'Fly' with Superman

SINGAPORE - From next weekend, visitors riding the cable cars between Mount Faber and Sentosa can fly with their favourite superheroes and take a selfie with them.

As part of a 40th anniversary facelift for the Singapore Cable Car, 45 cable cars will be wrapped with graphics of DC Comics' characters such as Superman and Batman.

This means that two-thirds of the entire fleet will be decked out in the superhero theme, both inside the cabins as well as outside.

The makeover was unveiled by Mount Faber Leisure Group, which owns Singapore Cable Car, at a media preview yesterday.

The other featured superheroes are Wonder Woman and Green Lantern.

Visitors will also get to "meet" them on board through in-cabin Augmented Reality technology, by scanning QR codes found inside the cabins with their smartphones. The superheroes then come to life on a mobile phone screen or appear on the seats of the cable car, allowing users to snap selfies with them.

Singapore Cable Car's DC Comics Super Heroes campaign, which will run from May 31 to March 31 next year, is targeted at visitors of all ages.

Ms Suzanne Ho, general manager of Mount Faber Leisure Group, believes that "that there is a child in every one of us".

On why the DC Comics superheroes, licensed from the comics company and Pacific Licensing Studio, were chosen, she says: "They have been quite the rage recently, especially since we started planning about a year ago. Everyone has been talking about them."

Following the Superman film Man Of Steel in 2012, a sequel featuring Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman was recently announced. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of Batman's comic book debut.

Singapore Cable Car hopes to woo more Singaporeans who make up the minority of its users through the repackaging. "We want to change the ratio of tourists to locals from the current 85:15 to 70:30," says Ms Ho.

The company will launch the superheroes campaign next weekend. Travellers boarding the cable cars can participate in games and meet-and- greet sessions with the superhero mascots.

Mount Faber is being rebranded as Faber Peak Singapore, a transition from its previous higher-end image, Jewel Box.

Creating a more casual and inclusive brand concept is part of Singapore Cable Car's plan to attract more visitors.

"We're taking the classic joyride and giving it an edge to refresh the experience," says Ms Ho.

The superhero theme is being extended to Mount Faber itself, where 3-D life-sized statues of the DC superheroes will be planted.

Green screen technology will also allow guests to "fly" like a superhero in an interactive motion experience by superimposing them onto a virtual background.

Visitors who have been on the cable cars say the refreshed image may be a reason to go back.

Housewife Anita Ngo, 48, who last rode the cable cars during the Angry Birds campaign in 2012, says: "This looks more promising because it feels like flying with the heroes I grew up with."

This article was first published on May 21, 2014.
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