https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ ... n-the-hunt

Hopefully just some better integration of the brand, and it sounds like possibly also less prominence of the Singapore Girl in their branding.

Hopefully no major changes to the livery... perhaps something like a refresh a la CX?

Not surprising with Silkair set to be absorbed into the SQ brand in a few years.

Will they remove the yellow/gold from their livery and CI to appear more premium?
SCNR

I think that the current livery is fine, but there are quite a few concept liveries floating about online - thoughts?







See:
- https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/276056652129248225/.
- https://www.deviantart.com/galen82/art/ ... -112553904.
- http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairl ... d=00002743.

Cheers,

C.

SIA need to be very careful with their iconic brand


It is something really special, from the Singapore Girl to their classic, extremely distinguished livery


None of those ideas come close

Any adjustment would be good. The tweak they did in (I think) the early 2000s to the typeface brought a slightly fresh take on the brand, but the livery looks dated nowadays, with most carrier moving away from cheatlines and opting for curves around the fuselage. Like any brand, it needs to evolve and change to stay relevant.

In this modern era of improved gender equality I could support tweaks that reduce the prominence or remove the Singapore Girl concept.

As for the livery they'll have to be very careful as it's a very iconic design and colours. But as long as they keep the bold colours and logo on the tail I think they can change more than expected. Even if it causes a ruckus at first.

Please no curves or "whale" lines. From this perspective the first concept looks best to me. However too close to Thai.
It's an iconic brand and company some refresh in a while can't do harm. It's a bit too much 80s today. I'd keep the gold in any case. It should look both comfortable and futuristic somehow.

EBT wrote:

Any adjustment would be good. The tweak they did in (I think) the early 2000s to the typeface brought a slightly fresh take on the brand, but the livery looks dated nowadays, with most carrier moving away from cheatlines and opting for curves around the fuselage. Like any brand, it needs to evolve and change to stay relevant.

Cheatlines do look good if done well IMO. They can adopt a more modern style cheatline a la 9W ribboned cheatline.

Come on, we all know what it will be. Less colors (possibly only 2), more white.

...and some marketing crap to explain us why it is more "premium" and "refreshed" and blah blah blah.

When was the last time they had a Major overhaul, when the A380 came along?

workhorse wrote:

Come on, we all know what it will be. Less colors (possibly only 2), more white.

...and some marketing crap to explain us why it is more "premium" and "refreshed" and blah blah blah.

You're being optimistic. Remember, according to the geniuses that led the Lufthansa rebrand, "yellow looks cheap". Unlikely that SQ can say that about "gold", but they may then switch their ire to blue instead... What would an all-gold SQ livery look like ?

It is due a refresh , I like the idea along the Jet ribbon cheat line. But PLEASE not the 2nd of the 3 options above, Way to many white tubes flying around at the moment

An767

They have to be very careful with the tweak. Don't want to do a Lufthansa. What ever it is needs to be subtle. I'd like to see the male cabin crew feature a little more prominently in marketing but I don't think the Singapore Girl image will die easily. I am sure they will come up with the goods.

Not sure it needs to be subtle, but SQ needs a brand overhaul and a fresh, new look. Hopefully, they will go with something that conveys premium, quality, and excellence, but not in a bland all white and blue color scheme. The Singapore Girl concept has to go. That livery is dated.

globetrotter94 wrote:

workhorse wrote:

Come on, we all know what it will be. Less colors (possibly only 2), more white.

...and some marketing crap to explain us why it is more "premium" and "refreshed" and blah blah blah.

You're being optimistic. Remember, according to the geniuses that led the Lufthansa rebrand, "yellow looks cheap". Unlikely that SQ can say that about "gold", but they may then switch their ire to blue instead... What would an all-gold SQ livery look like ?

It would look like Gulf Air!!

The Singapore Girl Image is what sets the airline apart from others. I would rather be served and taken care of by beautiful looking and highly professional flight attendants that the Singapore Girl Imagery brings to mind, than a 60 year old grandma. When was the last time you heard an SQ flight attendant ever going on a power trip like the ones that do over here especially for American Airlines or Delta? That Singapore Girl Image reflects all the great things about being an SQ flight attendant. It’s like when you imagine the Dallas Cowboys and one of the first things that come to mind are the Cowboys cheerleaders. To remove the Singapore Girl Icon from Singapore Airlines is like removing Mickey Mouse from Disneyland. For those of you thinking about gender equality and all, SQ also has a lot of male flight attendants, but that Singapore Girl Image is what sells.

