Welcome 2016 and Goodbye to 2015

How did you guys celebrate your countdown just now? I went for a short drink with the team, but party is not really my cup of tea, maybe I'm getting old already. Time really passed very fast, this year I'm officially 40 years old, so my objective is to stay happy, and help more people to succeed in their career, especially people who trusted me, and believe in what I'm have given to them. 

Welcome to 2016 and I believe this is a good year to start many projects with my team, clients and sponsors. Do continue to lend me your support in all my projects and most important must support my artistes and personalities Elson Soh, Daniel Chin, Hayden Chen, Jacky Goh and Allan Moo, as we going to have many exciting line-ups for you. 

2015, we learn a lot of things and gain experience working with other overseas management. I would say it is not easy to work with management that are messy, especially their board of directors are in a mess, with no direction within them, resulting the staffs losing confidence in the company. Good staffs leaving the company is a waste, and it seem that nobody is bothering to keep them also. Anyway this already happened in 2015 and hopefully 2016 will be a good year for my team, and hope not to engage in anymore such company again. 

2016, with a good branding consultant Charlene Eng on board, plus a solid management team, I believe we will fly very high and far. With all the experience and knowledge that I have gained from the past 10 years, it is time for me to put all the eggs in the same basket, as no risk no gain. We look forward to continue our marketing and event services with existing clients, and at the same time, hoping to work with new clients as well. 

This year, Royal Entertainment will also be releasing EP albums and Singles for current artistes and new artistes that we might signed along the way. Our other companies will also be expanding its networks and services, so as to provide a better branding exposure, more marketing platforms and good sales returns for every of our clients. 

Do stay tuned for more updates at my blog or my Facebook (if you are my added friends), and before I go to bed, I hereby wish every of you a Happy New Year and may you be blessed with lot of good lucks, good health and good returns of whatever you are doing.  

Without action, all you have is a missed opportunity.

People like to say they got lucky. And sometimes, what happened was simply that, blind luck. In my experience, more often than not, it is something much more than that.

Preparation in anticipation of something happening is a big part of being lucky. If you are ready for something to happen, you know what to do the moment it shows up, right?

Similarly, we rarely know when something great is going to happen. But when it does, we can act. If opportunity doesn’t show up, we have potential, but when the opportunity presents itself, we have to be ready to act.

Why is action important? Someone prepares for a long time, and then opportunity arrives, but they stand transfixed, and take no action. Has that ever happened to you? Opportunity knocks, and you are prepared, but you are afraid to act, or hesitate just a little too much?

Action is the part missing from this quote. Opportunity and preparation without action is like standing on the dock next to you ship, as it prepares to sail away. To me, that is not a pleasant thought. I’ve let it happen to me too many times. How about you, have you let your ship sail without you?

Action is what you get when you avail yourself to the opportunity and do something. Action is where you use all the actions and all the things that you have prepared, in anticipation of the chance. Together, preparation and opportunity, with action, yield luck.

Without action, all you have is a missed opportunity. Is action starting to sound a little more important? All the preparation in the world is useless if you fail to act. Having opportunities galore is useless if you fail to act. Taking action is that important.

What is branding all about?

If you spend any time in marketing circles or reading about marketing, you will bump into the word “branding”. Branding is one of those concepts that is a bit vague, at least for the non-marketer small business owner. So today we’re going to look at “what is branding” from the small business perspective.

We’re also going to tackle the question of whether branding should matter to small businesses — or whether it’s something only large corporations should or can afford to care about.

What is Branding?

There are thousands of definitions of “branding” or just plain old “brand.” One of the best definitions of brand I’ve seen is from the Samsung. To them, a brand is “what sticks in your mind associated with a product, service, or organization — whether or not, at that particular moment, you bought or did not buy.”

That seems a good informal way to describe a company’s brand. Under that definition, many things can contribute to a brand.

Does a picture pop into your mind about a company, such as its logo or colors?  Think about the logo, such as Coca Cola — recognizable the world over, executed in its distinctive curvy script in white against red. And when you see it, do you imagine the effervescence of a Coke, the dark color or how it tastes?  All of those things may run fleetingly through your mind when you want something to drink.

Sometimes it’s not the logo but another visual that comes to mind — even packaging. For instance, I couldn’t tell you what the Tiffany logo looks like, but the instant I see the iconic Tiffany blue box, I know which company we’re talking about. Certain attributes immediately come to mind, such as high quality jewelry and luxury home goods — things no one actually needs, but so many desire.

Or perhaps it is the company’s approach to customizing its product. Mention the name Starbucks and immediately coffee comes to mind. Now, I don’t even like Starbucks coffee (too strong and burnt tasting to me) but when traveling I will always look for a Starbucks.  I know I can expect a certain level of quality. The coffee will be fresh — not a stale witches brew.

But it’s more than coffee I think of — it’s that I can get it the way I want it.  No matter where I am, Starbucks will have hot, steamed low-fat milk to cut the strength. I can ask for a Cafe Misto (the Starbucks name for cafe au lait) made half with steamed milk, and half with brewed coffee. And I will get it — even though it’s not on the menu.  Why? Because Starbucks aims to give you coffee gussied up the way you want it.

So when you ask the question “what is branding” — it is something that triggers associations in our minds.  Branding is about creating an identity. It’s what sets one company apart from another. In short, it tells us what we can expect from that company.  It’s about the perception people have of the company.

Branding (a verb) is doing those activities and communications, large and small, that create and reinforce a brand, i.e., what a company is known for.

Your branding (a noun) is all the elements that make up a brand, whether logo, packaging, colors, reputation for customer service, reputation for customizing customer orders without complaint, speed, self-serve options, low price, high quality — whatever.

To start your branding exercise today, you might want to consider placing your advertisement and write-up at JustClick.SG, Hello FM, Campus Rock and Poppy TV. You can contact them via email to justclicksg@gmail.com for a free consultation. Meanwhile, just click to check out the below digital portals.

JustClick.SG - Singapore Consumers' Choice 

http://www.justclick.sg/

Hello FM - The Listeners' Choice

http://www.hellofm.sg/

Campus Rock - The Readers' Choice

http://www.campusrock.sg/

Poppy TV - The Viewers' Choice

http://www.campusrock.sg/