#MarketingExcellenceAwards SG 2021 spills: Aspire Lifestyles on survival skills banked on resilience and adaptability

Aspire Lifestyles, which offers loyalty solutions and concierge services, currently operates with a team of 1,500 across 21 markets, to assist clients 24/7 in 30 languages. From white labeled loyalty solutions to extraordinary events, every location is staffed with the expertise to ensure a best-in-class and innovative delivery for the high-net-worth segment, according to Aspire Lifestyles.

Recently, it was also shortlisted as a finalist for Excellence in Personalisation Marketing at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Marketing Excellence Awards Singapore 2021.  In an interview with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Yane Tan (pictured), senior director of partnership and marketing, Aspire Lifestyles Asia Pacific, shared how the pandemic reshaped the travel industry. Not one to throw in the towel, the company adapted its services to remain relevance with its clientele during the pandemic. She also shared on an emerging trend of travellers going for long-haul holidays with a rise in spend, coupled with multiple micro-getaways domestically.

This interview was done as part of MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s winners’ and finalists’ interview series for Marketing Excellence Awards Singapore 2021. To find out more about the awards click here.

Borders and markets are now opening up. How are you leveraging this to your advantage? 

Tan: The pandemic has reshaped the travel industry, with post COVID-19 travel becoming increasingly complex and stressful to navigate. We took this opportunity to develop an exciting new travel safe solution that would cover their end-to-end journey served on our white labeled digital platform. This will take away the pre-travel hassle and pain points and provide a seamless booking journey from PCR tests to airport transfers, so that our customers can focus on enjoying their holiday experience. Whether it is a multi-stop global holiday or a domestic interstate weekend, travel planning has become more complicated than before, but with our extensive global partner network, we are able to recommend staycations, resorts and restaurants with quality hygiene measures that go beyond the protocols, to ensure a safe and exceptional guest experience. In addition, we will be able to sweeten their holiday with partner deals and special privileges at restaurants and stores.

During the pandemic, I recall we had a customer stranded in Europe whose itinerary was affected due to sudden changes in cross border travel restrictions, thanks to our global network we were able to advise and help her and swiftly make alternative hotel, transfers and sightseeing experiences, enabling her family to continue with the holiday.

As more vaccinated travel lanes come about, the pent-up travel desire continues to grow rapidly. We were able to lend our concierge expertise to advise our high-net-worth clientele from their pre-trip to the end of their trip. With our wholly owned centres in more than 19 countries and local experts, we were able to provide destination guides and curated travel inspirations for our customers. We help with the travel itinerary and monitor the evolving pre-departure PCR test requirements, and book tests at the comfort of their home. We also arrange limousine transfers, airport lounge and fast track access at the destination airport for a safer journey.

Tell us one crucial learning lesson the team gained in 2021.

Tan: 2021 was a challenging year but kudos to the team for being resilient and responding well to various challenges and changes in the landscape and working very hard to bring new ideas and executions for our clients. I learnt that it is important to recharge and to recognise the hard work that has gone behind many of the campaigns we did for clients.

With work-from-home and split teams, one can feel isolated at times. To build the warmth and encouragement, we infused games during our video calls to play online, we invited a therapist to run a virtual meditation session, during Christmas we got together virtually to make a music video of a Christmas carol. We also included our pets in one of our Zoom calls, which is a furry extension of our family. Instead of annual internal awards, we introduced more frequent new awards to recognise the bravado and resilience of top team members. We even invited an influencer to share tips on content creation for our team’s personal Instagram.

This was a conscious effort to extend personal self-care and welfare, such that the training or exposure provided is not always work-related but also serve to enrich or entertain our people – which is at the heart of our business.

What are your marketing plans for 2022? 

Tan: Dining is one of the cornerstones of our strategy and differentiator. And we are delighted to be the Official Concierge Partner of World’s and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Our teams did an onsite activation at the Asia’s 50 Best Awards in Bangkok and Tokyo last week! It was amazing to for our teams to reconnect with luminary chefs face-and-face on the red carpet, where we presented the iconic Chef’s Scarf to the top 50 chefs. We also sponsored the Highest New Entrant restaurant, which went to Villa Aida this year. We remain committed in our support over the past six years for the Awards, akin to the Oscars of the culinary world. For the rest of the year we will continue to collaborate closely, bridging our restaurant partners from Singapore to Seoul with our clients, to bring curated dining experiences to discerning gourmands and customers across the region.

The pandemic has been challenging for many in the industry, but we have witnessed the fierce passion and creativity of chefs and restauranteurs. During the peak of COVID-19 in Bangkok last year, there were Michelin-starred restaurants who were looking at how they can jumpstart delivery without compromising the positioning. Our team innovated quickly with our limousine partner and the restaurants to make premium delivery happen for a VIP program, ensuring the quality of the home dining experience through our white gloved delivery service.

Looking ahead, we plan to resume our Aspire Club Events to reconnect in person with our clients and brand partners. We look forward to collaborating in new ways with our network of partners, not just in dining but across travel, lifestyle, and luxury categories, with major brands, as well as with hidden gems and new merchants. From the everyday to once in a lifetime experience, we want to inspire the ordinary for our customers.

What is one trend you are excited about which you think will carry on into the new year?

Tan: Pertaining to travel among our clientele, we observe a trend towards one major long-haul holiday with a rise in spend, coupled with multiple micro-getaways domestically. Clients are more conscious and willing to spend on private transfers, private villas and VIP services that minimises exposure and offers a more seamless journey.

Asia is a varied region and there are nuances and domestic trends in each market to uncover and cater to. The great resignation and ‘tang-ping’ wave echoes the sentiments of a burnt-out generation and is another opportunity. Services who can complement that desire with experiences that enable rest, recharge and recalibration would be able to ride the wave.

As a connected global community, despite the uncertainty of the pandemic, one thing’s for certain, the human spirit will endure and we can endeavour to inspire the positive and lend a helping hand for one another, build partnerships, and create new propositions. This can not only to tide us to the light at the end of the tunnel, but create new sparks for a bright new normal.