Tag: vietnam

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Consumer research and analytics company Milieu Insight has announced a strategic partnership with dentsu International to improve the agency’s Consumer Connection System (CCS), the agency’s end-to-end communications planning platform, in their Vietnamese market.

Using Milieu Portraits that will fuel higher quality and up-to-date data, the partnership will enable dentsu to use advanced research and analytics tools to help its clients undertake fast turnaround studies and craft effective business and communication strategies. In addition, Milieu’s consumer profiling tool, when integrated into the CCS, will complement and help unlock more use cases ranging from campaign measurements to optimising the activation of digital ads. 

Another service that will be utilised will be Milieu Activate, an automated brand tracking solution and programmatic activation, which leverages millions of data points to serve ads to the right mobile audiences, enabling Dentsu to help their clients drive stronger metrics in terms of click-through rates and conversions. It uses programmatic lookalike modelling to identify target audience with access to mobile device IDs.

Gerald Ang, CEO at Milieu Insight said that their strategic partnership with Dentsu is an important step towards providing the industry with a highly differentiated and data-driven audience targeting solution that will lead to better and more effective campaigns.

“The real-time dynamic nature of Milieu Insight’s consumer engagement platform and the wide range of data that it holds will empower dentsu to help brands gain a competitive edge and build stronger relationships with their customers,” Ang said.

Meanwhile, JP Salustiano, chief strategy officer at dentsu Services Vietnam, commented, “We’re able to offer our clients a higher level of insight and accuracy because of the quality and depth of data Milieu Insight’s Canvas provide, at the speed with which it can be augmented. We are already able to build planning segments for our clients that were not possible before, which gives us greater ability to drive return on marketing investment.”

Lastly, Navin Dhanpal, CEO at Carat, commented, “Through our partnership with Milieu Insight, CCS in its new digital avatar is going to fundamentally shift the media research industry and give our brands the latest insight into not just ‘what’ media their target consumer is consuming and ‘when’ – but more importantly, ‘how’ they are consuming that media and ‘why’.”

Vietnam – Life insurance company AIA in Vietnam has extended its exclusive partnership with Vietnam’s private bank VPBank, changing the originally planned 15 years partnership to 19 years for the distribution of insurance through banks.

VPBank said that it has developed a strong cooperative relationship with AIA Vietnam since 2017, and the extension of their partnership is not only a good sign for them but also good news for customers. 

Through the extended partnership, both companies will continue to help customers access and experience top quality life insurance products and services, along with the preferential benefits of many comprehensive health care plans. In addition, products will be more innovative and many connecting activities in terms of mental, physical, and financial health will also be deployed in accordance with each customer group of the bank.

Wayne Besant, AIA Vietnam’s general director, said, “The extension of the exclusive partnership between VPBank and AIA Vietnam will allow AIA to continue to strengthen its long-term and relevant financial protection solutions. With the healthcare needs of many families in Vietnam, helping them live healthier, longer, and happier lives.”

Meanwhile, Nguyen Duc Vinh, VPBank’s general director, commented, “In addition to improving the quality of services for customers, we are delighted by the extension of this partnership to bring to the market new products, and more innovative services, providing more financial solutions to customers for their future lives.”

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – AIP Foundation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping achieve zero road injuries and fatalities in Asia and Africa, has launched a youth-focused campaign in Vietnam called ‘HeadsUp!’. The campaign stresses the importance of the most fundamental safety measure on the road: Wearing helmets.

The campaign, which has also been rolled out in Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines, is in fact a video-making competition for students in the said countries, calling them out to create innovative public awareness campaigns for road safety.

“Young people on motorbikes have become an icon of Southeast Asian streets. Scenes of students riding on scooters in the mornings as they make their way to schools depict a region that’s striving to move forward towards a better future,” said AIP Foundation. 

Implemented by AIP Foundation with support from FIA Road Safety Grant Programme, FIA Region II, and FIA Foundation, HeadsUp! will have students from renowned universities create video narratives that reflect the importance of quality helmet use among youth.

“With motorbikes becoming increasingly popular as a major mode of transportation for the young, promoting the use of helmets has become a necessary mission of AIP Foundation,” added the NPO.

