Honeymoon or press conference in the Ferris wheel
The Singapore Flyer, the Ferris wheel in Singapore that opened in 2008, is marketed aggressively and creatively and has quickly become one of the tropical city's main tourist attractions.
In gondola number 3 of the Singapore Flyer, the employees of a software company are enjoying a New Year's dinner, while in the adjacent gondola, a group of tourists from New Zealand with champagne glasses in their hands marvel at the city skyline from an unusual perspective. At 165 meters, the world's tallest Ferris wheel is one of the most important tourist attractions and an increasingly popular party venue in the Southeast Asian city-state, and this is also thanks to Chew Boon Heang, Director of Corporate Planning & Business Strategy at the Adval Brand Group, which markets the wheel and brings new ideas to the fore. The Ferris wheel is owned by Singapore Flyer Gmbh&Co, which initially struggled to finance the landmark, which cost the equivalent of around 200 million Swiss francs. Singapore is known as a commercial, banking, convention and trade fair city. What was the point of a playful Ferris wheel? With 30 employees, Adval ("adding value to your brand") looks after a whole range of clients, the most prominent of which is the Singapore Flyer.
Offensive marketing
"We market the Flyer aggressively and are constantly looking for new ideas," says Ms. Heang with an infectious laugh. Driving their momentum is the agreement to guarantee the operators of the bike for an annual turnover of at least 16 million Singapore dollars (S$) - approximately 12 million Swiss francs. The agency receives a commission, and the higher the turnover, the more it can skim off the top.
29 S$ is the full price for the half-hour round trip, which offers spectacular views of the city and as far as Malaysia. Adval developed a fan of tickets with reductions for families, groups, etc., and even annual subscriptions are on the market for people who want to experience the bike every now and then. "The scenarios are completely different depending on the weather," says Heang. "Some guests love the views in the tropical rain, where the skyscrapers blur in the wet haze, others prefer the cloudless sky, while still others enjoy the glistening sea of lights during the night ride."
Honeymoon over the Bay of Singapore
Singapore is a world champion in marketing, which is exemplified by the Flyer. The idea of renting out the spacious cabins as breathtaking party rooms quickly emerged. Brochures with the offers were printed, journalists were invited, television crews filmed in the futuristic, floating wine bars and demand quickly increased. Young couples booked several turns for a complete honeymoon dinner, while other cabins were booked by entire families to celebrate their grandmother's birthday. A dinner for two with two rotations (approx. one hour) costs 199 S$ (150 Fr.), while a private capsule with dinner and drinks for up to 10 people costs a flat rate of 1,500 S$ for two rotations.
If you want to go even bigger, you can book a wedding package for the whole party on the most beautiful day of your life with a champagne aperitif and salmon rolls in an extra romantically decorated capsule for up to two dozen guests during two round trips. As a further highlight, the party then cruises the waters of Singapore on a luxury yacht; including limousine service to the harbor, this all costs 2999 S$, with dinner in the VIP lounge or in the Flyer's event hall costing correspondingly more. Those who prefer a simpler experience can enjoy the breezy circuit with a signature cocktail (69 S$), the glass is given to you as a souvenir and you can then continue drinking in the VIP lounge (at your own expense).
From the airplane to the flyer
While other Ferris wheels simply sell tickets, Adval turned the Singapore Flyer into a breathtaking event machine; Swiss tourism providers could take a leaf out of its book. With the award-winning Singapore Airlines and Changi Airport, which is highly rated in passenger surveys, Singapore is one of Asia's major flight hubs. Some passengers only use the airport to change planes or make a one-day stopover here before their onward flight, for example to Australia. As many planes from Europe or the USA land early in the morning, the Singapore Tourism Board and Adval have put together programs together with the hotels to show guests as much as possible during this stopover. Tourists are taken from the airport to the city by bus and, as the hotels are often not ready for check-in in the morning, are taken straight to the Flyer: from the plane to the Ferris wheel!
