23 Jul 2005

S$400,000 spent to rename Marina Bay... Marina Bay

This would be hilarious if it wasn't taxpayers money.

It has to be one the best cons I have ever heard of. Good to see that there are stringent controls on how they spend the money. They must have so much of it, they just throw it around.

After spending S$400,000 ($240,964) to come up with a suitable new name for the revamped downtown Marina Bay, Singapore has decided to stick to, well, Marina Bay, media reports said Friday.

The city-state’s urban development authorities and global branding company Interbrand spent months deliberating over 400 potential names before settling on the original moniker, according to the Today newspaper. The $400,000 financed a massive branding exercise that involved market tests, focus group discussions and consultations with developers and the general public, Today said.

Finding the right name for the city-state’s revised downtown, which will include the much-debated resort casino, a new business district and swanky retail outlets, was a process akin to parents deciding on a name for their child, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan. afp


Anyone fancy sending me $400,000 so I can name their child? I might actually set up a paypal account to do it. Of course the name will be carefully considered after extensive market tests, focus groups and consultations while standing laughing in the queue to the bank.

In fact I won't charge you $400,000, just 10 pounds stirling.

25 comments:

  1. wow i can almost say peanuts were spent to ....? to what ? i can't say rename since the name wasn't changed
    so how about stimulation of the economy?

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  2. Don't look at me.

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  3. Hey, I only cost under $1K.

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  4. Bah. We are worth more than that survey.

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  5. Some peanuts are more equal than other peanuts.

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  6. How many cars do you have, Mr Mah?

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  7. Please donate to us. We would like to raise $400,000 to decide whether or not to change our name.

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  8. I dun like davinder singh.

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  9. I show you the correct way to wrap head. No need starch.

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  10. Cheaper to wash water than to wash blood.

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  11. Our one better than crash helmet ok.

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  12. Glad I'm poor. Never had to pay any income tax before.

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  13. Potato starch not cheap hor.

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  14. This is ridiculous must well building other useful things for us to use

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  15. No one asked me whether I wanted to change my name.

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  16. Wowee. Easiest money we ever made.

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  17. Can we pay you another $400,000 and then you tell us whether we should change the name of Toa Payoh; Mount Faber and the Padang?

    We have too much money, lah.

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  18. can i say that this 400k is just peanuts? we are talking about the name of a CBD area... not any geylang or changi end.. thus classfiable as P E A N U T S!

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  19. I agree with Jowie... 400k is nothing. I wipe my *ss with 400k bills. And my recent diarrea ain't getting any better.

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  20. think you need more peanuts.. maybe peanut butter? :D

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  21. To rename or not to rename, that is the $400,000 question.

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  22. Not you too Mrs Mah?

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  23. Burn Marina Bay!

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  24. Vandalise enough lah!

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  25. Anonymous commenting is going to be removed again.

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