Through the competition, the region will see creative campaigns made by and tailored for the “drivers of the future.” The winner of HeadsUp! will receive USD 1,000 and support to develop its video into a full-fledged campaign as part of the global launch.

Deadline for the submission of the videos will be on 31 March 2022, 5 pm ICT. More details can be found on the HeadsUp! website.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Amidst the growing popularity of online shopping, there has been a high demand for shopping beauty products online and interestingly, more men in Vietnam shop for beauty products online than women, according to new research by marketing research company Decision Lab.

According to their data, 58% of their male respondents say they have shopped online for beauty products while 49% of the female respondents shopped online for beauty products. However, female shoppers still dominate all purchases for beauty products, amounting to 69% of the respondents. This is in contrast to the 28% of the male respondents.

“Notable from the responses was that women’s love of the shopping experience – often described as a type of ‘therapy’ – was reflected in the fact that it was men who said they had purchased beauty products online more often than women, with just under 10% more male respondents saying they had done so in the past three months,” the report stated.

The data also showed that shoppers in Vietnam are more informed than ever prior to buying but that the channel of research or browsing activity – be it online or offline – does not always determine the channel of purchase. This is especially true when it comes to non-durable goods like food and beverage, where the vast majority of purchases are still made in brick and mortar outlets.

Furthermore, smartphones have continued to increase their role in the everyday lives of Vietnamese consumers. Thanks to the emergence of branded ride-hailing apps like Grab, the mobile phone now dominates short distance travel bookings and has an equal split with computers of purchases in categories like mobile phones, clothing, and footwear. When it came to long-distance travel and hotel bookings, the computer was still preferred.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Indonesia super-app has inked a strategic partnership with Vietnamese e-wallet MoMo, entailing MoMo to be integrated in the Gojek super-app in the local market. 

Through the partnership, Gojek and MoMo will combine their technological strengths and large ecosystems to jointly raise the level of use of cashless payment methods among Vietnamese people, and at the same time provide a better customer experience.

MoMo will support Gojek’s ecosystem of millions of users who are using online technology ride-hailing services such as GoRide, GoCar, and online food delivery GoFood. This then gives Gojek customers the option to pay via MoMo’s e-wallet in addition to credit, debit and cash payments.

Gojek will have the opportunity to reach out to MoMo’s ecosystem of more than 31 million users, and at the same time meet the growing demand of customers who want more payment options on the app, especially the use of contactless payments amid the COVID-19.

Speaking about the partnership, Nguyen Ba Diep, co-founder and vice president at MoMo, said, “I firmly believe that this partnership will bring optimal payment options and experience. for users. With this cooperation, we hope to partly help technology drivers and partners of Gojek and MoMo to reach more customers, increase sales and quickly recover from the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, Pham Huu Thanh, operations director of payments division at Gojek Vietnam, commented, “Through the integration of MoMo e-wallet on the Gojek application, our users will have more choices when paying for services, thus having a smoother, more convenient, and safer experience when paying for services. use Gojek. Together with MoMo, we are delighted to continue to contribute to the promotion of cashless payments in Vietnam, by influencing to change user habits and constantly expanding the payment ecosystem.”

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Jio Health, a provider of human-centered, technology-powered healthcare, has recently completed a US$20m Series B investment led by Singapore-based healthcare investor, Heritas Capital. Other investors in the round included Fuchsia Ventures, Kasikorn Bank Group, and existing investor, Monk’s Hills Ventures. 

The fundraise represents the largest in the company’s history and will build on Jio Health’s aggressive growth, with plans to expand its Smart Clinics and omnichannel ecosystem across its primary market of Vietnam and pave the way for expansion into regional markets over the coming years.

“We’re excited to welcome a high-impact, high-conviction cohort of investors to join us on our mission to become the most consumer-centric healthcare company in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia. We plan to boldly invest into expanding our geographic footprint across Vietnam, enhancing our clinical and digital capabilities, and regionalizing the playbook for our ‘quality care, anytime, anywhere’ value proposition,” said Jio Health’s Founder & CEO Raghu Rai.

The Series B investment in Jio Health will extend its clinical service offering to more consumers and employers, support the launch of additional Smart Clinics in existing and new geographies, expand provider and clinical support teams, and further advance technology platform innovation.

