The challenge

Singapore Changi Airport is an outstanding aviation hub, the world’s most awarded airport in the past four decades.  Along with the rest of the travel and aviation sector, it has had to adapt to a global pandemic landscape.  Changi Airport Group has partnered with Kadence International since 2015 to measure and track brand performance via a custom brand equity index.  In 2021, we teamed up to adapt the study to understand how travelers across the Asia Pacific view the airport in the context of their readiness to travel once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

What we did

We conducted online quantitative research with those who had travelled pre-pandemic in 2019 from across the world to understand their perceptions of Singapore Changi Airport and other airports in the region, along with a measure of scope and nature of media buzz. Due to the rapidly changing nature of the pandemic in each market, responses were analyzed daily alongside news and social media releases to understand the impact of media on perceptions.  Recommendations were supplemented with secondary research to uncover social media communication best practices for each market.

The impact of the research

This research helped to identify communication content and style that travellers value as they emerge from travel restrictions.  As a result, Changi Airport Group will be able to plan and shape brand marketing and communication strategy to reassure and attract travellers when travel resumes..

Kadence has been a long term partner with Changi Airport Group, providing research and insights to help shape our communication and business strategy. The team offers sound counsel on research projects and can distil complicated information and present it clearly, and succinctly to the audience. Engaging our audience does not stop even when travel is still restricted; this research helps Changi Airport assess our communications efforts in key markets to emerge prepared when travel resumes.

Changi Airport

The challenge

With over 2,700 journalists and analysts across 120 countries, Bloomberg is one of the world’s largest news organisations, providing global business leaders with the information and analysis required to win in today’s complex marketplace. In the wake of unprecedented global uncertainty, Bloomberg wanted to help its readers navigate the path ahead, by shedding light on how their peers were responding to the pandemic.

What we did

We spoke to over 700 business decision makers in 6 markets (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia) to understand the shift in their priorities, exploring everything from top concerns and challenges right through to attitudes towards business travel and expectations from brands.

To bring this to life for Bloomberg and its readers, we produced an engaging infographic highlighting the key findings with the help of our in-house design and data visualisation team.

The impact of the research

The research has allowed Bloomberg to provide valuable insight to its readers about how business decision makers priorities are evolving at this critical time. As the first of 3 waves of research on this topic, we’ll be able to track changes in attitudes and behaviours over time to help business leaders understand and react to the changing situation.

We have been engaged with Kadence since 2016. Since our first partnership, Kadence has been instrumental in supporting our business efforts and have continuously proven their value in research, insights and analysis that have helped us to gain many wins. Kadence consistently pushes the boundaries and offer inspirations that provide deep business insights and drive business strategies.

Head of Research
Bloomberg

The challenge

Samsung as a global tech entity has been offering cutting-edge consumer electronic products for years. At the same time, Samsung has been proactive in terms of its efforts at various community engagement activities, making sure that the company gives back to communities in different markets. Samsung wanted to know what kind of impact its CSR programme has on the brand.

What we did

We worked with Samsung to carry out a quantitative study across 9 markets (Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam) with 2,000 respondents in total. We also worked with Samsung to translate the study’s findings into marketing messages and PR angles to help the company demonstrate the value of the work it does.

The impact of the research

The study resulted in external press coverage which communicated the brand positively, as well as internal validation of such initiatives within the organization. Overall, it re-affirmed Samsung’s belief that ‘doing good’ can be a win-win, both for communities as well as the brand.

The challenge

With over 2,700 journalists and analysts across 120 countries, Bloomberg is one of the world’s largest news organizations, providing global business leaders with the information and analysis required to win in today’s complex marketplace. As a media owner, Bloomberg doesn’t just generate its own news stories, it executes and runs media campaigns for clients too. We wanted to understand the impact of advertising through Bloomberg to demonstrate its role as a leading advertising platform.

