Vietnam – In celebration of the Mooncake Festival in Vietnam, which is celebrated on 21 September, Mondelez Kinh Do, the Vietnam arm of snacking company Mondelez International, has partnered with marketing agencies Publicis, Spark, and Digitas, to launch a new genealogy platform that brings old family photographs to life for Kinh Do mooncakes, which is a brand that is synonymous with the festival.
The Mooncake Festival has been around for more than 2,000 years and is the second most important festival in the country after Lunar New Year. It is a time when families come together to celebrate the full moon.
The festival has been losing its sheen in recent years as Vietnam moves towards a digitally-driven economy, and with this, Kinh Do aims to take the responsibility for keeping meaningful Vietnamese traditions alive, which means reaching a new generation via digital and social channels.
Through the new genealogy platform, consumers can now see their ancestors smile, blink, and turn their heads as old photos come to life. The experience is made possible with deep learning artificial intelligence from D-ID, the technology company based in the United Kingdom and Israel and the creator of web services platform MyHeritage.
In addition, the platform makes it possible to relive family memories amid the lockdown.
Simon Crowther, Mondelez Kinh Do’s marketing director, shared that Kinh Do stands for meaningful Vietnamese traditions that bring the family together and keep the culture alive, and with the pandemic lockdown situation in the country, the festival atmosphere that used to line up the streets with stalls of mooncakes was not attainable this year.
“Through technology, we are able to bring the spirit of the festival online – a testament to the fact that nothing can stop Kinh Do in keeping cultural traditions alive,” said Crowther.
Publicis Vietnam’s deputy managing director, Anish Kotian, commented, “This is a coming together of head, heart, and hand in one idea. Activating the Power of One, we formed a group of experts across Publicis Groupe from creatives, data, technology, and media to bring the magic of Trung Thu to life.”
Bangkok, Thailand – Marketing communications agency FCB Bangkok in Thailand has announced that it has bagged the creative and digital mandate account of nutritional malted drink Ovaltine across four markets in Southeast Asia, namely Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
Through the appointment, FCB Bangkok will lead the creative and digital mandate for the Brand, powered with 360- degree communication strategies aimed at defining the overall brand strategy and the portfolio strategy, as the brand charts its course for the next phase of growth.
For Tutiya Disphanurat, managing director at FCB Bangkok, this has been one of the agency’s toughest pitches in recent times, as it combines insights and understanding from four countries in order to increase engagement with the brand.
“Understanding the brand’s tone and business nuances in various markets was topped by the need to delve more deeply into the relationship of Moms & Kids and gain insights and cultural patterns. Over one and a half months of pitch preparation, we developed an integrated strategy to strengthen Ovaltine’s presence in these markets. The big win also showcases FCB’s strong network in SEA, with great minds coming together, across geographies, working with local and regional insights to make this win possible, together,” Disphanurat said.
Ovaltine, a rich Swiss heritage for over 100 years, features a strong brand awareness and enjoys a good reputation as a nutritional malt drink for kids and adults alike. Ovaltine is a nutritious and delicious drink brand enjoyed by millions of families around the world for its rich malt taste and nutritional value.
For Pawika Tongtavee, marketing director of Ovaltine for the Southeast Asia market, they chose FCB Bangkok due to ‘their outstanding strategic capabilities and unique creative vision for Ovaltine’.
“FCB Bangkok’s strength lies with strategy, and they are the perfect partners who will help us take the brand to the next level. The passion of the team and the leadership towards the brand, coupled with high energy level and teamwork, is exactly the mix we were looking for,” Tongtavee stated.
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Following its first expansion into the Malaysian market, a new joint venture between the Malaysian subsidiary of Japan-based e-gift service Giftee and marketing communications company Mekong Communications has been announced, which signals the expansion of the e-gift service to Vietnam.
Through Giftee Mekong joint venture, both companies will focus on two core objectives: to distribute e-gifts, or digital vouchers catered to the retail and F&B industry, and to provide various digital marketing incentive solutions to businesses in Vietnam through a program ‘giftee for Business’.
