The telco has launched Ideas, grouping its data offering for entertainment, home use and work. However, its voice, IDD and broadband will be marketed as standalone products. As part of the rebranding, it will launch videos-on-demand, using high-speed video streaming to personal computers.
"We see TV as the next step. We can already offer wireless and data coverage through every device. TV is very complementary. Definitely the whole strategy is one of convergent access," said Andrew Buay, SingTel's vice-president, consumer marketing.
"We already have the capability to offer any service that cable TV offers.
The only thing we don't have is a TV licence."
If it enters the race as widely as expected, SingTel will square off against StarHub, which currently has the pay-TV market to itself through its acquisition of Singapore Cable Vision in 2001.
SingTel will spend S$2 million (US$1.2 million) in launching Ideas.
Leo Burnett focused on three separate platforms in the campaign: 'Ideas at play' highlights entertainment-type data services such as movie or restaurant bookings; 'Ideas at work' covers work-related services such as scheduling and using the mobile phone as a wireless modem; and 'Ideas at home' groups services such as videos-on-demand and home surveillance.
"The objective is to get users educated on data service, application and use to increase data usage and the take up of broadband and wireless data transfer," Buay said.
The first to air was a 60-second brand TVC with the tagline 'Life beyond words', using emotionally-charged moments of a father giving away the bride and a baby's first step. Burnett Singapore's general manager, Gerard Lim, said: "When we did the research for strategy, we found (from a global psychological report) that 93 per cent of all communications is visual.
Everything has an emotional richness that's beyond words."
Three other thematic TVCs focusing on each of the targeted segments will roll out by the end of this month with tactical print support. "The next level of details are in the web (at www.ideas.singtel.com developed by Galeleo, part of the Burnett network) and in store." Lim said. The campaign will be evaluated not on the numbers of new subscriptions generated but on the awareness of the brand idea, the comfort level and response of the audience to the new services.
"A lot of people have a high barrier in trying new things. We are at the same crossroads in data services. We have to educate people to get comfortable with them and get them excited," said Lim.
SingTel claims a market share of 55 per cent in broadband rental, 55 per cent in line share and 50 per cent in mobile phone usage.