What we did

Bloomberg is a subscription-based premium publisher that provides high quality business journalism. Our hypothesis was that that this status would rub off on the brands that advertise on the platform, specifically, on the key brand metrics for Bloomberg advertisers. To explore this, we ran a comprehensive neuro study with international news consumers in Hong Kong and Singapore, measuring in-the-moment neuro-responses to adverts embedded across range of platforms – including Bloomberg and different social media sites. This was followed by a survey focused on the brands they had just been exposed to capture immediate brand recall and the overall impact of the platform on call-to-action metrics.

The impact of the research

Our study busted the myth that all impressions leave the same impression. We were able to establish that when the exact same advert is shown on Bloomberg versus social media sites – there is a significant increase in the memory coding and call to action metrics. This means that viewers will remember the advert and the message much longer if they see it on a Bloomberg site. These findings have been invaluable for Bloomberg, enabling it to demonstrate the value of the media campaigns it runs on its site and positioning it as the advertising platform of choice.

We have been engaged with Kadence since 2016. Since our first partnership, Kadence has been instrumental in supporting our business efforts and have continuously proven their value in research, insights and analysis that have helped us to gain many wins. Kadence consistently pushes the boundaries and offer inspirations that provide deep business insights and drive business strategies.

Head of Research
Bloomberg

The challenge

GoBear as a business entity was focused on providing consumers with comparative information on financial products (e.g. travel insurance), but it wants to expand its scope outside of that and establish stronger financial credibility for its brand. Part of that strategy involves coming up with a Financial Health Index, which attempts to track how financially ‘healthy’ consumers are in various parts of Asia. It is believed that effectively creating the Financial Health Index and tracking it year-on-year is an effective branding strategy to achieve stronger credibility.

What we did

We worked with GoBear to carry out a multiphase study across 4 key markets (Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand). On top of carrying out a detailed online survey with 1,000 respondents in each of the markets, we also interviewed financial experts to thoroughly understand the individual pillars that make up the Financial Health Index -literacy, security, inclusion – what each factor means, and how they influence each other. After collecting the data, we also worked with the individual markets to help them understand the findings, such that they may craft market-relevant PR angles, so the content of the releases has greater resonance.

The impact of the research

The study resulted in GoBear owning the topic of financial health in the region, especially within the markets surveyed, thus achieving the intended goal of pivoting the brand and building awareness for it. The insights also generated more press coverage than the sum of all their competitors combined.

Kadence has been a long term partner with Changi Airport Group, providing research and insights to help shape our communication and business strategy. The team offers sound counsel on research projects and can distil complicated information and present it clearly, and succinctly to the audience. Engaging our audience does not stop even when travel is still restricted; this research helps Changi Airport assess our communications efforts in key markets to emerge prepared when travel resumes.

Changi Airport

The challenge

While Singapore Management University (SMU) has been clear/strong in their positioning/marketing of their undergraduate program, the nature and content of the Post-Graduate Program (both Masters and Doctorate) is fundamentally different, which meant that there was a need to investigate whether there are any existing brand attributes that can be similarly extended to the Post-Graduate Program, and find resonance with past and current students, as well as potential applicants.

What we did

The broad scope of the study, across respondent types and geographies, meant that the research approach needs to be tailored accordingly as well.

For the Post-Graduate Program track, in Singapore, 2 focus groups were conducted with alumni and current students, while 6 employers of Post-Graduate Program graduates were interviewed on the telephone to gather their thoughts on working with the SMU Post-Graduate Program candidates. Online surveys were also circulated amongst the SMU Post-Graduate faculty to get their perceptions of the various brand attributes. Outside of Singapore, online surveys were done with current students and alumni, as well as prospective students. For the Post-Graduate Program track, phone interviews were carried out with employers and peers of the graduates from the program, while an online survey was conducted with alumni as well.

The impact of the research

Findings from the study provided guidance to the university, by calling out which of the internal branding attributes resonated most with the various stakeholders. This, in turn, made next steps clearer, and they were able to proceed with their plans to reinforce Post-Graduate branding in the future.