Marketing, not product, is king

"Have you seen the first 3D newspaper ad?" screamed the headline in TODAY online. "The 4-page front and back cover advertisement by Panasonic in the newspaper today is the first 3-dimensional (3D) newspaper advertisement to be published in Singapore. When viewed through special glasses that come with the newspaper, vivid images appear to pop out from the pages."

The formidable hurdles we marketers have to overcome in advertising, or any marketing communications are principally the problems of clutter, audience distraction, and claim inflation.

Lesser known brands like Bintan Lagoon Resort has no choice but to try to stand out; differentiation is a question of survival. We must demand to be noticed. Whereas established brands like Angsana/Banyan Tree can rely on weight of exposure and repetition to drive the message home, for us smaller brands, clear communication alone is not enough - we must capture the target's imagination, rather than just communication.