Mr Martin Roll, a world-renowned thought-leader on value creation through excellent leadership, shares that a successful brand is first and foremost driven shareholder value. A strong brand is one that resonates with customers, offers customers a superior value proposition, engages customers both at a transactional and emotional level, and becomes a part of customers' lives through their culture and practices

Martin: A successful brand is one that can build long-term loyal relationships with customers. In fact, the very concept of customer-based brand equity (which to a great extent has become the underlying principle of examining and understanding branding) is based on the fundamental premise of differential response of customers to a brand's marketing activities.

The success of a brand can be examined and measured from various perspectives (or components of success) such as:

Each one of these measures views a brand's success from a different perspective. Of late, there has been considerable debate on the brand's contribution to a company's market capitalisation and shareholder value. Irrespective of a company's multiple objectives, the ultimate goal in the current business world is to maximise shareholder value. As such, the financial value of a brand's and the brand's contribution to a company's top and bottom line growth is an important attribute of a brand's success.

Further, a successful brand is one that resonates with customers, offers customers a superior value proposition, engages customers both at a transactional and emotional level, and becomes a part of customers' lives through their culture and practices.

Q: What do you think of the Singapore Government's efforts to develop the Infocomm Singapore brand? What can be further done to develop this?

Martin: Singapore has a very good starting point. As a country, Singapore enjoys immense positive brand equity in the global scene. Compare this with that of China, which even today is struggling to shrug off some negative connotations that come along with its name. It takes time to build a strong and successful brand – as it did for Singapore over the years. As such, Singapore's 'country of origin' effect is highly positive. For example, I estimate that Singapore Airlines has probably contributed to approximately 20% of Singapore's brand equity over the years – as a nation and a label of "country of origin" – if not more. Singapore Airlines with all its quality, service excellence and warm hospitality is a flying face of Singapore. But that is just a starting point. To leverage that positive 'country of origin' effect, Singapore has done many things in a very systematic manner:

• Managing multiple customer touch-points with consistency: The Singapore government has branded Singapore with as much care as a fast-moving consumer goods company would do of a product. The Singapore brand of infocomm solutions has ensured that all possible touch-points – such as setting up of a company, infrastructure needed, approval procedures, fairness in government dealings and such – not only meets the needs of companies but exceed expectations most of the times. Further, the government has been able to maintain this consistently over a period of time. Such consistency has certainly increased companies' confidence in Singapore as the promise and actual delivery of the brand has been led very well.
• Regulatory mechanisms: Regulatory mechanisms in Singapore are probably the best in the region (even though some may complain of Singapore's bureaucracy and strictness). Intellectual property right laws, constant monitoring of online fraud with the intention of preventing them from happening, strict enforcement of copyrights and such have endeared Singapore to many regional and global companies.
• Technological infrastructure: Singapore has invested heavily in developing world-class technology infrastructure on which companies can customise their operations. Telecommunications, broadband connectivity, and the other fundamental infrastructure provided by the government indeed 'force' companies to set up in Singapore.
• Stable government: Singapore also has one of the most stable governments in the whole of Asia. Without going into the political debate about the quality and structure of governance, the Singapore government has indeed offered companies a sense of long-term confidence of transparency, order and justice. This is a major factor given that many countries in Asia are prone to frequent military coups, civil unrest and unstable business environments.

In spite of such attractive measures taken by the Singapore government, many other locations such as China, Vietnam and Indonesia have started to compete purely on price. These countries have started to attract companies from Singapore. India on the other hand, with its software power and educated masses, is posing a very strong competitor. Given these challenges, Singapore would do well to constantly revise its policy not just to offer competitive prices, but also to constantly update and develop attractive value propositions.

Q: How important is branding to a company and a country?

Martin: Given the nature and extent of global competition in literally every industry sector, branding either for a company or a country is no more an option. The need for branding for companies is well documented. The brand superiority of Samsung over LG, of Toyota over Kia, of Nokia over Pantech, of Apple iPod over Creative Zen, of INSEAD over other business schools and many others are examples of the power and need for branding.

