The Moley Prophet

Is NETS' decision to up their charges justifiable? Have they been really doing a great job that upping the charges is because of their superior skill and quality of the product? No. I don't know how the Singapore law works and how the Competition Commission works. But under Federal Anti-Trust laws, I would think that it is definitely unlawful and unreasonable for NETS to say that they are not breaching the law, and that a 1.8% transaction fee is justifiable as it is still lower than what major card companies charge at 2%.

For one, NETS holds a significant market share in Singapore. I would believe that 99.99% of adults or almost a 100% of working adults in Singapore hold a card equipped with NETS capabilities, and there according to NETS website, there are 30,000 NETS terminals in Singapore. This is an obvious monopoly.

Second, by suggesting that consumers and merchants have alternative form of payment, and they are allowed to choose, is unreasonable. It was due to the low cost benefits on the merchants' part, and the pushing of the card by local banks that it is now the most widely accepted form of payment. Now they are suggesting that after dominating the point-of-sale terminals in Singapore, people can choose not to work with them? This is like going with peace with foreign troops, get into their camps, and saying "We want to go to war!" while the other troops are unprepared and you slash their throats. Unethical.

Thirdly, if you visit NETS website, you would see a poll there. And what a skewed poll it is. It asks, "Do you know merchants pay higher transaction fees if you use international debit cards for payment?" This is definitely a directive question. Rather than asking, its giving information to the respondents!

Fourth, I don't know what kind of games is NETS playing. It started off saying that merchants are not allowed to charge consumers for transactions. Then, its cousin, GLC ComfortDelgro installs NETS on cabs in Singapore and charges administrative fee for which, not only does NETS make a profit from, so does Comfort.

Finally, I'd like to know what superior quality does NETS have over international credit and debit card companies. Can it be used internationally - don't tell me you could use them in China. Don't tell me about the sort of lucky draws NETS have, because not only does issuers of credit and debit cards have them, theres a point earning system which allows redemption of sorts as well.

So let us start by wiping out the NETS terminals in Singapore, and switch to the more convenient mode of payment - international credit and debit cards. 

Did any marketing campaigns from your childhood leave a lasting impression on you? I bet there are some which you would remember. For example the Oreo campaign of children all over the world enjoying their Oreo, with the Oreo jingle. For me, I would vote for Coke to have the best advertising campaigns of the last decade. I don't know if you remember the "Always Coca-Cola" campaign with the jingle by Joey Diggs, or the "Always Coca-Cola (Holidays are Coming)" which was played when the Christmas seasons are approaching. Every year, Coke will have the same campaign run across the globe. The scenes of the long line of Coke trucks and the Santa Claus just leaves me craving to be in that fantasy land which Coke created. I'm sure many are awed by the campaign (perhaps not Ryan).

Coke's renewed effort to create another fantasy land with their "Happiness Factory" however, does not have that much of an impact on me. Perhaps, because I am no longer a kid, and the vault to childhood memories have been made to become "Read-only" but in my opinion, its the jingle. The absence of the "Always Coca-Cola" jingle is a weakness which may bring about the downfall of Coke. Without it, people would not remember Coke. Even the Ministry of Enjoyment campaign did nothing much to leave impressions on people once the campaign ended. There were no strong traces from Coke to the campaign or the campaign to Coke. I was struggling to remember which "Ministry" Coke belonged to.

Evidence that "Always Coca-Cola" is still extremely popular could be seen from the fact that when Coke created their 2006 campaign for Christmas without the "Always Coca-Cola (Holidays are Coming)" jingle, there was an uproar in the online community. We know that Coke is better, but if they have the wrong campaigns, Pepsi is just gonna overtake them.

Haven't been blogging for the past weeks with researches and assignments being pused by the slave driver ANDREA! Just joking. But even now, while I'm writing this, I'm still searching for reputable free online surveys. So if any of you are kind enough, let me know 6 of them.

As I had mentioned, I was doing Marketing Research for The Boeing Company. The researches led me to put Boeing on the list of companies I worship alongside Trump International, Microsoft, Google. The idea of the 787 Dreamliner simply kicks Airbus' real hard.

The fuss in the whole world with Airbus was about its size. People fail see that with such a big plane, there would definitely be a crowd when it comes to boarding and after landing. Airbus failed to see what people need unlike Boeing which went the extra mile to find out what all parties involved want. The 787 Dreamliner is simply the best aircraft after 747 to be built in history. Unlike any other plane available, it is mid sized, but still able to fly long-haul. Being mid-size meant two key advantages for passengers. Flying point-to-point and lesser crowd to jostle with. At the same time, it provides the same fuel efficiency per seat of A380, with the latter doing it by squeezing people into a plane (economies of scale).

I'm sure you could see the winner here now? If Airbus were to be successful, Changi Airport can of course remain as the top air hub in the world. But looking at the sales of 787, the best selling aircraft to date, survivability of air hubs around the world is quite clear. Considering Singapore's size, the limitations of goods and services, the size of Changi Airport doesn't quite equate the scale.

If an manufacturer could build a plane, solely for the purpose of bringing in parts for the final assembly of its product, I don't see why we should not trust them.

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