- Aalto University School of Business, Corporate Communication, AlumnusWaseda University, SILS, Alumnusadd
- Hello! This page documents my academic work in the bridal industry. Bridal is close to heart, and it has been a huge privilege to be able to work closely with bridal vendors in both Singapore and Finland. The various interviews with Singaporean brides are also something I hold really close to heart, and their open and candid sharing humbles me greatly as a person. I hope you enjoy reading the various works here! :) A commercial Singaporean wedding industry bridal gui... moreHello!
This page documents my academic work in the bridal industry. Bridal is close to heart, and it has been a huge privilege to be able to work closely with bridal vendors in both Singapore and Finland.
The various interviews with Singaporean brides are also something I hold really close to heart, and their open and candid sharing humbles me greatly as a person.
I hope you enjoy reading the various works here! :) A commercial Singaporean wedding industry bridal guidebook written with La Belle Couture will be out in December 2016 :) It will bless you greatly, so do get a copy of it!edit
Objective of the Study-- Extensive studies have been done on the selling and promotional functions of trade shows from the exhibitor’s perspective. Much research have also been made on visitors’ perceptions and attitudes towards trade... more
Objective of the Study-- Extensive studies have been done on the selling and promotional functions of trade shows from the exhibitor’s perspective. Much research have also been made on visitors’ perceptions and attitudes towards trade shows. These studies however have not discussed in detail how trade show organizers or exhibitors can utilise the knowledge of visitors’ discourse to create effective advertisements. By focusing on the signifier, signified, sign and ideology, this thesis aims to bridge the research gap by exploring how trade show organizers can use nonattendees’ discourse to create trade show advertisements that engage nonattendees.
Design/Methodology/Approach—This research is qualitative in nature. 5 recent Singaporean wedding show advertisements are analyzed via a semiotic lens focusing on the signifier, signified, sign and ideology. Semi-structured interviews are also conducted with 8 Singaporean brides who do not attend wedding shows.
Findings—By focusing on the signifier, signified and sign, the 5 trade show advertisements are deconstructed and analyzed. Possible ideologies propagated by these advertisements are then made explicit. Findings from the semi-structured interviews show that all interviewees did not want to attend wedding shows prior to their wedding because of the perception of “hard sell” at the wedding shows. Current wedding show advertisements also made use of certain signs that do not resonate with this group of nonattendees enough for them to want to attend the wedding show.
Implications—From the nonattendees’ discourse, signs associated with that can be used in advertisements specially targeted at nonattendees are identified. Some of these signs include non-conventional wedding dresses, music and the aisle. Recommendations on how to use signs from nonattendees’ discourse in advertisements are made with the guiding spirit of increasing trust and interest between the wedding show vendors and brides. For example, this study found out that some of the nonattendees regard the beach as an ideal place to hold their wedding. Wedding show organizers can then use the beach as a sign in their advertisement to resonate with nonattendees.
Originality/Value—This is one of the first studies that focuses on how trade show organizers can make use of signs elicited from nonattendees’ discourse to create effective advertisements that can appeal to nonattendees.
Keywords-- trade shows; contemporary wedding; semiotics; advertisement; Singapore society; signs; ideologies;
Design/Methodology/Approach—This research is qualitative in nature. 5 recent Singaporean wedding show advertisements are analyzed via a semiotic lens focusing on the signifier, signified, sign and ideology. Semi-structured interviews are also conducted with 8 Singaporean brides who do not attend wedding shows.
Findings—By focusing on the signifier, signified and sign, the 5 trade show advertisements are deconstructed and analyzed. Possible ideologies propagated by these advertisements are then made explicit. Findings from the semi-structured interviews show that all interviewees did not want to attend wedding shows prior to their wedding because of the perception of “hard sell” at the wedding shows. Current wedding show advertisements also made use of certain signs that do not resonate with this group of nonattendees enough for them to want to attend the wedding show.
Implications—From the nonattendees’ discourse, signs associated with that can be used in advertisements specially targeted at nonattendees are identified. Some of these signs include non-conventional wedding dresses, music and the aisle. Recommendations on how to use signs from nonattendees’ discourse in advertisements are made with the guiding spirit of increasing trust and interest between the wedding show vendors and brides. For example, this study found out that some of the nonattendees regard the beach as an ideal place to hold their wedding. Wedding show organizers can then use the beach as a sign in their advertisement to resonate with nonattendees.
Originality/Value—This is one of the first studies that focuses on how trade show organizers can make use of signs elicited from nonattendees’ discourse to create effective advertisements that can appeal to nonattendees.
Keywords-- trade shows; contemporary wedding; semiotics; advertisement; Singapore society; signs; ideologies;
Research Interests:
This paper is a qualitative study which explores perceptions of the ideal wedding dress held by Singaporean brides who choose to skip wedding fairs in their wedding preparaton process. Ten interviews are conducted: 8 with Singaporean... more
This paper is a qualitative study which explores perceptions of the ideal wedding dress held by Singaporean brides who choose to skip wedding fairs in their wedding preparaton process. Ten interviews are conducted: 8 with Singaporean brides who do not attend wedding fairs, and 2 with brides who do attend them. Questions to the interview are formulated by first attempting to understand the bride’s perception of the ideal wedding ceremony, and subsequently that of the ideal wedding dress. For the purpose of this paper, the narratives of two brides who do attend wedding shows are included as an attempt to make the study more complete. For example, brides who attend the wedding show might attend with the sole purpose of acquiring information of what is available for consumption in the wedding market, but still hold the same perceptions as the non-attendees.
From the results, perceptions of the ideal wedding dress in relation to wedding shows are catagorised as follow: (A) The perception that a wedding dress offered by the wedding show is a bad investment; (B) The perception that the wedding dress available for sale at the wedding show is not “unique”; (C) The rejection of the wedding dress altogether; (D) The rejection of the idea of a “wedding dress package”; (E) Attributes that have nothing to do with perceptions of the ideal wedding dress, such avoiding wedding shows because brides do not like “hard-selling”, or perceiving the wedding show as a “marketing gimmick”. Wedding show organisers can consider these perceptions when planning future communication and sales efforts to appeal to a larger pool of prospective brides.
From the results, perceptions of the ideal wedding dress in relation to wedding shows are catagorised as follow: (A) The perception that a wedding dress offered by the wedding show is a bad investment; (B) The perception that the wedding dress available for sale at the wedding show is not “unique”; (C) The rejection of the wedding dress altogether; (D) The rejection of the idea of a “wedding dress package”; (E) Attributes that have nothing to do with perceptions of the ideal wedding dress, such avoiding wedding shows because brides do not like “hard-selling”, or perceiving the wedding show as a “marketing gimmick”. Wedding show organisers can consider these perceptions when planning future communication and sales efforts to appeal to a larger pool of prospective brides.