Cheap
or
clever?
Scoot's ad alluding to Anton Casey incident
raises some eyebrows
THE
AD: Scoot's Amazingly Cheap Escape to Perth
offer. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/SCOOT
ESCAPE PLAN: FLY TO PERTH CHEAP CHEAP, POOR OR NOT!
50% OFF[two-ways]
FLY[Economy]
Promo Code:
ESCAPE50
* Sale Period: Now until 2359 hrs [GMT +8] 27 Jan 2014. Other
terms and conditions apply.
Reports by LINETTE HENG
Seats on budget carrier Scoot's flight to the Western
Australian city of Perth offered on Sunday have been sold out in
half a day and it was supposed to expire yesterday.
And the airline may have Briton Anton Casey to thank for it.
The offer, titled Amazingly Cheap (AC) Escape to
Perth, included caricatures of the former senior wealth manager,
his beauty queen wife and their son.
It is a thinly veiled reference to Mr Casey, who
had called people who take the MRT "poor", unleashing an Internet
backlash.
After the post went viral on Jan 20, Mr Casey lost
his job and left Singapore for Perth with his family on Friday.
Offering the flights at 50 per cent off, the ad was
posted on Scoot's Facebook page on Sunday and removed on the same
night.
REGULAR PROMOTION
A Scoot spokesman said that the Perth sale was one of their
regular promotions.
"We often tie these to topical news events,
including the haze of 2013, Orchard Road floods and the Australian
prime ministerial debates,"the spokesman said.
Although it was an ad based on controversy, it did
not draw a slew of negative comments like Fish & Co's ad after
the Little India riots last month. (see report above.)
The Scoot spokesman added: "Inevitably there are
some who misinterpret these light-hearted pokes, but our experience
is that vast majority see the intended humour. The escape to Perth
sale is no different in that respect."
But some marketing experts and netizens seem to
think that the ad was not in good taste. One netizen criticised the
ad for "taking advantage of a man's plight and turning (it) into a
marketing gimmick".
Singapore Management University's Associate
Professor of Marketing (Education) Seshan Ramaswami said that using
current events as a marketing tool is always a good idea, but it
can be dangerous if the event is controversial.
PUBLIC RESPONSE
He said: "The Anton Casey incident obviously evoked a huge
public response, hence any ad that is related to it will also
attract some social media attention.
"(But) in a controversy that is evolving, it is
tough to tell exactly what is going to happen next, so moving too
early might result in an ad appearing heartless or exploitative
because of events that happen soon after."
Managing director of Gosh! Advertising David
Zaccheus, who has more than 25 years of experience in the industry,
felt that such marketing ploys will not work in the long term.
"Gimmicks are short-lived. Every business is aiming
for the long haul. The value of a brand should be built on
integrity and experiential," he said.
Mr Zaccheus cited brands such as Singapore Airlines
and AirAsia as examples of companies who believe in building the
value of their brand.
"As it is, consumers are spoilt for choice. They
might not think much (about a gimmick) if it happen once or twice.
But if a company uses such tactics frequently, it might hit the
wrong note eventually," he said.
Nonetheless, public relations practitioner Tang Li
thought that the Scoot ad was "naughty and cheeky", but "clever and
edgy".
"Scoot is not trying to appeal to high-end
travellers. Ironically, Anton Casey is probably the poster boy for
people who want to take the cheapest form of transport," he
said.
Other attention-grabbing
adverts
• McDonald's and the PSI
The advertisement, printed in the newspapers on June 20, a day
after Singapore experienced its worst day of haze, drew flak for
being flippant.
It read: "Today's Peak Sauce index is looking
deliciously high," with the letter P, S and I highlighted.
The fast food giant apologised for the
"inappropriate" ad, adding that it was designed and placed when
haze conditions were not as severe.
• Fish & Co and the Little India
riot
The advertisment (right), which was placed on the restaurant's
Facebook page a day after the riot last month, read: "Stay away
from riot & eat Bombay Fish and Chips."
The post received an instant backlash and Fish
& Co apologised after removing the offending ad.
News, The New Paper, Tuesday, January 28 2014, Pg 13