To materialize these venture objectives, Giftee Mekong will bank on Giftee’s business expertise on the scale of the e-gift industry, evident with its extensive business in Japan and Malaysia, while Mekong Communications will use its extensive client network of F&B businesses for engagement of digital marketing services for corporations.
In short, it is to be expected that various business synergies will be implemented to the venture’s new clients such as enabling brands to issue e-gifts, or opening markets for e-gift providers to enable corporations to incorporate e-gifts into the business strategy, as well being offered with various solutions combining digital marketing strategies with e-gifts.
First founded in 2010 in Japan and currently represented by directors Mutsumi Ota and Tatsuya Suzuki, the company offers four services for consumers and businesses: giftee-C2C gift service, e-gift System, giftee for business and Welcome! STAMP, an electronic system making engagement with local businesses easier, including e-local currency, e-payment for transport systems and local taxes, and so forth. Said expansion into the ASEAN region started first with the incorporation of Giftee Malaysia in 2018.
“E-gifting service has experienced steady growth for the last few years in Vietnam but it is still far from reaching its maximum potential. Digital transformation is a survival strategy for most companies. We believe that Giftee can contribute significantly to the digital transformation of Vietnam as well as bringing the convenience of e-gifting service to local users,” said Le Bui Kim Son, CEO of Giftee Mekong.
Meanwhile, Mekong Communications is part of a larger corporate network known as Mekong One, which focuses on three main areas: marketing communications, distribution solutions, and real estate strategic consulting and advisory. With more than 12 years of experience in being well-informed about the environment and reality as well as the potential advantages of the Vietnam market, Mekong Communications holds the reputation of being an authorized strategic partner of a broad range of giant companies, especially Japanese companies in the Vietnam market.
“We are confident that with our core competencies, well-informed experience in the Vietnam market, digital infrastructure, and artificial intelligence…The collaboration between Mekong One and Giftee will make a great difference not only in products and services but also contribute to improving the experience for the Vietnam market and Vietnamese users,” said Nghia Vo, general Director of Mekong Communications and member of Mekong One.
Hanoi, Vietnam – In response to the pandemic and its economic effects, International Finance Corporation (IFC), the sister organization of the World Bank focused on the private sector in emerging markets, has partnered with Vietnam’s international trade financing company, Southeast Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SeABank), extending a US$40m loan to support businesses in Vietnam make a resilient recovery.
In the first phase of an up to US$150m financing package, the partnership aims to expand lending to local SMEs, especially women-owned businesses (WSMEs), increase access to climate finance, and boost international trade opportunities.
The funding package will comprise up to US$80m from IFC’s own account and $50m to be mobilized from international lenders, in addition to a US$20m trade finance line. While the investment aims to increase SeABank’s SME lending portfolio, at least US$20m will be earmarked for WSMEs, with support from the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi).
With a strategy to expand its reach to WSMEs, IFC’s funding will help the bank triple its current WSME lending, accounting for about 25% of its total SME portfolio by 2024. IFC will also be advising the bank to develop a banking on women strategy to help bridge the US$4.9b financing gap of WSMEs, accounting for more than one-fifth of the SME financing gap in the country. The bank will further support green building and energy efficiency projects, which can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
SeABank’s General Director Le Thu Thuy noted that IFC’s long-term financing and technical advice will enable SeABank to focus on two strategic segments—WSMEs and climate financing—and position itself as a bank of choice for women-owned businesses and climate-friendly projects over the next five years.
“Given the pandemic, IFC’s timely investment also allows us to extend support to more businesses at a critical time while contributing to the stability of Vietnam’s overall financial market,” said Thuy.
Meanwhile, Kyle Kelhofer, the country manager of IFC Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR, shared that IFC’s new partnership with SeABank reaffirms IFC’s commitment to supporting the continued development of a strong financial sector in Vietnam.
“Our investment in SeABank reiterates our confidence in the bank and its strategic direction to increase financing for SMEs and climate investments, furthering green and inclusive growth, and helping Vietnam build back better from the COVID pandemic,” said Kelhofer.
Furthermore, IFC will be helping SeABank to support the country’s climate finance needs with US$30m to be allocated for climate-friendly projects. IFC’s support will also be expected to help SeABank build a US$60m climate-finance portfolio by 2024.