The cooperation with Singapore's tourism organization is intensive, so the bike is integrated into many city tours, which contributes to the added value of the Singapore Flyer. The adventure bike is advertised with posters at strategic locations such as the airport or in shopping centers. "However, our advertising costs are not high," says Chew Boon Heang. "Press reports, TV shows etc. are our most important advertising, we are happy to provide support in the realization of media projects."
Negative publicity was generated by an incident shortly after the opening when the wheel came to a standstill due to a power failure and the 170 passengers had to wait in their capsules for hours; no one was harmed. Since then, all cabins have been equipped with survival kits containing food, drinks and even sanitary utensils. An "in-flight audio guide", which explains the view of the city and surrounding area to guests in several languages, is included in the ticket price and is free of charge.
Jungle and yield management
At the foot of the wheel there is even a small jungle with waterfalls, an attraction that can be visited free of charge. Stores and restaurants are grouped around it, and a large souvenir store on the upper floor next to the VIP lounge attracts many visitors. The stores and restaurants are not managed by Brand Group Adval, and their rents and sales are not relevant to the agency's royalties. In the entrance area by the ticket offices for the flyer, there is space to display cars for a fee - after all, hundreds of thousands of expectant visitors flock here every year.
Yield management is the order of the day at the Flyer: during the rather slow summer months, there are discounts and promotions, while during the Formula 1 race (September 24 - 26, 2010), whose circuit passes under the Flyer, the expensive 600-dollar packages for a few bike rides are sold like fresh wok vegetables.
Although the 800,000 visitors a year so far are a lot less than the lofty forecasts before the opening, this is an incentive for Adval to manage the wheel even more creatively.
Cooperation with other organizers
While Singapore used to be more of a riverside city, the metropolis is increasingly turning towards the sea as a result of landfill. The Flyer, on the shores of Singapore Bay, is an outpost of this development. Nearby, the huge integrated resort Marina Bay Sands is now rising from the ground with three hotel towers covered by a huge 200-metre-high park; the 5.2 billion US$ complex also includes convention halls, shopping arcades and a casino. Adval is already developing strategies to work productively with the Marina Bay Sands Resort, which is due to open in 2010.
As the marketing strategist explains, more and more regular tickets and events are being booked for the flyer by e-mail. Unique corporate packages, where companies book one or more capsules for their presentations, are in demand. Chew Boon Heang: "Press conferences in the Flyer are also becoming increasingly popular because the organizers can be sure that the journalists won't rush off before the end of the presentation."
Offensive marketing
"We market the Flyer aggressively and are constantly looking for new ideas," says Ms. Heang with an infectious laugh. Driving their momentum is the agreement to guarantee the operators of the bike for an annual turnover of at least 16 million Singapore dollars (S$) - approximately 12 million Swiss francs. The agency receives a commission, and the higher the turnover, the more it can skim off the top.
29 S$ is the full price for the half-hour round trip, which offers spectacular views of the city and as far as Malaysia. Adval developed a fan of tickets with reductions for families, groups, etc., and even annual subscriptions are on the market for people who want to experience the bike every now and then. "The scenarios are completely different depending on the weather," says Heang. "Some guests love the views in the tropical rain, where the skyscrapers blur in the wet haze, others prefer the cloudless sky, while still others enjoy the glistening sea of lights during the night ride."
Honeymoon over the Bay of Singapore
Singapore is a world champion in marketing, which is exemplified by the Flyer. The idea of renting out the spacious cabins as breathtaking party rooms quickly emerged. Brochures with the offers were printed, journalists were invited, television crews filmed in the futuristic, floating wine bars and demand quickly increased. Young couples booked several turns for a complete honeymoon dinner, while other cabins were booked by entire families to celebrate their grandmother's birthday. A dinner for two with two rotations (approx. one hour) costs 199 S$ (150 Fr.), while a private capsule with dinner and drinks for up to 10 people costs a flat rate of 1,500 S$ for two rotations.
