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Credits
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WELCOME!
5. Visuals (appendices) What else? For easy viewing, download the report in MS Word OVER HERE. enjoy! 즐거운 시간을 보내세요 ^^ ("jil go oon shi gan ul bu nae se yo" which means 'enjoy your stay here!') |
WELCOME!
5. Visuals (appendices) What else? For easy viewing, download the report in MS Word OVER HERE. enjoy! 즐거운 시간을 보내세요 ^^ ("jil go oon shi gan ul bu nae se yo" which means 'enjoy your stay here!') |
INTRODUCTION
Objectives |
EVALUATION OF MARKETING MIX
There are eight elements to the marketing mix – product, place, programming, people, partnerships, communications, packaging and distribution and price.
PLACE Place is also known as the location and the setting of the event. It also refers to the distribution of event products and how they were being sold to customers. Location and setting Having various programmes held at different days, there wasn't any fixed location. Organisers in this event used accessible and familiar locations to hold the programmes. For example, Korean Flavour Fiesta was being held in Vivocity, Trio Haan Recital was in the Esplanade and Korean Pop Night was in the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Being held in familiar and practical settings, it was easily accessible for locals as well as tourists to visit. However, I felt that the organisers could have used 'place mix' towards their advantage, which they did not do so. They could have utilized the 'place mix' in a more impactful way by placing the various programmes into one large venue – let's say, the Singapore Expo – by decorating the entire hall with symbolic Korean culture decor. This would further bring out the message of the Korean culture. Distrubtion of products Since most of the events were on a free admission basis, it was opened to the public. However, for certain programmes like the Korean Film Festival, tickets had to be purchase at Shaw's box office. Purchases can also be made online, which made it convenient for participants. Another programme which required tickets was the Korean Pop Night. Tickets were distributed through major sponsors – for example, Square 2, Korean Air and LG. This meant that tickets were not for sale and could only be obtained by purchasing products of sponsors. I feel that the organisers can further improve on this aspect of 'place mix'; there were many locals that were willing to pay for better seats for concert tickets, but were not able to cause the cost of purchasing an LG product/air ticket to Korea, was just simply too expensive. More than 85% of the people whom I talked to expressed their thoughts that if tickets were sold through Sistic, they would have bought it. It would be more organised if organisers sold tickets through Sistic, as this would minimise the number of cases whereby people re-sell tickets for a ridiculously high price. Furthermore, it could have ensured a more than 95% turn-out for the Korean Pop Night. PROGRAMMING The use of programming mix is especially important to event managers, as they have to ensure that the event is in lieu with the mission, desired level of quality that satisfies the market and objectives of the event. There are three main key elements involved to determine whether the “programming mix” was successfully used or not. Firstly, the need for distinguishing core concept in the program – the organisers has clearly presented the meaning of wanting to educate Singaporeans with the Korean culture through meaningful and hands-on activities. Secondly, the need to marry the event program with its physical environment or site. The site used to carry out the programmes does not clearly reflect the theme of Korean culture, but performances were entertaining and kept audiences in their seats. Thirdly, the role and operational approach of the organisers was highly effective in the programming mix. The organisers had chose the winners of World UK B-boy championship, Last For One, and it was a big pulling factor for the high turn-out in the Korean Flavour Fiesta. By choosing one of the best B-boy crew in Korea to perform live, which kept the audience really hyped and added the “wow” factor to the event. Therefore, the organisers managed to successfully use the programming mix. PEOPLE People is also known as the staff and volunteers which help make the event a success, and can be referred as the “casts”. During the Korean Flavour Fiesta, there were a few staff located at various booths. Through my observations, they were all approachable and patient while answering questions from the public. I remember an incident that occurred and the staff handled it well. There were free kimchi classes available for the public to participate in, however, all slots were taken. But there was this lady who insisted on participating as she missed out on it the previous day and started to make a fuss of it saying that she especially came down again just to try out the class. Even though the staff was unable to fit her into the class as there was a limit in participants, he patiently apologised to the lady and eventually gave her complimentary food products. I also came across surveyors who were going around to do a survey, on behalf of Korea Tourism Organisation. They were very approachable and not forceful. A gift was given after the survey was completed! All of these small details left a good impression on me. I felt that the staffs were friendly and commendable in helping out the participants. Hence, the right staffs were chosen for this event. PARTNERSHIPS Korea Festival 2008 was organized by the Embassy of Republic of Korea. The main sponsors were LG, Samsung, Far East Organization, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Korean Tourism Organisation. All the stated sponsors are well-established companies and known internationally. Hence, the organiser has chosen the appropriate companies to sponsor this event. