High-flying Singapore Girl gets wings clipped

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013
High-flying Singapore Girl gets wings clipped

The iconic Singapore Girl has gone from centre stage to back seat in Singapore Airlines' new advertising blitz, which goes public next week.

She is still part of the show but the focus is on how SIA goes to great lengths to give customers the best – be it tea from China, art movies from Venice or seat leather from Scotland. A five-minute video clip posted on the airline’s Facebook page gives a sneak peek of what customers can expect.
The airline’s last multimillion-dollar advertising campaign in 2011 featured a clip of the sarong kebaya-clad SIA Girl gliding through the streets of iconic cities. 
Robin Nayak, head of strategy at SIA’s ad agency, TBWA Singapore, said in the Facebook clip, “As times change, the brand needs to evolve with those changes... What we wanted to do was create a fresher, more relevant, more contemporary look for the airline.”
With rivals like Emirates and Cathay Pacific nipping at its heels, SIA is investing billions in new planes, in-flight products and airport lounges.
But it is the service culture personified by the SIA Girl that gives it an edge, its top brass has said repeatedly.