Declining tourist numbers in Singapore partly due to STB using international agency network, says local agency boss
The boss of a well established local creative agency in Singapore has said that declining tourist numbers in the citystate are partly a result of Singapore Tourism Board using an agency network headquartered overseas.
Fiona Bartholomeusz, the MD and founder of integrated agency Formul8 wrote in a Facebook post, linking to a story by Coconuts Singapore on a sharp fall in tourism numbers in the citystate, that the decline was “no surprise”.
“Ain’t no surprise our tourism figures are declining sharply,” she wrote on the social network, before giving her views on why.
The first in her list reads: “Idiotic global ad campaign and STB continues to farm out the work to an agency that isn’t even local (seriously, what’s so damn bad about local agencies in Singapore when global brands are happy to use us?”
Bartholomeusz, who founded Formul8, which has an office in Dubai as well as Singapore, 15 years ago, suggested that the STB account should be led by a local agency that oversees a network of others agencies in the various target markets.
“Sorry, but I have to be nationalistic here,” she wrote. “I have always been put off by how STB never gives local firms the time of day, except to do the sweatshop type of work the “big boys” don’t want to touch.”
Bartholomeusz suggested that the current campaign to promote Singapore’s island theme park Sentosa, sloganed ‘State of fun’, was off the mark because Singapore is “too uptight to be a city for fun”.
The post:
Ain’t no surprise our tourism figures are declining sharply.
1. idiotic global ad campaign and STB continues to farm out the work to an agency that isn’t even local (seriously, what’s so damn bad about local agencies in Singapore when global brands are happy to use us..pffftt! It should be led by a local firm that oversees a network of other agencies in key markets that Singapore is targeting.
Sorry. but I have to be nationalistic here. I have always been put off by how STB never gives local firms time of day except to do the sweatshop type of work the “big boys” don’t want to touch)
2.singapore has lost its competitive edge, everything is just too expensive. With the falling euro….who wants to shop here anymore?
3.We’re too uptight to be a city for fun …who believes Sentosa’s Ministry of Fun campaign…really?! I could go on and on but why help STB when they think they know it all? The proof is in the numbers kiddo…
Singapore Tourism Board has used the Singapore office of international agency network J. Walter Thompson as lead creative agency since April 2013. The CEO of JWT Singapore is German national Frank Bauer, but the agency has pointed out that most of the team that works on the STB brand, including creative and account management staff, are Singaporean. The business is led by Valerie Cheng, the agency’s creative director.
Before JWT, STB worked with agency networks BBH and Y&R.
JWT and STB declined to comment.
Tourist volume in Singapore has fallen by three per cent to 15.1 million visitors, the first time tourist arrival levels have dropped since 2009, the year of the global financial crisis.
The fall has been a result of dwindling Chinese holidaymakers and fears of air disasters, according to the article on Coconuts.
STB’s advertising has at time courted headlines for the wrong reasons over the last 12 months. An ad featuring a couple doing a romantic tour of Singapore created for the Philippine market by a Filipino broadcaster ABS-CBN in April last year went viral for being “cringeworthy”.
Total mis read. Not a creative issue at all. And why would a local shop be any better getting international tourists? Makes no sense at all. Real reason is the arse has fallen out of China so less gamblers from there and big carrier like Qantas now running out of Dubai so far fewer stopovers.
ReplyA rant only a person who hasn’t pitched, won and managed this global business before could make.
ReplyIt’s good to dream big but until you have the critical mass to execute it, it’s all talk.
The ‘too dumb to fail’ arrogance of the mental midgets of the clients don’t make it any easier.
This lady needs some counselling on many fronts.
Firstly the comments are borderline seditious…it’s so transparent when unscrupulous interests try to profit by creating divides like ‘local’ and ‘not local’. I would like to ask her how many locals she hires….entire creative department is filled from another country and paid slop wages like the Jollibee of advertising. No creative director either.
Secondly Sentosa runs its own campaigns and STB does not meddle in their work.
Thirdly if you want to be taken seriously like a CEO, dont talk like you’re on Stomp….dont insult the clients existing creative work. Make an appointment to see them and tell them what their issues are and what you think they should do (without giving them any work).
But I’ll concede that JWT has been a BIG disappointment…its turned out to be one of those struggling firms that equate local talent with hiring people who can converse in singlish nothing more
ReplyOr Singapore is shockingly dull, and hot, and humid.
ReplyShe talks big.
ReplyWell, my stand is that both local and foreign agencies do not know how to tackle the tourism market. I’ve talked to enough agencies in Singapore to know just how clueless they are in attracting Chinese FIT.
If you do not know the term FIT, best to get out of the travel advertising business.
ReplyThe opening of the Formul8 website: “We’re an agency that’s not quite the average agency.”
ReplyGive her kudos for honesty upfront…. not even an average agency.
I had fun working on YourSingapore.. it was a great campaign!!!
Replywell.. clearly some people think the industry they work in is more important than it really is. wake up people – marketing is most likely the least important factor in this situation… stop trying to make your jobs more important than they really are.
ReplyRegarding her comments, I’m not sure she’s completely lost the plot:
Reply1. She’s wrong.
2. She’s right.
3. She’s right.
As the song goes: Two out of three ain’t bad.