The case for countries is similar. With increased globalisation, and heightened global travel, tourism is one of the chief income generators for countries. Singapore competes with Malaysia and Thailand. Switzerland competes head on with France and Germany, and others. As such, branding the offerings of countries and giving them a unique personality and identity will enable countries to strongly create a strategic advantage over the long run. Incoming investments are also benefiting strongly from a positive and strong country brand.

Q: Are there differences in approach between corporate branding and a country-specific branding?

Martin: Conceptually, there is no difference. A corporate branding strategy involves branding an organisation (with its multiple product brands, brand extensions and line extensions) as a whole entity. The logic of branding an organisation is that a company should be able to create value independent of all the product brands that make up the company. A classic example of this is Coca Cola. Even if everything Coke owns is lost except the Coke name and the secret formula, leveraging those two can create value.

Similarly, country branding involves branding the country (with its multiple industries, people of difference religions, races and places of interests) as a whole. The purpose of this branding exercise is simple – if by creating a brand (a country brand) that collectively represents the values and underlying beliefs of all the components (people, industries, places and history) that make up the brand, then it will be much more effective in not only conveying a uniform message, but also to attract people and money across all the components.

The basic reasons for branding a country may be very similar to branding an organisation, but the challenges are indeed very different:

Q: Are there any countries that have successfully implemented a countrywide branding exercise?

Martin: Singapore is probably one of the most successful countries to have implemented a countrywide branding exercise with a very strong focus and dedication from the highest levels of the government. New Zealand, with its '100% pure New Zealand' branding, has taken a very assertive step towards creating a unifying country-branding exercise. Malaysia, with its "Malaysia – Truly Asia" campaign, has been successful in creating a strong country-branding exercise.

Q: How can companies ride on this Singapore brand to success?

Martin: A quick glance at many successes across categories reveals one factor – contribution of the country in creating very strong positive perceptions of products coming out of those countries: Swiss watches, German engineering, Danish design and architecture, French wine, Italian leather, Japanese technology and so on. It is undeniable that the image and perception of countries do influence people's perception of companies and products coming out of those countries. Therefore, infocomm companies in Singapore do have a great start. Infocomm companies that have set up their offices in Singapore can easily claim top-class infrastructure, attract talent, data security, protection of intellectual property and government support for innovation as positive factors and ride high.

SiTF 2007 ICT Business Outlook Forum was held at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on 18 January 2007

Global branding can be a reality for infocomm enterprises with a new initiative announced by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, at the SiTF ICT Business Outlook Forum 2007.

Guest-of-honour Dr Balakrishnan kick-started the annual event organised by the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF), as he shared his positive outlook on the Singapore infocomm industry in 2007.

Guest-of-honour Dr Vivian Balakrishnan sharing his outlook on the Singapore infocomm industry

"With pervasive Internet access such as connectivity at home and free wireless access in public areas, the consumer can access online products and services anywhere, anytime. This spells tremendous business opportunities for companies and organisations looking to woo these Digital Age consumers. The Singapore infocomm industry is thus well poised to tap into growing opportunities in the Digital Age. I believe our infocomm industry is set for further growth and to make its mark on the international scene," said Dr Balakrishnan.

Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Chief Executive Officer of the IDA

Mr Emmanuel Daniel, Founder, The Asian Banker

Mr Walter Lee, Vice President of Asia/Pacific Consulting, Partnering & SMB Research

Mr Martin Roll, CEO of VentureRepublic and author of Asian Brand Strategy

Mr Stephen Lim, immediate past Chairman of SiTF.

Mr Pek Yew Chai, takes over from Mr Stephen Lim as the Chairman of SiTF

However, a perception audit – initiated by SiTF, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and IE Singapore – showed a lack of international awareness of local infocomm companies. To counter this problem, the Minister announced the launch of the Infocomm Singapore brand.

