StarHub was forced to issue an apology this week after Singaporeans reacted strongly to its Euro Cup 2012 promotional gift pack, only available to expatriate subscribers.
The telco said it was sorry for any ill-feeling caused by the promotion, but added that segment marketing is an industry practice.
“However, we take customer feedback very seriously and we now realise that we have scored an own goal. We deserve a red card for this,” StarHub’s statement on Facebook said.
But David Ko, executive vice-president of Waggener Edstrom, said StarHub "clearly misjudged" customers’ reactions by including such light-hearted comments in its statement.
He said, “In a country like Singapore where racial harmony is paramount, it is always best policy to steer clear of any activity that is directly perceived, or can be misconstrued as favouring one racial group over another. StarHub clearly misjudged its customers’ reaction to this and issued an apology that further exacerbated the matter with its flippant tone.”
StarHub also moved to extend the football premium pack to the first 2,000 people who signed up for the UEFA Euro 2012 pack and for customers signing up at selected shops before 10 April.
StarHub added, “Lastly, as a gesture of our appreciation for early adopters of the UEFA EURO 2012 Pack, we will be reserving a football premium pack for each customer who had signed up before 9 April.”