The arse has indeed fallen from visitors from China. And this country is expensive for a holiday
ReplyWhy would tourists from China/Vietnam/Indonesia get ripped-off in Singapore Sim Lim Square when they can experience the same thing cheaper in their own country?
ReplyWhen our Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob needs to “appeal” to Singaporeans to stay in Singapore ?????
ReplyI appreciate the frankness of Fiona as its sharing and creating awareness on the declining industry. Even our finance minister had said , they will take a serious view on negligence and all financial lapses. What went
wrong then ? Who is responsible and should take liability? Its a law and order issue.
70 over Travel agents had closed down since February 2015 till now . Why ? Its reported that we have 15 million tourism arrival per annum.
We have nearly 2,400 licensed Tour guides here but sadly only about 120 guides are engaged daily. The rest are doing outbound
or sleeping at home .Why ? 3 years ago i asked
the relevant ministry ….is illegal guiding a seizable offence nor compoundable? STB and Mti said no its not seizable nor compoundable.. Then what is the licensing for if its not? 2014 the same minister said they will need an Amendment on the Tourism Act. Come 2014 Oct after their so called amendment which was
meant to protect our licensed tour guides they failed miserably. The amendment which was said to give them greater powers on violations , enforcement relating to unlicensed guiding,
touting , illegal travel agents were all ignored.
Many letters …emails..photos on tourism crime were sent to them. They just ignored our Union and the guides. Our guides sent mails to the Pmo office but we never heard from them. All they are interested is about numbers. Not one foreign owned Indian travel agents closed down . Only our local travel agents closed down. TAs office here if you visit them you will see many staffs sitting in one tiny office.
How did they get their quota? Why no audits and enforcement checks here. Tour leaders
coming here on social visit pass openly acts as a guide cutting out or local guides for profitability and save cost. Malaysian coaches coming here will have no tour guides on board.
They conduct tours and sightseeing here openly. Our guides pays taxes and attend several courses to fulfil the mandatory requirements on licensing .These illegals dont need all that yet they are not busted or taken to task. Stb employees said anyone can sell attraction tickets…..you saw the fall of Spore flyer going under receivership. The new owner also bleeding now. Many restaurants, money changers, Five star travel, Tas ,transporters, branded retail sectors in Orchard road closing down in the last 12 months. See reports $20m offered to rejuvenate Orchard road . Who brought all these disasters and unemployment,
financial losses to all? These employees who thought they could fool their bosses and the ministry just to get promoted tweaked the Parliamentary enactments to their advantage.
Stb employees said 2 things that brought the entire Quality tourism to dive and brought disaster to many of our guides. Wages of guides is not regulated. Prc guides holds dual license .Anyday they can wipe out our local guides as Stb was generous to offer them guides license. In the morning Prc lady guide acts as a property agent showing tourist condos for sale. In the aftenoon she hijacks tourist out of both Casinos to Johore for sex, massage, shopping and booze. Sometimes Orgy and sex parties…..
Robinsons shake up….Isetan…Coldstorage closed down at Centrepoint…japanese apparels, John littles, Imm jurong doing low…cruise centre a white elephant…butterfly park , Madam Trussads…4d magic..Suntech shops, Many combie drivers are acting as guides . Tourist are fleeced of their money.
You must heard of the Sim lim Sq saga.We had reported for many years on the same …nothing was done till someone thought them a lesson.
Did anyone benefit from F1 race ? Yes only the top brass. Indian Heritage centre was opened last thursday by Pm and Mti minister but none of our guides were there. Big brand shops in Orchard road are closing down but not Mustaffa . Why? He dont need Stb to market for him .Stb by announcing no guides are required for all points of transfer will only see
more losses and unemployed guides will bring all the tourist out of Spore to Indonesia . Stb employees need to be retrained on how to interpret Regulatory and Policy to maintain law and order before it gets out of hand. Again Medical tourism is meant to be for private hospitals only but greed had got into them.
Public hospitals are doing that too , Singhealth group etc. No wonder there are no rooms and waiting the time to see a specialist at any Poly clinic antakes months…its easier to see Dr .Mahathir perhaps. Tour guides must be allowed to carry out their licensed occupational duties without legislative or executive influence failing which there will be chaotic tourism.
Tourist would be pleased with a guide around . Right now combie drivers are doubling as guides . But on site they cannot be present and this will bring the tourist an unsatisfied feel with a wasted holiday because of StB poor regulatory and police mismanagemt When we go overseas we offer tipings . Tipping was abolished for f &b and airport service personels only . Tipping is part of a guides culture.
These are just my view on the current Tourism climate of Singapore.
M.Logan
ReplyTour Guide Chapter
Singapore has become just another boring city , without its previous very competetive prices for electronics etc . Who wants to go to a crowded noisy and polluted city which does not have the history of many cities and countries of the world .
Replybuddy…i feel you…can i tell you a joke to cheer you up?
Whats the worst thing about giving willie nelson a blowjob?
Finding out it later that it wasn’t willie nelson.
Cheerio.
ReplySingapore is not a nice place to holiday with the family. They resort to gambling a desperate tactic. Decline profit has to do a lot with current emerging asian market condition then what this story indicated. beside, who want to visit a commi nanny state anyway!!! LMAO!!!
ReplyHave your say