
beyond. Global CEO Conferences and BUB Dinner’s woven with
the Singapore Open.
Maintain ongoing relationship with sentosa island partner
community to enhance overall marketing opportunity.
Develop other strong private partnerships (MTV,
MediaCorp Radio, Discovery etc.) that will increase the
scope and reach of the marketing and advertising.

17. The Singapore Open, The Clipper
& Other Mega Sports Marketing
Objectives: Strategies:
Be known as the Home of The Singapore Open. Establish sentosa as iconic destinations integral to the
success and popularity of the tour. This should be
Coordinate sporting event partnerships that will create made an underlying principle across the existing sporting
distinction and add stature to sentosa’s current and events of The Singapore Open, The Clipper, The Terry
intended positioning. Fox Run and other appropriate vehicles identified by a
selective taskforce (Events). The latter to be addressed
by Marketing
Development of educational opportunities and incentive
programmes that will enhance the selling abilities of
sports alliance partners.

18. Tourism Academy
& Educational Programme Partnerships
Objective: Strategies:
Coordinate with relevant educational platforms to Use of technology to enable Tourism Academy to be
create and enhance sentosa’s profile amongst more featured in a topical and up-to-date manner within the
discerning domestic and international audiences. sentosa web-site.
Buy into and sponsorship of border and cultural
crossing,
educational programmes (World Intervarsity Debate).
Feature of World Intervarsity Debate details in a
prominent fashion on sentosa web-site.

19. Research

20. Research
Objectives: Strategies:
Analyze the visitor volume, trip trends and visitor profile Analyze performance of tactical advertising related to
of consumers that visit sentosa, as well as Singapore sales efforts, such as conversion studies, return on
visitor ship trends. investment and other advertising impact studies as
appropriate.
Assess performance of sentosa’s tourism industry.
Develop a market share history of STB’s primary and
secondary markets, to quantify STB’s marketing
activities and to establish a visitor profile to sentosa.
Continue intercept studies (incorporating guest
satisfaction) of visitors at sentosa’s Visitor Arrival Center
and other key arrival points.

21. Marketing

22. Overall Marketing Directions
For the immediate future (up until sentosa Express is fully operational),
sentosa will build on the success of past by continuing to actively market
sentosa as Singapore’s Island Resort
Increasingly the Discover More position will replace Take A New Look in
domestic context
Even greater emphasis must be placed on international markets.
Specifically, India(309446/$410m/5.8d), Japan(434064/$320m/2.4d/FIT & Gp), UK(387970/$271m/3.2d/FIT)
and China(568497/$270m/2.8d)
Possible adoption of Indonesia (Jkt.) (1341708/$1,061m/3.1d/FIT) as extension of
domestic market, not unlike Malaysia (KL) (439413/$174m/1.8d/FIT)
Closer focus on Australia(392898/$242m/3d/FIT) market
Domestic focus March to July to make up for weak tourist arrivals then
Jan(641000)/Feb(613000)/Mar(559000)/Apr(203000)/May(177000)/Jun(316000)/Jul(540000)/Aug(602000)/Sep(556000)/Oct(586000)/Nov(635000)/Dec(691000)

23. Island Visitor Development
Objective: Strategies:
To promote visitation to sentosa’s related attractions and Work with all sentosa attractions, events and
businesses and coordinate island wide, a uniformed departments to continue the sentosa design grid
sentosa design and application programme. programme.
Promote location based signature programmes for
sentosa’s attractions (tours/content/etc) and events.

24. sentosa A & E Promotion
Objective: Strategies:
To pitch and promote sentosa owned attractions and Develop and install individual and customized 12 month
events to the tourist and domestic markets respectively. marketing communications programmes. These
programmes are developed in isolation treating each
event or attraction as a individual products. This should
significant shift to use true broadcast (outdoor)
to reach the FIT tourist markets. And specific
niche programmes to reach niche domestic audiences.
Where applicable, integrating with collective
mainland cluster initiatives (ex. museum round table,
heritage sites) for greater impact on the FIT tourist
segments is catered for.

