SPH’s inaugural Innovation Day throws up unique ideas
One team came up with an idea for a reviews site for parents to view recommendations of swim coaches, dentists and tutors for their children.The recommendations will come from friends and strangers, with an indicator for trustworthiness based on whether the user knows the reviewer.
Another team presented a proposal for a virtual subscription box with leisure activities such as yoga, wine-tasting and rock-climbing targeted at millennials.
The project also looked into "feeding their minds" with quality career advice and "refreshing their bodies" via sleep pods.
These ideas were among several pitched during the inaugural Innovation Day at Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). The aim is to spur a more entrepreneurial culture within the 4,000-strong company.
Three teams presented their ideas yesterday to an executive panel made up of five members of senior management, including chief executive Ng Yat Chung and deputy chief executive Anthony Tan, for the opportunity to develop their concepts and bring them to market.
Participants had been tasked to develop ideas for SPH to reach new segments of the public.
The Straits Times crime reporter Aw Cheng Wei, 29, was part of the team behind the reviews site.
The New Paper editor Eugene Wee's team - which is behind the virtual subscription box idea - interviewed 100 millennials in the Central Business District to better understand their motivations and the issues they face in their daily lives.
"Talking to them face-to-face gives us data that is a lot richer than if we got people to fill in surveys. For instance, we learnt that working adults aged 21 to 34 are very driven and preoccupied with getting ahead in their jobs," said Mr Wee.
Deputy CEO Tan said: "Innovation is an often-used buzzword, but what it means in SPH's context is to become more customer-focused and develop a deeper understanding of our audiences, so we can offer them more engaging content and products.
"Our employees are an essential part of our journey to become a tomorrow-ready media business and they are extremely motivated to be part of this exciting transformation."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