If you want to go even bigger, you can book a wedding package for the whole party on the most beautiful day of your life with a champagne aperitif and salmon rolls in an extra romantically decorated capsule for up to two dozen guests during two round trips. As a further highlight, the party then cruises the waters of Singapore on a luxury yacht; including limousine service to the harbor, this all costs 2999 S$, with dinner in the VIP lounge or in the Flyer's event hall costing correspondingly more. Those who prefer a simpler experience can enjoy the breezy circuit with a signature cocktail (69 S$), the glass is given to you as a souvenir and you can then continue drinking in the VIP lounge (at your own expense).
From the airplane to the flyer
While other Ferris wheels simply sell tickets, Adval turned the Singapore Flyer into a breathtaking event machine; Swiss tourism providers could take a leaf out of its book. With the award-winning Singapore Airlines and Changi Airport, which is highly rated in passenger surveys, Singapore is one of Asia's major flight hubs. Some passengers only use the airport to change planes or make a one-day stopover here before their onward flight, for example to Australia. As many planes from Europe or the USA land early in the morning, the Singapore Tourism Board and Adval have put together programs together with the hotels to show guests as much as possible during this stopover. Tourists are taken from the airport to the city by bus and, as the hotels are often not ready for check-in in the morning, are taken straight to the Flyer: from the plane to the Ferris wheel!
The cooperation with Singapore's tourism organization is intensive, so the bike is integrated into many city tours, which contributes to the added value of the Singapore Flyer. The adventure bike is advertised with posters at strategic locations such as the airport or in shopping centers. "However, our advertising costs are not high," says Chew Boon Heang. "Press reports, TV shows etc. are our most important advertising, we are happy to provide support in the realization of media projects."
Negative publicity was generated by an incident shortly after the opening when the wheel came to a standstill due to a power failure and the 170 passengers had to wait in their capsules for hours; no one was harmed. Since then, all cabins have been equipped with survival kits containing food, drinks and even sanitary utensils. An "in-flight audio guide", which explains the view of the city and surrounding area to guests in several languages, is included in the ticket price and is free of charge.
Jungle and yield management
At the foot of the wheel there is even a small jungle with waterfalls, an attraction that can be visited free of charge. Stores and restaurants are grouped around it, and a large souvenir store on the upper floor next to the VIP lounge attracts many visitors. The stores and restaurants are not managed by Brand Group Adval, and their rents and sales are not relevant to the agency's royalties. In the entrance area by the ticket offices for the flyer, there is space to display cars for a fee - after all, hundreds of thousands of expectant visitors flock here every year.
Yield management is the order of the day at the Flyer: during the rather slow summer months, there are discounts and promotions, while during the Formula 1 race (September 24 - 26, 2010), whose circuit passes under the Flyer, the expensive 600-dollar packages for a few bike rides are sold like fresh wok vegetables.
Although the 800,000 visitors a year so far are a lot less than the lofty forecasts before the opening, this is an incentive for Adval to manage the wheel even more creatively.
Cooperation with other organizers
While Singapore used to be more of a riverside city, the metropolis is increasingly turning towards the sea as a result of landfill. The Flyer, on the shores of Singapore Bay, is an outpost of this development. Nearby, the huge integrated resort Marina Bay Sands is now rising from the ground with three hotel towers covered by a huge 200-metre-high park; the 5.2 billion US$ complex also includes convention halls, shopping arcades and a casino. Adval is already developing strategies to work productively with the Marina Bay Sands Resort, which is due to open in 2010.
As the marketing strategist explains, more and more regular tickets and events are being booked for the flyer by e-mail. Unique corporate packages, where companies book one or more capsules for their presentations, are in demand. Chew Boon Heang: "Press conferences in the Flyer are also becoming increasingly popular because the organizers can be sure that the journalists won't rush off before the end of the presentation."