IFC’s US$20m trade guarantee line under its Global Trade Finance Program (GTFP) will boost SeABank’s capacity to provide financing for importers and exporters to minimize trade disruption given the ongoing pandemic. Participation in GTFP will enable SeABank to join a network of more than 500 bank partners in nearly 100 emerging-market countries.
Hanoi, Vietnam – Global automotive brand Porsche has launched its newest retail concept, Porsche Studio, an open concept store, in Hanoi, Vietnam aimed at bringing contemporary ‘taste’ to its brand.
Veering away from the proverbial physical exhibits of the cars, the newly launched Porsche Studio exercised an innovation strategy in showcasing the brand’s products, adding art exhibitions and installations by local artists inside the store. The new concept store will also feature a configuration table – for individuals wishing to work through the list of vehicle options themselves, which can be used as a projection surface for viewing a configured vehicle in augmented reality.
One of the interior feature of Porsche Studio in Hanoi, Vietnam
Furthermore, the studio will also be used as an event space. The Porsche Destination Charging, a global charging network with AC-charging points installed at exclusive lifestyle locations, is also set to become part of the facility.
“The new Porsche Studio concept offers an easy way to immerse yourself in the Porsche brand. With these attractive touchpoints, visitors experience what Porsche is all about in relaxing and inviting surroundings. Within the next months and years, we will roll-out the thinking behind this concept across all our retail locations,” said Deniz Keskin, head of brand management and partnerships at Porsche.
The Porsche Studio branch in Taiwan
The Hanoi branch of the Porsche Studio was initially based on the recent launch of the same studio in Tainan City, Taiwan which featured the same ‘boutique-like’ experience Porsche Studio aims to portray to its customers. It is part of the automotive brand’s ‘Future Retail Strategy’, which aims to provide “hospitality and inspiration.” The stores have also been strategically located in city centres to be within convenient reach of customers and new target groups.
Singapore – Adtech Criteo has announced a strategic partnership with advertising and technology company MediaDonuts to expand its market in Vietnam through providing performance marketing solutions among Vietnamese brands.
Through the partnership, Criteo is expanding its services in the country through the Ad Sales Partner Program within MediaDonuts. The said program provides brands with performance marketing solutions which include funnel marketing solutions, aimed at driving profits and sales for retailers and brands. By connecting shoppers to products and services that appeal to them, it delivers performance at scale while working with its Ad Sales Partners. Furthermore, the partnership provides Criteo a unique platform to cover broader market segments in this fast-growing country.
“This exclusive partnership will help us to expand our coverage in Vietnam. For Criteo, Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing markets in SEA. And shoppers in Vietnam have a variety of choices when it comes to e-commerce platforms, millions of products and services to choose from, and multiple devices to engage with and discover,” said Taranjeet Singh, managing director of Criteo SEA and India.
Pieter-Jan de Kroon, managing partner at MediaDonuts, noted that the Vietnamese internet economy has reached USD14B in gross merchandise value (GMV), and is expected to grow to USD52B by 2025.
“The digital media landscape is evolving fast in Vietnam and we’re seeing a very interesting opportunity, especially in the performance space. Therefore this partnership will be a game-changer for all companies eager to exceed their media and business objectives by implementing sophisticated campaign strategies through the world-class technology developed by Criteo,” de Kroon stated.
Singapore – MediaDonuts has appointed Luc Mandret as Country Head for Vietnam.
Luc Mandret joins from MSL where he was General Manager of MSL, the PR and digital agency of Publicis Group, in Vietnam.
Previously, Luc Mandret held leadership roles with Elan-Edelman then Publicis agencies in France where he was Head of the Digital and Social Media business unit, before being relocated to Southeast Asia in 2017.
Luc Mandret was also a blogger, media professional, and lecturer at Paris La Sorbonne university. He is the vice president of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (CCIFV) as well.
Luc Mandret has worked on corporate, communication, and marketing strategy bringing innovative solutions for a variety of brands, including both international and Vietnamese companies.
Pieter-Jan de Kroon, Managing Partner, MediaDonuts said: “We’re thrilled to have Luc on board to lead our fast-growing activities in Vietnam. Luc has an international background across both digital and marketing domains. His international experience with some of the biggest communication and marketing agencies will surely benefit our clients, our partners, and our teams.”