Jio Health’s vertically integrated consumer healthcare value chain enables it to provide quality and affordable care wherever consumers shop, work, and live. The uniqueness of Jio Health’s model is that access to care is part of a larger omnichannel strategy that integrates prevention, multi-speciality care management, and ancillary diagnostic and pharmacy benefits to deliver better healthcare outcomes. Jio Health’s technology encompasses telemedicine, e-prescription fulfilment, digital medical records, and machine-learning for clinical decision support. 

“Our team of 300+ care providers, engineers, and operators have each encountered the unpredictable impact of COVID at front-line hospitals, across their communities, and within their families. Their personal experiences have further validated the importance of our vision and deepened our commitment to transforming the access and delivery of care for millions of people across Southeast Asia. Our Series B funding will substantially accelerate our growth and scale the reach, impact, and affordability of our consumer healthcare ecosystem,” concludes Rai.

Singapore – Live streaming solutions BeLive Technology has piloted a live shopping campaign with Southeast Asian super app Grab called ‘Grab Live Beta’. The said campaign is now first available in Vietnam as well as Thailand. 

‘Grab Live Beta’ will allow participating merchants on Grab to engage with consumers in real-time, while increasing their overall visibility and brand awareness. Some of the features available in the live shopping campaign include addressing enquiries via the chat function and a new virtual gifting beta feature that allows consumers to show their support for content or influencers that interest them.

Commenting on the new partnership between BeLive Technology and Grab, Kenneth Tan, CEO and co-founder at BeLive Technology, said, “BeLive Technology is delighted to power live streams for Southeast Asia’s leading super-app, Grab. Merchants on Grab Live would be able to build meaningful connections with their customers and order directly on lossless, low-latency live video. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to empowering brands around the world.”

The new campaign follows after BeLive Technology has recently raised S$6m in a bridge funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to S$10m. BeLive Technology operates from Singapore and Vietnam, and has delivered 3.7 billion minutes of live video to over 100 million viewers worldwide.

Vietnam — The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has announced the launch of PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand, as part of its expansion plans in the Southeast Asian region. The PRCA’s launch of both sub-groups owes to these countries’ fast-growing economies and a proven base of talented communications professionals.

A team of founding members in Vietnam and Thailand has been established to help deliver the association’s mission to create a professional, ethical, and efficient PR industry in the region. Founding members of the Vietnam Group include EloQ Communications, Vero, and The Vietnam Public Relation Network. Meanwhile, founding members of the Thailand Group include ABM Connect, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Midas PR, Moonshot Digital, MSL, and Vero.

Francis Ingham, director general of PRCA, commented that they are delighted to announce the latest stage of their global expansion, launching PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand. Ingham added that as part of PRCA Southeast Asia, this new grouping of practitioners joins the world’s largest PR association, opening up a whole range of services, insights, and connections. Ingham continues by saying that their industry has never been more international, and this latest development will be welcomed by our members across the 70 countries in which they live and work.

Through the expansion, PRCA will provide local professionals with access to local, regional, and global events, training, and professional development opportunities.

Tara Munis, general manager of PRCA SEA, said, “The launch of PRCA Vietnam and PRCA Thailand is an exciting chapter in our growth across the region. The PR industry has a very important role to play in helping companies not only say the right thing but more importantly, to counsel businesses on doing the right thing in what is a complex world. PRCA’s mission is to deliver world-class support and representation to PR professionals across the world. Among our priorities is to ensure the business community understands how vital PR is to succeed in today’s marketplace. Today’s news brings us one step closer towards that goal.”

Duy Ly, head of external relations at EloQ Communications MPRCA, said that as the first Vietnamese agency to join PRCA, and now a founding member of PRCA Vietnam, EloQ Communications understands the importance of having a professional body to grow and move forward together.

“We continue to spread this spirit to other local agencies. We hope that PRCA Vietnam will bring PRCA’s global standards and training closer to Vietnamese PR practitioners through localized materials and events, access to universal PR ethics, knowledge, and practices to the local professionals while overcoming the language barrier. We have no doubt that PRCA Vietnam will contribute great values to leverage Vietnam’s PR industry to a higher standard than we are now,” Ly said.