The livery looks fine as it is but maybe perhaps a minor refresh like adding a curve at the front should be sufficient.

Hmmm, the Singapore Girl image is also very sexist, not appropriate any more, if it ever was. And let’s not be ageist about older flight attendants either. I frankly don’t care how old my flight attendant is, or what gender, as long as they do their job professionally.

globetrotter94 wrote:

What would an all-gold SQ livery look like ?

Well, at least it would have success in some markets in Los Angeles and NYC area.

If history is a guide, they will be very careful and considered with any change.
Singapore has been a model of brand management in aviation or any other business category. They understand the enormous difference between “brand” and “branding”
Sure, the Crane is dated (in design “style” only) it was designed in the 1970’s modern style. But, they have done an AWESOME job in how they stage it, how it’s applied, which keeps it contemporary (meaning fresh). I would be beside myself with grief if they did the Thai, UPS or Lufthansa thing with the tail colors. But I give them more credit than that.
It doesn’t matter that cheat lines aren’t a common thing nowadays- so what, done right, they will stand apart. Doesn’t need to be an old PanAm cheat line.
But my biggest question is WHY? From what I can tell there is “zero” wrong with their “BRAND” so no need to express change through the visual expression. It’s not a brand for everyone, they cater to a very specific audience.
Not unless someone here can tell me that the SINGAPORE BRAND itself has issues? Are they seeing a softening in business? Losing loyal customers? Or that they are somehow losing brand heat to competition?
There might be people out there who’d prefer not to fly Singapore...I just never met one!

planemanofnz wrote:

I think that the current livery is fine, but there are quite a few concept liveries floating about online - thoughts?







See:
- https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/276056652129248225/.
- https://www.deviantart.com/galen82/art/ ... -112553904.
- http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairl ... d=00002743.

Cheers,

C.

No.1: too much color. Not good.

No.2: not bad, but still too much color on the fuselage, not good for resale value. Get rid of these colors on the belly, make the fuse all white and we can give it a go. Oh, wait, why don't we get rid of the gold on the tail while we're at it? Let's keep the logo like it is but make it white. Now THAT's fine!

No.3: blue engine cowlings? NO WAY! Think about that laminar flow, man!

DavidByrne wrote:

Hmmm, the Singapore Girl image is also very sexist, not appropriate any more, if it ever was. And let’s not be ageist about older flight attendants either. I frankly don’t care how old my flight attendant is, or what gender, as long as they do their job professionally.

And apparently, given that SQ seems interested in hiring back old crew, neither do they--not saying they've ditched all their bad habits, but seems like an improvement:

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ ... cabin-crew

DavidByrne wrote:

Hmmm, the Singapore Girl image is also very sexist, not appropriate any more, if it ever was. And let’s not be ageist about older flight attendants either. I frankly don’t care how old my flight attendant is, or what gender, as long as they do their job professionally.

I agree, but at least SQ isn't as bad as many of the other Asian carriers - carriers like BR don't even hire male cabin crew, while the new face of OZ's cabin crew marketing campaign is a 16 year-old.

Cheers,

C.

workhorse wrote:

globetrotter94 wrote:

What would an all-gold SQ livery look like ?

Well, at least it would have success in some markets in Los Angeles and NYC area.

Pimp ma' ride. Bling bling.

AirplaneWizard wrote:

The Singapore Girl Image is what sets the airline apart from others. I would rather be served and taken care of by beautiful looking and highly professional flight attendants that the Singapore Girl Imagery brings to mind, than a 60 year old grandma. When was the last time you heard an SQ flight attendant ever going on a power trip like the ones that do over here especially for American Airlines or Delta? That Singapore Girl Image reflects all the great things about being an SQ flight attendant. It’s like when you imagine the Dallas Cowboys and one of the first things that come to mind are the Cowboys cheerleaders. To remove the Singapore Girl Icon from Singapore Airlines is like removing Mickey Mouse from Disneyland. For those of you thinking about gender equality and all, SQ also has a lot of male flight attendants, but that Singapore Girl Image is what sells.