On this appointment, Luc Mandret, Country Head Vietnam, MediaDonuts said: “I am very excited to join MediaDonuts, we have here an awesome team to helps advertisers and agencies, we can help them to achieve the best performance and branding goals across digital media channels. We’re seeing very strong opportunities for MediaDonuts in Vietnam from our media representation business which includes partners such as Twitter, GrabAds, Criteo, Byte Dance (TikTok), Spotify, Activision Blizzard Media (Candy Crush), MatchMedia (Tinder), etc. as well as from our digital programmatic technology.”
Singapore – Ampverse, an esports entertainment company, has announced new hires for its company in response to their expansion to Vietnam and Myanmar this year.
Top hires include director of revenue and customer success Jackie Tangngumvitayakul formerly of media company Starcom, head of client solutions Kate Siriwattanakul formerly of media investment company GroupM.
Other additions to the Ampverse team include strategic initiatives manager Athiti Sujarit formerly of esports event organizer Garena, and new team members across its sales, finance, human resources, creative solutions, and esports divisions.
“We are really pleased to welcome this bunch of talented and bright individuals to Ampverse. As we prepare ourselves for the next phase of growth, I’m incredibly proud that Ampverse continues to attract talent of such high caliber. Reflected by their diverse interests, personalities, and knowledge, our new talent will support us in bringing forth wider creative solutions for our clients,” said Ferdinand Gutierrez, CEO of Ampverse.
He added, “Vietnam and Myanmar are among Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies, with both markets displaying a huge growth potential for gaming, boasting many promising players and a robust gaming community. As we settle into 2021, our goal is to extend our resources, talent, and experiences in places where we know there is a clear demand.”
Ampverse is currently operating with three esports teams and has worked with brands such as Samsung, KFC, Porsche, Electronic Arts, Lazada and Grab.
Vietnam – The current highs of digital have definitely pounded the people behind tech products with much pressure to grace the forefront – specifically to mold one into becoming an all-in-one man – beyond making and designing products, that is, to become a marketer and a businessman as well.
After all, we’ve seen model IT leaders early on, in the face of Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg, but product designers today are faced with a challenge to keep up with the bar of versatility.
With model IT leaders like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, UX designers are hit with the pressure to keep up with evolving skillsets including UX selling.
In the recently held UXVN Festival 2020, a virtual conference in Vietnam for user experience (UX) practitioners, regional director of creative technological agency Adaptis Binh Truong, laid out the process of how UX designers can make themselves ready to go beyond fulfilling UX requirements – learning how to be in sales, and effectively attracting buy-ins to their products.
In his talk UX Selling, External and Internal Approach, Truong said that in selling their products, UX designers simply need to create a perception or bring about the ‘whole picture’ of where a product fits into clients’ own objectives.
The sale is all about creating perception. When you talk with your peer or [with] your friend, it’s [easy] [for them] to know exactly what you’re talking about, but when you come to talk with [strangers], somebody in marketing [or] engineering from the client side, and [they say] we want to design this [app], and they have no idea what you have in mind, about the process.
Binh Truong, Regional Director, Adaptis
He further said that this is the time when designers must “ask the [questions]” because this is when you’re able to create the perception, where you arm yourself with the needed unified ‘pitch’ in order to justify and make clients understand your product.
So what questions are these? Binh enumerated the important ones:
Truong said that while a lot avoid the activity of selling, being mostly a challenging undertaking, people, such as UX designers, must learn to embrace it, in order to “connect to people.”
UX selling is a skill. Design is a part of everything else. You need to know how to handle the people around you, not only the user.
With 18 years in the field of IT and digital, having earlier worked with Microsoft China e-commerce as a senior project manager, and also currently a regional manager at Interaction Design Foundation (IDF), a global online design school, Truong surely has mastered the nooks and crannies of UX selling. In the talk, he shares a number of pointers:
UX project is an investment, either for an internal or external client – meaning you’re using someone’s money.
