Singapore's Top 100 Brands

In a survey by Brand Finance, Singapore Airlines was found to be the top Singapore brand with; it was valued at 3.9 billion Singapore dollars. Other brands in the top 10 were DBS(#3), APB (#5;the makers of Tiger beer), SingTel(#6) and Cold Storage(#8).

2008 was a tough year for brands; valuations plunged as a result of the financial crisis. Intangible assets declined by USD$203 billion in the year with the worst hit being companies in the banking and real estate sectors.

Asia's Top 1000 Brands

The top 3 brands in Asia as found in a survey co-funded by Media magazine are Sony, Samsung and Canon. Two questions were asked:

1 "When you think of the following (product/service category), which is the best brand that comes to your mind? By best, we mean the one that you trust the most or the one that has the best reputation in the (product/service category)."

2 "Apart from the brand that you have just mentioned, which brand do you consider to be the second-best brand in the (product/service category)?"

HP was the top US brand in 6th place and Coca-Cola was 10th.

If companies can have brands, why can't nations?

It was bound to happen; there is now a Nation Brands Index which measures a nation as if it were a brand. Germany, France and Britain were the first three, in that order. USA was ranked 7th and Singapore was 24th out of 50 countries.

Some countries are upset by the rankings and feel misunderstood. South Korea is 33rd and they are not happy. They have formed a Presidential Council on Nation Branding and the goal is to move up to 15th place by 2013. An advisor has commiserated with S.Korea saying "One unfortunate thing is that South Korea shares its name with a rogue state."

Singapore Brands in the News

‘Singapore Airlines’ and ‘SingTel’ Make it To The Top 500

One of the few Singapore brands with a global presence that comes readily to mind is ‘Singapore Airlines’. The other is ‘SingTel’ (telecommunications). Both ranked 246 and 318 respectively in the BrandFinance Global 500 report of April 2009, the Annual Report on the World’s Most Valuable Brands.

‘Singapore Airlines’ was ranked 280 in 2008 while ‘SingTel’ was unranked.  The ranking in 2009 illustrates the positive progress these Singapore brands are making, globally.

‘Get Singapore Brands’ Launched

There are some home grown brands which enjoy recognition outside Singapore but lack the same recognition at home.

In addressing this, ‘Get Singapore Brands’, a non-profit organization was launched in March 2009. SPRING Singapore is funding the initiative. According to a recent Straits Times report there are currently 37 participating companies who pay subscription fees. The target is to get 100 companies.

The objective of ‘Get Singapore Brands’ is to market goods of the participating brands in Singapore and abroad and to create a greater awareness that Singapore produces well designed goods.

Another objective is to promote Singapore as a place known for good design and innovative retail ideas, and help participating companies exchange ideas and expertise.

The publicity extended to the participating brands is reported to include showcasing products in shopping malls, advertising campaigns and promotional materials extended to tourist. Moving forward, the publicity is expected to be extended abroad next year at international trade fairs and overseas missions.

This initiative is laudable and it is hoped that more companies will participate and take Singapore brands to the greater recognition and success that they rightly deserve.