Virgin Mobile enters Singapore price fray

<p>SINGAPORE: Virgin Mobile launches in Singapore on October 12, with </p><p>Richard Branson set to abseil down a building as part of its "The Great </p><p>Escape" campaign. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Virgin has shunned TV and print in the campaign, arguing that both </p><p>mediums are expensive. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A major exception is that Virgin will have a music TV programme on </p><p>Channel 5 called Upwardly Mobile. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Virgin is using radio and outdoor extensively. "We're using 'reality </p><p>marketing', which means we want to reach the consumer when they are out </p><p>and about," said regional brand director Jonny Lang. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Virgin's debut coincides with a price war sparked by Singapore </p><p>Telecommunications. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Despite its stake in Virgin, SingTel is treating it as a rival and is </p><p>offering a 50 per cent price cut. With Singapore's high mobile phone </p><p>penetration rate, Virgin has to convince locals to switch from one of </p><p>the three established players to its service. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It aims to woo people by highlighting competitors' restrictions, while </p><p>arguing that its service does not bind customers to yearly </p><p>contracts. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Tequila created the Virgin ads, which include cheeky one-liners such as </p><p>"We're here but we have no plans". "We want to position Virgin around </p><p>the notion of freedom. It's about the freedom to choose and allowing </p><p>consumers to escape from being trapped," Lang added. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>