The livery looks fine as it is but maybe perhaps a minor refresh like adding a curve at the front should be sufficient.

Meh. I don’t need a flight attendant to be attractive or young to have a good flight. As long as they are nice, polite and bring what is asked for, I don’t have any issues. I think those that somehow need to have a “Singapore Girl” type serve them, are the kind of people that couldn’t land one in their own life.

Max Q wrote:

It is something really special, from the Singapore Girl

You mean eye candy for dirty old men?

Max Q wrote:

SIA need to be very careful with their iconic brand

Every "prestige" flag carrier must be careful with their brand - something Lufthansa simply wasn't at all

Article is on premium which means pretty much inaccessible. But I hope someone here has summarised it somewhere.

It's being reported by Karamjit Kaur, who is renowned as SQ's media mouthpiece in the Straits Times, so this is one step removed from an official press release.

It's about time the Singapore Girl went the way of the dodo. The focus should be on your service, not on fulfilling some white male colonialist fantasy.

The girl is outdated and no longer works in a world of #me2.

AirplaneWizard wrote:

The Singapore Girl Image is what sets the airline apart from others. I would rather be served and taken care of by beautiful looking and highly professional flight attendants that the Singapore Girl Imagery brings to mind, than a 60 year old grandma. When was the last time you heard an SQ flight attendant ever going on a power trip like the ones that do over here especially for American Airlines or Delta? That Singapore Girl Image reflects all the great things about being an SQ flight attendant. It’s like when you imagine the Dallas Cowboys and one of the first things that come to mind are the Cowboys cheerleaders. To remove the Singapore Girl Icon from Singapore Airlines is like removing Mickey Mouse from Disneyland. For those of you thinking about gender equality and all, SQ also has a lot of male flight attendants, but that Singapore Girl Image is what sells.

The livery looks fine as it is but maybe perhaps a minor refresh like adding a curve at the front should be sufficient.

I rather take a cheery 60 year old grandma than a robotic, wooden young eye candy any day. At least I'd know that the cheery service is sincere.

seahawk wrote:

The girl is outdated and no longer works in a world of #me2.

That is one view - other views include:

I don’t think Singapore Airlines is objectifying women in the same way that other companies have historically done in advertising. The way I view it, they’re not using the “Singapore Girl” as a sex symbol, but rather as a symbol for warmth, care, and compassion.

Before us as outsiders start deeming a branding or marketing strategy as anti-women or sexist, do note that there are literally thousands of hopeful women who embrace the idea of the "Singapore Girl" and want to, and are proud to, be a part of the icon brand.

There are better examples of sexism:

- Only hiring one gender for a certain role, like cabin crew (e.g. BR)
- Using half-naked women in your ads, like safety videos (e.g. NZ)
- Espousing that a woman cannot run your, or any, airline (e.g. QR)

Cheers,

C.

DavidByrne wrote:

Hmmm, the Singapore Girl image is also very sexist, not appropriate any more, if it ever was. And let’s not be ageist about older flight attendants either. I frankly don’t care how old my flight attendant is, or what gender, as long as they do their job professionally.

This. 100%. The same goes for Virgin Atlantic's incessant sexist nonsense. It's all so terribly dated now in these post-Weinstein, #metoo times. It is time for an overhaul.

When I think of the old "Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly" slogan, all I think of dirty lecherous old men ogling the poor cabin crew as they go about their job. Times change, thankfully. Let's have a Singapore Airlines campaign based around what Singapore is in 2018 - a vibrant, rich, multicultural, multi-lingural city, and a true city of the 21st century.

planemanofnz wrote:

I think that the current livery is fine, but there are quite a few concept liveries floating about online - thoughts?







See:
- https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/276056652129248225/.
- https://www.deviantart.com/galen82/art/ ... -112553904.
- http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairl ... d=00002743.

Cheers,

C.

The first one i can just about live with.

The second is a travesty.

The third reminds me of Oman Air but in SQ colours

planemanofnz wrote:

There are better examples of sexism:

- Only hiring one gender for a certain role, like cabin crew (e.g. BR)
- Using half-naked women in your ads, like safety videos (e.g. NZ)
- Espousing that a woman cannot run your, or any, airline (e.g. QR)

I see your 'better' and would argue 'more brazen' is a more fitting descriptor. Much like one man's dogwhistle does not elicit the same response as another man's outward racism, the presence of one does not diminish the damage of the other.

