Marina Central (previously known as the Marina Centre Precinct) consists of four developments (Suntec City, Millenia Singapore, Marina Square, and South Beach) and 2 community partners (Esplanade Theatres and SMRT Experience).
The precinct stakeholders participated in URA’s pilot Business Improvement District programme with a focus to develop and launch a strong brand identity for Marina Centre that will enhance the precinct’s collective attractiveness while supporting the unique offerings of each stakeholder’s property within the precinct.
Design Sojourn, in collaboration with BLACK Design, was engaged in this project to conduct ethnographic research with the precinct stakeholders and their customers to gain insights for the joint strategic positioning and development of plans for the precinct branding exercise.
Vision: A vibrant precinct in the heart of the Marina where business meets leisure.
Located within a stone’s throw from one another and often linked by sheltered walkways or underground passages, the precinct’s developments (hotels, malls and offices) offer a wide range of dining and retail options for lunch-time office crowds and an array of leisure and entertainment offerings for weekend visitors and tourists. What is more unique, is part of the precinct forms the north shore of Marina bay. While the developments are largely different in terms of property branding and clientele, they are united by physical proximity. Therefore, there exists an opportunity to highlight the precinct’s collective attractions while still maintaining the different “flavours” of each development.
Design Sojourn conducted 80+ intercept interviews with people on the ground at each development to understand their motivations for visiting and their perceptions of the location.
In addition to this, Design Sojourn conducted 5 focus groups with each property stakeholder to understand their individual business objectives, long-term plans, and vision for their development.
A workshop with all the precinct stakeholders was then conducted to conclude the Research Phase of this project. The workshop allowed all stakeholders to align their worldview with the following:
Sharing the ethnographic field research that provided insights of the people who come to the precinct.
Alignment and creation of a common brand vision among stakeholders.
Defining brand pillars and brand principles for asset and collateral development.
Brainstorming opportunities for precinct names and key marketing messages.
This collaborative session with all stakeholders allowed for the successful creation of a common vision, that paved the way for a strategic precinct brand identity. The project was then handed over to our branding partners BLACK Design who proceeded to develop the detailed brand collaterals and style guide.
Final logo and brand identity developed by our projects partner, Black Design.