In laying out the ‘facts’ in managing sales, Truong stated, “An investment means you’re using someone’s money, [it means] you need to care about the return of investment, it means you need to deliver the value. [You’re asking] somebody to pay for this project, so [you] need to return it in some way.”
Sales is a journey
Truong also stressed that one of the most important principles to remember in sales is that it isn’t a one-off engagement, but a process and a journey.
“[Sales] is not only about signing a contract, [but it’s also a skill] you need all along, [bringing] the deal onwards,” he said.
Truong even shared a crucial insight: “Sales process is lifetime, [the] same as your product lifecycle.”
According to him, it starts with building that perception and trust, managing expectations, then communicating and providing the value; and once prospects have been converted, UX designers must guide clients through the process of onboarding the product, engaging users, and then eventually to the pot of gold – repeat purchase and referrals.
“In order to convince people, you need to make sure that they like you, [and in order to do that], you need to bring in the value, so [that] they listen to you, and [that’s when] the obstacle and the barrier [between you and the client] go down, while you increase the mutual trust,” he said.
You have enough UX skills to start doing sales, it’s only about doing it the right way.
In the session, Truong said that right off the bat, UX designers’ expertise puts them in an advantageous position to sell their product.
“You have the skill, you know a lot of UX technology, and [with] some mindset in [sales], you [just] need to do the right thing,” he said.
In building that sales mindset, Truong offers the PACT framework. PACT stands for People, Activity, Context, and Technology.
“You have to know who you’re selling to (people), what activity they’re doing (activity), what context they’re in (context) – such as which period it is taking place, and how much money they have – and what technology is right for them (technology),” explained Truong.
UX is a framework you can tailor
Contrary to Truong noting sales as a process, he believes that UX can be approached as a framework.
He said that in selling their product, UX designers have the tendency to talk about every little part of the product and technology, which could overwhelm a potential client.
“It’s your job to make it easier [for your stakeholders],” he said.
Truong notes that designers can pick out any part of the UX ‘framework’, such as the prototype, the journey map maybe, the form design, or the user interface (UI) patterns, and start talking about and engaging that part of the design with stakeholders.
“You don’t need to put everything in the same [conversation], it’s [frustrating for] your client [and] stakeholders, so just pick something,” he said.
Concluding the session, Truong said, “Everything starts with you.
He further shared designers need to remember that every business or individual, has its own stage, age, and maturity level. A one-size-fits-all strategy won’t work as one may encounter a variety of prospects – companies – that are either starting or full-grown, as well as individuals from different age groups, hence carrying different needs.
Ultimately, he said, “Long story short, you need to know the map before you enter the game.”
Adaptis has a presence in Europe and the Asia Pacific. They have offices in Switzerland, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Their global clients include Kempinski Hotels, Toyota, Johnnie Walker, and more.
Hanoi, Vietnam – Luxury Travel, a Vietnam-based destination management company, has recently rebranded to LUX Travel DMC, signaling a change towards its tourist marketing strategy.
The company, founded in 2005, has shifted to luxury domestic tourism for growth as COVID-19 travel restrictions are implemented globally. With a 30% growth in revenue and 10,000 guest accommodations in 2019, the company hopes that its new line of luxury travel services fares in the longer run.
“We refreshed the current products and created new products, trained our team, and rebranded our brands. We are pleased to inform you that Luxury Travel Vietnam has been rebranded to Lux Travel DMC for inbound department and we expand to Asia destinations. Luxury Travel is now for domestic and outbound departments. We have our fleet of 10 luxury vehicles for our guests under the LuxTransCo Brand and we both ready to bounce back with our innovative and trendy tourism products and our core values: Private touring. Only the best hotels. Our world of expertise,” Pham Ha, LUX Travel DMC CEO and founder stated.
LUX Travel DMC will continue to provide concierge travel services such as private jet planes, yachts, islands, restaurants, and villas.
Despite the ongoing changes, Ha notes that the company will still keep its company core values.
“Lux DMC Travel always commits to operating the highest standards of services. Our Lux team is dedicated to working closely with agents and tour operators and ensures to deliver for their customers authentic and unique luxury travel and SOLUX experiences by using their expertise, know-how, and solid infrastructure,” Ha added.
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