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines sponsored the event by providing transport for the performers who came down from Korea. Prizes given out during the Korean Flavour Fiesta and were sponsored by Samsung. Far East Organization provided the venue, Square 2 in Novena, for the Kpop Talent Contest, fan-meeting with performing artistes and performances by the B-boy crew. Far East Organization has also worked together with the organisers for the Korean Pop Night in the form of promotions – whereby the public will be able to get tickets to the concert by purchasing $60 worth of products in Square 2. Most of the tickets in this event were not for sale, and could only be obtained through the means of the various major sponsors. This is a good marketing strategy and could benefit both the event and sponsors, which resulted in a win-win situation. Furthermore, the companies are well-established and it was easier to gain more trust from the market by purchasing their products – which gave buyers tickets to the event. This will eventually benefit the event. Therefore, the partnership mix was highly effective. PROMOTIONS (Commuunications) Communication mix includes tools like advertising, public relations and sales promotions. This marketing mix is important for image building of the event. Advertising Advertising is a form of communication that persuades potential customers to potential customers and to create awareness of the product. 2 weeks before the actual event, banners were being placed on the streets to gather the attention from the public. I have personally seen those banners in various districts of Singapore – Orchard, Queensway, Tanglin Road. Furthermore, there was airtime on local radio (96.3FM and 93.3FM) to promote Korea Festival 2008 in the form of announcements. Besides that, radio contests were also being held for listeners to get a chance to win tickets for Korean Pop Night. Public relations Public relations are a form of communication that allows audience to gain exposure about an organization using topics of public interest or news that do not require payment. Video coverage on Razor TV (by Straits Times) Video coverage of Korea Festival 2008 and Kpop Talent Contest being held in Singapore on Razor TV, an online interactive news site by Straits Times. CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO Various sites that has news coverage about the Korea Festival: Yein Jee's Asian News Channel News Asia Yahoo! News Singapore Channel News Asia Filming by SBS (Korean Broadcast Company) During the Korean Pop Night, SBS (one of Korea's largest broadcast company) filmed down the entire event. The event will be broadcast on Korea's national TV on the 13th November 2008. Sales promotions Since tickets were not for sale for the Korean Pop Night, several sales promotions were held in lieu with the major sponsors for this event. For example, purchase LG Electronics phone and get a pair of concert tickets worth $168. Another sale promotion is to purchase flight tickets to Korea through Korean Air and a pair of concert tickets would be given. Furthermore, there was a Kpop Talent Contest (opened to only locals and Permanent Residents) which increased the awareness of Korean Festival 2008. The organisers successfully used the communications mixed as they used the various means of advertising to promote the Korea Festival 2008. Awareness was created amongst the public, which led to a high turn-out in most of the events. Broadcasting about Singapore to Korea also meant that viewers in Korea could learn more about Singapore and hopefully, portray a positive image. Furthermore, by having a talent contest, it would also interest locals into joining the event. It will also gather the attention of passserby, since auditions were for the Kpop Talent Contest was held in public. PACKAGING AND DISTRIBUTION Packaging requires organiser to bundle up their programmes under a single market offer. I personally feel that the organisers failed to successfully use the packaging mix. Korea Festival 2008 had various programmes; however, it was all 'sold' or advertised separately. It could have been better if participants could purchase Korea Festival 2008 event passes, whereby audience could enter all the activities with this pass, at a single price. This would ensure that participants keep coming back and keep them interested in participating for the events. I asked a few audiences, who are interested in the Korean culture, whether they would be willing to pay if there was entrance fee. And 8/10 of them said that they wouldn't mind if the price was reasonable. With event passes, the organisers can also include more incentives. And different prices of event passes could mean different incentives. For example, the pass which is higher-priced could include VIP meet up with Last for One B-boy crew or the artists performing in the Korean Pop Night. Hence, it would have been more effective if the organisers tapped onto this factor of the marketing mix. PRICE Most of the programmes under the Korea Festival 2008 were free admission and opened to the public. Despite so, there were 'prices' imposed on customers in the form of travel costs and lost opportunities. For example, tickets to the Korean Pop Night were not for sale and one of the ways to attain the tickets were to purchase $60 worth of products in Square 2 which qualifies for redemption of a pair of tickets. The “price” imposed, in this case, is the time spent queuing for the tickets. There were 200 pairs of tickets to be given and I personally had to queue for 2 hours just to get a pair of tickets. Furthermore, although free admission was given during the Korean Flavour Fiesta, there had to be costs incurred to those who wish to purchase Korean food products. During the Korean Film Festival, movie tickets had to be purchased at $10 as well. Other prices included were in the form of sales promotions, as mentioned earlier. Free admissions for the events are attractive, as this would not limit the number of people who can participate in the event. However, there was inconsistency in price required for the various programmes. As mentioned earlier, it would have been better if the pricing was bundled into one. |
DISCUSS TOURISM ROLES & ECONOMIC VALUE
Tourism roles of Korea Festival 2008 |
CONCLUSION
This is the first time that such a large-scale, cross-cultural event was being organised. From my observations and research gathered, the event was a success and could possibly be a yearly-affair in Singapore.
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VISUALS
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