*Inserts Naruto quote*
The roads are much more different now as compared to just 5 years ago, and I'm not talking about more ERPs and flash floods. Delivery services for types of goods have sprung up, and their vehicles add vibrancy to the busy streets of Singapore.
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| 4 out of the many delivery companies operating in Singapore |
Today, let's look at Ninja Van's mascot who represents the Ninja Van brand.
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| The Ninja Van Logo |
About Ninja Van
"Launched in 2014, Ninja Van is Southeast Asia’s fastest growing last-mile logistics company, powering businesses with innovative transport solutions.
We understand E-commerce, modern consumers and the need to create open, honest and seamless customer experiences. We believe that we are the best at what we do, so come and join us in revolutionising the logistics industry. There’s no way like the Ninja way."
Calling a company 'Ninja Van' is pretty self-explanatory. The focus is on speed and efficiency, just like ninjas.
Ninja Van Mascot
The mascot has been with Ninja Van since the brand's inception and has since become an important part of Ninja Van's overall branding. On the first logo, the mascot was more prominently featured unlike in the current one. Nonetheless, I'm glad the mascot made it to Ninja Van's second logo.
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| The first Ninja Van logo. A less detailed ninja is featured on the current logo. |
Customers love the mascot just as much as the employees. Search #ninjavan on Instagram and you'll be greeted with pictures of Ninja Van parcels with the mascot and employees playing with the live-sized mascot.
Sadly though, the Ninja does not have a name.
Here are some of the visuals by Ninja Van which feature the mascot. He/She actually does a lot of work!
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| Screenshot from Ninja Van's Malaysia site (Source) |
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| Customer Support and Order Tracking |
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| Ninja Collect |
Everyone who works at Ninja Van has a title of ninja. For example, if you are a driver, you'll be known as a ninja driver; if you are a coder, you'll be called a tech ninja.
They have one of the cutest recruitment pages ever. Win liao lor.
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| The mascots should also be on every employee's name card! Also, I ship the 2 sales ninjas <3 (Source) |
Bonus - Ninja Van's CEO talks about the mascot and brand name origin!
Earlier this year, CNA did a wonderful series on industry game changers in Singapore. Episode 5 was about Lai Chang Wen, CEO and co-founder of Ninja Van.
At around the 16:50 mark of the episode, he starts to talk about how the name "Ninja Van" came about.
To summarise, he said that:
1. Ninja Van was the vehicle name which delivered food in the outskirts of Taiwan during his army days;
2. It's a cute name, and it shows Ninja Van's mission to be consumer facing;
3. The mascot's red sneakers makes it look like a modern-age ninja;
4. The goal is to make 'ninja' in Ninja Van a verb - speedy service and deliveries.
I recommend watching the whole series if you have time to spare, it's a well-produced documentary!
Next time when you see a Ninja Van vehicle, take a moment to appreciate the vision Ninja Van's co-founders had for this brand, and how they managed to mould this into a reliable delivery service which operates in 6 countries to date.
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