SIA remains top brand

Profits may be down, staff are taking pay cuts and customers are deserting them but at least, Singapore Airlines can take comfort in the fact that it is still regarded as the top brand in Singapore.

In a study of the top 100 brands in Singapore by Brand Finance, the airline, which has not been spared the evil winds of the economic meltdown, came in tops and was praised as a “shining global example of how to do branding right”.

Brand Finance lauded it for its commitment to branding, new technologies like the Airbus A380 aircraft and its strong service ethic. “They’re in an industry that has suffered huge structural problems and is making big losses and yet they continue to invest in service, equipment, positioning needs and advertising,” said David Haigh, group CEO of Brand Finance.

In second place was agri-business Wilmar International which produces the Arawana brand of cooking oil, the market leader in China.

Third was DBS Group Holdings, followed by Keppel Corp and Asia Pacific Breweries. They were the same five as last year.

Luxury brands have slipped. Banyan Tree went from 28th to 35th position. “You wouldn’t be surprised really that in a recession, luxury brands do worse and basic brands do better,” said Haigh.

Hotel 81 feeling unwanted in Tiong Bahru

Hotel 81 may be a brand that knows what it stands for, according to Global Brand Forum’s Karthik Siva, but that doesn’t necessarily mean people like what it stands for.

There’s been a bit of a storm in a teacup brewing over the budget brand’s plans to open a hotel in the Tiong Bahru residential area with residents claiming the hotel will bring sleaze into their neighbourhood.

“The prospect of an hourly-rate, budget hotel has them worried that the development might give a sleazy image to the estate, and depress the values of their properties,” said a report in The Straits Times.

The blogosphere came alive with comments, with some saying people were more worried about property value than social issues and others saying Hotel 81 should be left to run their own business as they see fit.

The matter prompted the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to issue a letter, saying that no licence has yet been issued for Hotel 81 to start operations in Tiong Bahru and that the board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) was mindful of the area’s heritage value and “maintaining the unique charm of the area”.

We think it’d be a shame if Hotel 81 did not get its licence. It’d add considerable charm to one of our favourite areas of Singapore.