Singapore – GosuGamers, a portal for esports information, has announced that it now has a domain in Southeast Asia market Vietnam. The recent expansion, which is part of its growth and future plans, also included Thailand and India. 

The move is being supported with new appointments to provide even more expertise for the publication. Hung Do Viet, the general secretary of the Vietnam National Esports Federation, is now part of the Vietnam team as an advisor, while Thong Kai Xuan, a media industry veteran, will operate as the group’s chief operating officer.

“We have been monitoring the region’s interests in esports for a while now, and this latest move makes perfect sense for us as an organisation and for the many fans that are looking for refreshing and quality content,” explains Samson Oh, CEO of GosuGamers.

The digital media said that with the emergence of esports as an important pillar of content in Southeast Asia, especially with India becoming the global leader for mobile games downloads, it looks to provide relevant and localised esports content for said markets with the help of global and local partners.

“Localised content will speak to our audience and relate to them. It is vital to put the interests of our audience at the heart of our content, not just in the region, but also globally,” shared Kai Xuan.

In addition to the latest esports updates and extensive tournament coverage across various popular esports titles such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant, and League of Legends, the organisation also leverages data to provide GG (GosuGamers) Live Stats, an innovative feature where users are able to view heat maps and real-time predictions during live tournaments.

The team said it hopes to build on its growing audience by reaching at least 50 million fans by 2023, starting with the three new regions.

Hanoi, Vietnam — Southeast Asian data-driven loyalty platform Society Pass Incorporated, also known as SoPa, announced its buyout of Dream Space Trading Company, the operator of Handycart, an online grocery delivery service based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Dream Space will be integrated into SoPa’s F&B delivery vertical with SoPa’s existing merchant software platform HOTTAB.

In addition to the buyout, Handycart Founder and CEO Seo Jun Ho have been named head of the new business unit, managing both Handycart and #HOTTAB in Vietnam.

Handycart, founded recently in 2019, is an online grocery delivery app with its own fleet of delivery vehicles that focuses on the Korean restaurant market and F&B sector in Hanoi. Vietnam has embraced the ‘Korean Wave’; a recent survey by market research firm Q&Me found that 58 per cent of Vietnamese favour Korean cuisine.

Ngo Thi Cham, country general manager of SoPa Vietnam, commented on the strategic step, saying that they are excited to welcome Handycart to the larger SoPa ecosystem which will enable it to harness integrated marketing and technology proposition while also strengthening its collective senior management resources.

“We endeavour to combine the robust technology and operational efficiency of a speciality e-commerce brand like Handycart with our brand-building experience. SoPa has witnessed, with our runaway success of Leflair, in Vietnam, that this move will lead to immediate returns in terms of cost optimization and increased revenue generation. We are determined to increase merchant coverage to 500 restaurants in Hanoi by the end of 2022 and look to expand to HCMC in 3Q 2022​,” Cham said.

With Handycart leveraging on SoPa’s integrated technology platform to drive operational efficiencies and business performance, the platform will focus on increasing on-demand grocery shopping services to more consumers in the country, while empowering speciality F&B restaurants to transform business models and further increase reach in online markets.

Seo Jun Ho, CEO of Handycart, said, “Handycart was established in 2019 with a mission of connecting Korean patrons seeking a taste of home through its established network of authentic Korean restaurants right here in Vietnam. Providing businesses with speedy access to authentic Korean products has helped us gather a loyal user base of over 3000 with more than 26,000 orders in 2021 alone. SoPa will now be able to accelerate Handycart’s growth given our well-established positioning as a go-to online grocery delivery service. Partnership with Society Pass will enable us to unlock growth opportunities within the industry and I am glad that Handycart can now avail itself of SoPa’s synergistic ecosystem.”

Vietnam has been one of the fastest-growing economies within SEA over the past two decades. The country’s e-commerce is growing tremendously, valued at 13.2b USD; it is expected to grow steadily from 2021 until 2025.

Recently, SoPa entered the Philippine market with its acquisition of Pushkart.ph as the loyalty platform is an acquisition focused e-commerce holding company with focuses in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.