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Blogger tests cake ad

  • Thread starter Thread starter Yoshitsune Minamoto
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Yoshitsune Minamoto

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Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Jan 9, 2010

Blogger tests cake ad

She writes about asking a birthday cake from the bank and her entry draws both love and hate from netizens

By john lui

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After some confusion, the Marine Parade branch manager eventually gave the food blogger, Kitchen Tigress, a cake (above). -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF KITCHEN TIGRESS, OCBC

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A WOMAN with a cheeky sense of humour and a point to prove walked into an OCBC Bank branch in Marine Parade and asked for a birthday cake, because the bank's commercial show the staff throwing a surprise birthday party for a customer. The staff told her that she had mistaken the intent of the commercial and that she had taken too literally the advertisement demonstrating the personalised service of the bank. But the woman persisted and left only after a manager bought her a 7.6cm cake from a nearby shop. Now the woman, who goes by the name of Kitchen Tigress on her food blog, has become a mini celebrity on the Internet. After she posted a description of her Sunday's visit to the bank earlier this week, close to 400 commenters - 100 times more than usual - logged in to both praise and condemn her act. Her supporters hail her as a consumer hero and a critic of warm and fuzzy commercials that promise more than they can deliver. But others call her arrogant, ill-mannered and naive to have taken an advertisement at face value.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times Life!
[email protected]
What do you think of Kitchen Tigress' birthday cake request? Write to [email protected]


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Do not get between a Tigress and her cake


showimageCC.aspx

by Neo Chai Chin
05:55 AM Jan 09, 2010
<!--replace --> <script type="text/javascript"> var text = "SINGAPORE - In the advertisement, it was the customer who got the birthday surprise. At OCBC Bank\'s Marine Parade Central outlet, the surprise was on the staff when a blogger argued that she should get a cake for her birthday last weekend.

The spirited account of the episode by blogger Kitchen Tigress (KT) has drawn mixed reactions in cyberspace.

Should she have persisted in asking the bank\'s staff for a cake, to test if OCBC would be true to its recent television advertisement? Or was she a nuisance with too much time on her hands, as some have said?

Her two blog posts on the issue have garnered over 600 responses since Jan 4.

Responding on Friday to MediaCorp via email, KT - who declined to reveal her identity - said: \"I expected maybe five readers to see the post. I had no idea it would attract the attention that it has.\"

The idea was born when KT saw OCBC\'s commercial. \"I then thought a customer could take the commercial literally ... and even ask for (a birthday cake) when the bank fails to spring a surprise. Would the bank really get the customer a cake then?\" she said.

On her birthday on Jan 3, KT went to the OCBC outlet at about 6pm and handed her identity card to a counter staff for a cash deposit. When the teller failed to note her birthday, KT pointed it out and asked if she would get a cake.

After protesting that \"it\'s just an advertisement\", the teller called for her supervisor, who pointed out that in the advertisement, \"the bank surprises the customer, not the other way round\".

KT\'s retort: \"If there\'s any sincerity in the advertisement, you wouldn\'t be surprised.\"

The exchange went on for a few more minutes, and the supervisor finally sent someone to get a Hello Kitty cake from a nearby bakery.

And KT\'s assessment of how OCBC\'s staff fared during the entire episode?

\"Reasonably well, considering they were totally unprepared, which wasn\'t their fault,\" she said. \"The quality of the cake left much to be desired, but that wasn\'t an issue. After all, there wasn\'t time to pick a nice one because the pesky customer was waiting!\"

When asked if it had expected any customers to take its commercial literally, OCBC\'s head of branch and premier banking Dennis Tan said a customer\'s birthday is one of the opportunities the bank has identified, to \"delight our customers in their course of banking with us\".

He added: \"Our staff are always reminded of the importance of recognising such opportunities, when we can make our customers feel good and cared for.\"

How much food for thought does this episode give those in the creative industry? While consumers should not take ads too literally, KT\'s actions show up the need for a stronger communication idea in the commercial, said Mr Farrokh Madon, executive creative director of ad agency McCann Worldgroup Singapore.

\"I can understand a bank wanting to say that they pleasantly surprise their customers. But why the birthday cake? Especially since it\'s something they obviously don\'t do,\" he said. Neo Chai Chin

"; var pageHeight = 600; var fontIndex = 2; // var fontSize = new Array("0.63em", "0.69em", "0.75em", "0.88em", "1em", "1.13em"); var fontSize = new Array('0.63em', '0.69em', '0.75em', '0.88em', '1em', '1.13em'); </script>
SINGAPORE - In the advertisement, it was the customer who got the birthday surprise. At OCBC Bank's Marine Parade Central outlet, the surprise was on the staff when a blogger argued that she should get a cake for her birthday last weekend.