25. Website
& Email Blasts
Objectives: Strategies:
Continue to maintain the most up-to-date information Provide on-line platform for the Sales, Marketing
resource for the web-site with facilities to simplified Communications units.
Mandarin and MICE Sales micro site.
Continual messaging programme for Islander members
Maintain and grow database pool of Sentosa loyalist. and also weekend event promotion.
Provide link and stage for island partners and other Feature of the month highlight
sentosa

26. Telemarketing, Direct Response
& Sponsorship
Objectives: Strategies:
Use telemarketing and fulfillment program for consumer Sale of domestic packages and programmes, ex.
outreach, such as direct mail, bulk mailings and surveys. Islander Club Membership.
Secure sponsorship for Sentosa Signature Events. To locate and install out-sourced facility.

27. F&B
And Retail
Objectives: Strategies:
Coordinate sentosa’s F & B and Retail offering to on- Develop and install point of contact and distribution
island visitors. vehicles that will reach, direct and eventually convert
on-island guests.
Currently this takes the form of on-isle banners, leaflets,
inclusion in maps etc.
Of worthy exploration would be possible tie-up or
build into MICE programmes. Signature catering by
sentosa and a sentosa giveaway that’s identifiable and
memorable.

28. International Trade Support

29. International Marketing
Objectives: Strategies:
To promote sentosa as a travel destination to the Support participation in targeted India, China and Japan
international travelers who: based international travel marketplaces, FAM tours and
- is already arriving in significant numbers to ignore marketing for the travel trade. Work with
- are coming from destinations with group/ mice Communications could install and run a continual
programmes worth tapping on. public relations programme targeted at the both the
- exhibiting reasonable lengths of stay consumer and trade in those relevant countries.
Suggest producing Holiday Planning Guides
compliment-
ting leading travel-trade shows in those countries.
These
could be titled 2006 CITM Holiday Planning Guide
(consumer or trade focus will depend on genre of show)
Co-op advertising and awareness campaigns
highlighting
India 309446, China 568497, Japan 434064
trade show participation could also be explored.
India 5.8 days, China 2.8 days, Japan 2.4
above are not so much FIT skewed

30. Packaged Travel
& Trade Marketing
Objectives: Strategies:
Expand and strengthen tourism marketing alliances with Suggest and identify new products for inclusion.
sentosa’s private sector business partners and STB This could extend beyond sentosa’s shores as we know
tourism offices. it now to include joint marketing initiatives with the
Singapore Cruise Center, Mount Faber Leisure Group
Market sentosa’s travel and tour products directly to and Vivo City etc.
buyers through participation at trade shows, sales
meetings and marketplaces Suggest for sentosa’s marketing partners to have direct
contact with clients through sales promotions at various
Increase the direct sales opportunities for sentosa trade shows. Currently STB takes this role with limited
island partners to those travel buyers who have success for sentosa stakeholders.
destination selection influence.
Specific to personality projection at international trade
marketing opportunities, uniformed booth design /
application, extending to dress and collateral hand outs
must be coordinated / managed. Identify and install
common contractor.
The latter (collaterals) will include partnership
developed programs produced and undertaken by
sentosa.

31. STB Visitor Centers
& Tourist Information Points
Objectives: Strategies:
To provide quality and timely information to potential To create clear distinction between on and off-island
visitors. collateral formats.
These would be travel trade and direct consumer in To pitch collective sentosa brochures against individual
international context and mostly consumer in a attraction leaflets.
domestic context.
Install and manage update and refresh system across all
Ensure full stockpile at all centers and points. STB offices and visitor information points worldwide.
Take over prime positions in all domestic attraction rack
brochures across all 99 hotels.

32. STB Publications
Objectives: Strategies:
Inclusion in all of STB publications to compel all STB’s Research full list and systematically engineer inclusion,
primary audiences, the consumer and the trade be it by listings, programmes, events, contact details,
selected. whatever etc.

33. General

34. Advertising
Objectives: Strategies:
Generate greater consumer interest and desire to make For buy into all markets, a vertical and niche media
sentosa a behavioral habit to increase visits from selection is recommended. National buys may almost
domestic market (Malay, Indon?) always prove too expensive.
Generate greater consumer awareness of sentosa Generate awareness to all visitors at points of
as a destination in India and China. disembarkation, airports, land arrivals and cruise
centers.
Aggressively cross-promote and advertise sentosa in The latter being of growing popularity and proximity.
tandem with STB’s market focus.

35. Lastly, If It Isn't Broke
Don’t Fix It
We need to maintain a deliberate,
consistent and on-going branding programme
in 2006 and beyond.
This is over all other Marketing Programs.

36. Thank You