Having lived in Singapore for over two decades, during which time I observed the very real implications of a worldview that gives us 'Singapore Girl,' I am more than happy to see it consigned to the dustbin of history alongside Branson's innuendos and AAB's... well, entire career, frankly.

planemanofnz wrote:

I don’t think Singapore Airlines is objectifying women in the same way that other companies have historically done in advertising. The way I view it, they’re not using the “Singapore Girl” as a sex symbol, but rather as a symbol for warmth, care, and compassion.

I don't know about that. I've attended one of their cabin crew cattle calls last year. Body measurements are one of the criteria for selection based from the scoring sheet held by one of the selection panel members that I managed to glance.

And being one of the last ones to go into the selection process, I can see the ones they've selected for the next stage - 99% women, and basically all of them can give Miss Universe a run for her money. Being a fat guy, I didn't stand a chance.

TheFlyingDisk wrote:

I don't know about that. I've attended one of their cabin crew cattle calls last year. Body measurements are one of the criteria for selection based from the scoring sheet held by one of the selection panel members that I managed to glance.

Appearance is a factor in recruitment, but I was talking about branding and marketing (the thread is about the brand getting an overhaul) - IMO, the airline doesn't sexualize the "Singapore Girl" with, for example, requirements to wear short skirts or to pose in seductive positions, like some airlines. Instead, the focus is on her service being caring, compassionate and warm, in arguably a classy and uplifting manner.

Cheers,

C.

vhtje wrote:

When I think of the old "Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly" slogan, all I think of dirty lecherous old men ogling the poor cabin crew as they go about their job.

Really? When I think of the "Singapore Girl," I don't think of sexualization; I think of care, compassion and warmth. It's not like the "Singapore Girl" wears short skirts or poses in seductive positions. Sure, the kebaya is tight-fitting, but isn't that how it's worn historically, as the traditional dress of the region? In the ad below, this point about care comes across well, I think. Each to their own, though.



Cheers,

C.

planemanofnz wrote:

vhtje wrote:

When I think of the old "Singapore Girl, you're a great way to fly" slogan, all I think of dirty lecherous old men ogling the poor cabin crew as they go about their job.

Really? When I think of the "Singapore Girl," I don't think of sexualization; I think of care, compassion and warmth.

Therein lies the problem. It's a stereotype - that the ideal Asian woman is a caring, compassionate figure who will look after you with a smile on her face and a demure attitude.

Although the attributes might be considered positive, this is still a form of prejudice and discrimination. Much in the same way that black men are presupposed to be good athletes, or Asians are assumed to be good with maths, the fact that we have stereotyped people based on a physical attribute that they achieved through little more than their genetic code is an attitude we should be leaving behind us.

seat24charlie wrote:

It's a stereotype - that the ideal Asian woman is a caring, compassionate figure who will look after you with a smile on her face and a demure attitude. Although the attributes might be considered positive, this is still a form of prejudice and discrimination. Much in the same way that black men are presupposed to be good athletes, or Asians are assumed to be good with maths, the fact that we have stereotyped people based on a physical attribute that they achieved through little more than their genetic code is an attitude we should be leaving behind us.

I'm not sure I agree with the idea that it's espousing an Asian-specific stereotype, because 1) care, compassion and warmth are arguably ideal traits for flight attendants for all airlines, across all regions (it's the service industry, after all), and 2) most non-Asian airlines also emphasize this ideal in their advertising of flight attendants in their branding (e.g. with the crew posing giving a toy to a child, for example).

Cheers,

C.

planemanofnz wrote:

TheFlyingDisk wrote:

I don't know about that. I've attended one of their cabin crew cattle calls last year. Body measurements are one of the criteria for selection based from the scoring sheet held by one of the selection panel members that I managed to glance.

Appearance is a factor in recruitment, but I was talking about branding and marketing (the thread is about the brand getting an overhaul) - IMO, the airline doesn't sexualize the "Singapore Girl" with, for example, requirements to wear short skirts or to pose in seductive positions, like some airlines. Instead, the focus is on her service being caring, compassionate and warm, in arguably a classy and uplifting manner.