Second speaker Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Chief Executive Officer of the IDA, reviewed and updated several infocomm initiatives such as Wireless@SG and iGov2010 initiated last year, and touched on upcoming projects that aim to further elevate the strengths and positioning of local infocomm companies overseas.

Presenting his speech in a 'weather report' style, Mr Emmanuel Daniel, Founder of The Asian Banker, provided his opinions on how the infocomm industry can survive and progress in the financial services industry in Asia.

Continuing the weather report was Mr Walter Lee, Vice President of Asia/Pacific Consulting, Partnering & SMB Research at IDC, who delved into the dramatic climatic changes in the infocomm industry caused by convergence, the rise of China and India, and wireless mobile.

According to Mr Lee, a unique window of opportunity will be opened within the next five years and the IT landscape will be unrecognisable.

Mr Martin Roll, CEO of VentureRepublic and author of Asian Brand Strategy, gave an interesting and honest take on branding in Asia. Emphasising that brands drive shareholder value and that companies must deliver their promises to consumers, Mr Roll explained what went wrong in Asian branding and how the current situation can be salvaged by a shift in paradigm.

The final speaker of the forum was Mr Stephen Lim, immediate past Chairman of SiTF, who elaborated on the Infocomm Singapore initiative and explained how local infocomm companies can benefit from this new scheme by delivering solutions under the Infocomm Singapore brand.

"This is a collective effort... we have to embark on the programme, contribute and take advantage of the branding; let's celebrate the Singapore branding," said Mr Lim.

Panel participants (from left), Mr Martin Roll(Moderator), Dr Chong Yoke Sin (CEO of NCS Pte Ltd), Mr Eddie Chau (President and CEO of e-Cop Pte Ltd), Mr Terence Swee (Founder and Chief Opportunities Officer) of muvee Technologies, and Mr Stephen Lim, immediate past Chairman of SiTF

The forum ended with an engaging panel discussion that involved Mr Lim, Dr Chong Yoke Sin (CEO of NCS Pte Ltd), Mr Eddie Chau (President and CEO of e-Cop Pte Ltd) and Mr Terence Swee (Founder and Chief Opportunities Officer) of muvee Technologies.

With Mr Martin Roll as the session's moderator, the four speakers shared their experience in building their brands overseas and how they overcame the challenges faced.

For more information on the Singapore infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF), visit www.sitf.org.sg.

Such Singapore companies are poised to take advantage of the opportunities in the region thanks to initiatives undertaken by the IDA.

IDA will be opening an office in Qatar in 2007. This will enable IDA to work with its counterpart ictQatar in assisting companies from both Singapore and Qatar

These initiatives seek to strengthen relations with key overseas organisations, such as government agencies and trade associations. They have the three-fold aim of facilitating collaboration and exchanges between governments and businesses, promoting Singapore infocomm industry and companies, and facilitating access for Singapore-based companies into the Middle East region.

This year will see the opening of IDA's office in Qatar. This office will help facilitate the exchange of ideas and technologies between IDA and its counterpart ictQatar. Both agencies can also help Singaporean and Qatari businesses work towards the development of products and technologies for use in their public, private and people sectors.

Ms Tan Kar Joo, Senior Director, e-Government Policies and Programme, IDA speaking at China Computer World's CIO&CEO Summit 2006 in Beijing, China

IDA has also been actively participating in high-profile ICT events such as the China Computer World CIO&CEO Summit 2006 organised by China Computer World (CCW) Group. In its seventh year, the event is the most influential annual meeting on the Chinese infocomm industry calendar. It attracts the largest gathering of key decision-makers, business leaders and government officials of any Chinese ICT event.

As the supporting organiser, IDA was able to share Singapore's e-government experiences and our use of infocomm to transform Singapore's economic sectors. Some of Singapore's infocomm companies that participated were also able to share their expertise and experience at the Summit. In addition, these companies were able to network for business opportunities, directly assess the ICT market in China, as well as gain valuable exposure to top-tier Chinese media.