The spirited account of the episode by blogger Kitchen Tigress (KT) has drawn mixed reactions in cyberspace.

Should she have persisted in asking the bank's staff for a cake, to test if OCBC would be true to its recent television advertisement? Or was she a nuisance with too much time on her hands, as some have said?

Her two blog posts on the issue have garnered over 600 responses since Jan 4.

Responding on Friday to MediaCorp via email, KT - who declined to reveal her identity - said: "I expected maybe five readers to see the post. I had no idea it would attract the attention that it has."

The idea was born when KT saw OCBC's commercial. "I then thought a customer could take the commercial literally ... and even ask for (a birthday cake) when the bank fails to spring a surprise. Would the bank really get the customer a cake then?" she said.

On her birthday on Jan 3, KT went to the OCBC outlet at about 6pm and handed her identity card to a counter staff for a cash deposit. When the teller failed to note her birthday, KT pointed it out and asked if she would get a cake.

After protesting that "it's just an advertisement", the teller called for her supervisor, who pointed out that in the advertisement, "the bank surprises the customer, not the other way round".

KT's retort: "If there's any sincerity in the advertisement, you wouldn't be surprised."

The exchange went on for a few more minutes, and the supervisor finally sent someone to get a Hello Kitty cake from a nearby bakery.

And KT's assessment of how OCBC's staff fared during the entire episode?

"Reasonably well, considering they were totally unprepared, which wasn't their fault," she said. "The quality of the cake left much to be desired, but that wasn't an issue. After all, there wasn't time to pick a nice one because the pesky customer was waiting!"

When asked if it had expected any customers to take its commercial literally, OCBC's head of branch and premier banking Dennis Tan said a customer's birthday is one of the opportunities the bank has identified, to "delight our customers in their course of banking with us".

He added: "Our staff are always reminded of the importance of recognising such opportunities, when we can make our customers feel good and cared for."

How much food for thought does this episode give those in the creative industry? While consumers should not take ads too literally, KT's actions show up the need for a stronger communication idea in the commercial, said Mr Farrokh Madon, executive creative director of ad agency McCann Worldgroup Singapore.

"I can understand a bank wanting to say that they pleasantly surprise their customers. But why the birthday cake? Especially since it's something they obviously don't do," he said.

Neo Chai Chin


 
This is the typical ccb sinkie bitch who expects ppl to bow to their ridiculous demands.
 
I support the lady in this case. Advertiser should not advertise what they can't or do not do in the advertisment. If they do, then it is no different from lying or conning the public. We should have a stronger consumer protection from these unscrupulous advertiser. In business, it is common practice not to over-promise and under-deliver. These advertiser basically want to over-promise and under-deliver. Maybe they learn from our MIW?
 
I support the lady in this case. Advertiser should not advertise what they can't or do not do in the advertisment. If they do, then it is no different from lying or conning the public. We should have a stronger consumer protection from these unscrupulous advertiser. In business, it is common practice not to over-promise and under-deliver. These advertiser basically want to over-promise and under-deliver. Maybe they learn from our MIW?

Tampon ads always show that with tampons u can swim. So does that mean if u wanna learn swimming, all u need to do is wear a tampon?!

Bo Liao leh!
 
Legally, I think she has no case. Tort? Was OCBC offering a cake as part of the contract? OCBC's marketing zeal was probably swept up and carried away by current management guru hype about delighting your customers. Satisfying your customers was no longer enough; you have to exceed their expectations --delight your customers!

Japanese professor-management guru Dr Kano was one of those who believes that you can reap exponential customer satisfaction if you do little things that customers would love but never knew that themselves. So the trick is to read into customer's tacit wants (not needs), and surprise them. Interested to know more should Google "Kano's model".

Unfortunately for OCBC, some people have to take things literally and that spoils the game. What OCBC really meant was probably that one of these days, you as a depositor, will get a cake surprise on your birthday! It was not meant to be an entitlement.

OCBC anyhow should not be read now as giving in to the demands of this Tigress (yea, how apt a nick!); but should be read now as gracious enough to oblige her with her demand. It should not be misinterpreted as admitting liability for false advertising or such like behaviour.

I bet you even the govt would not be that gracious in a similar situation.
 
Tampon ads always show that with tampons u can swim. So does that mean if u wanna learn swimming, all u need to do is wear a tampon?!

Bo Liao leh!

I don't know, you have to ask the girl who wear tampon. Maybe the girl feel so siok that she want to do frog-style swimming? open and close legs? kekeke...
 
There is no truth in advertising...but, since SINkingpore, is always so boastful about ourselves...

OCBC, 'must have your cake, and eat it too', as the saying goes..

SHE is certainly proving a point...!!! ha ha ha ha:D
 
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