Cheers,

C.

You don't need sexy poses or short skirts to sexualize. Portraying the crew as subservient can just be as sexualized as a short skirted woman.

TheFlyingDisk wrote:

Portraying the crew as subservient can just be as sexualized as a short skirted woman.

IMO, subservience is not sexist, and the "Singapore Girl" is no more subservient than any other airline crew in branding. Further, she is aligned with representations in other service industries across the world. Isn't the "Singapore Girl" merely portrayed similarly to the below?







Cheers,

C.

Planemanofnz - I suggest you quit before you dig an even bigger hole for yourself!

workhorse wrote:

globetrotter94 wrote:

What would an all-gold SQ livery look like ?

Well, at least it would have success in some markets in Los Angeles and NYC area.

or dc haha

Singapore airlines is perhaps, I'm my view, the world's most recognize global icon in aviation. It just has an aura of prestige, simplicity, timeless classic. They better not change it!

planemanofnz wrote:

Isn't the "Singapore Girl" merely portrayed similarly to the below?







Cheers,

C.

Nope. Not at all

VC10er wrote:

If history is a guide, they will be very careful and considered with any change.
Singapore has been a model of brand management in aviation or any other business category. They understand the enormous difference between “brand” and “branding”
Sure, the Crane is dated (in design “style” only) it was designed in the 1970’s modern style. But, they have done an AWESOME job in how they stage it, how it’s applied, which keeps it contemporary (meaning fresh). I would be beside myself with grief if they did the Thai, UPS or Lufthansa thing with the tail colors. But I give them more credit than that.
It doesn’t matter that cheat lines aren’t a common thing nowadays- so what, done right, they will stand apart. Doesn’t need to be an old PanAm cheat line.
But my biggest question is WHY? From what I can tell there is “zero” wrong with their “BRAND” so no need to express change through the visual expression. It’s not a brand for everyone, they cater to a very specific audience.
Not unless someone here can tell me that the SINGAPORE BRAND itself has issues? Are they seeing a softening in business? Losing loyal customers? Or that they are somehow losing brand heat to competition?
There might be people out there who’d prefer not to fly Singapore...I just never met one!

Actually, it is not SQ rebranding. It is SIA rebranding. So it is not just looking at SQ, but how the Silkair integration fits in and how Scoot fits in.

I think Scoot needs a lot more work than SQ.

TheFlyingDisk wrote:

planemanofnz wrote:

Isn't the "Singapore Girl" merely portrayed similarly to the below?







Cheers,

C.

Nope. Not at all

Is there a clear example of the Singapore Girl being overly sexualized.

From ads I've seen, it is either them serving passengers, or visiting some exotic cool looking location. I don't really buy the sexism of the ad, other than maybe arguing they can have similar looking ads with male lfight attendants.

The SQ flight attendant outfits are far from the most sexualized, and I'm not going to ding SQ for having attractive women in their ads, something which near all companies do in so many consumer industries.

To me, the SQ Girl is more problematic in practice than in the advertising.

AirplaneWizard wrote:

The Singapore Girl Image is what sets the airline apart from others. I would rather be served and taken care of by beautiful looking and highly professional flight attendants that the Singapore Girl Imagery brings to mind, than a 60 year old grandma. When was the last time you heard an SQ flight attendant ever going on a power trip like the ones that do over here especially for American Airlines or Delta?

I once flew IAH-DME (when Singapore flew that route) and those "Singapore Girl" flight attendants were the most surly crew I have experienced. They barked orders to passengers and were often condescending when making announcements. They even threatened legal action when reminding people to put their bags under the seat for takeoff.

I much rather have friendly "60 year old grandmas" over surly "Singapore Girls" on my flight.

AngMoh wrote:

I think Scoot needs a lot more work than SQ.

Agreed. I’ve always found the Scoot brand to be ridiculously cartoony. Everything from the yellow livery to the tacky blue seats and the comic sans font scream cheap. This doesn’t need to be the case. Norwegian and Jetstar are also LCC’s that come across as fun and friendly, while maintaining some class. As Scoot and SQ work towards harmonizing their networks, I think it’s important for the Scoot brand to be more aligned with the parent airline, ala CX/KA.