Eight Tips for Successful Sustainable Branding in Vietnam

Companies that have just entered or are planning to start a new business in Vietnam must first brand their products and services in order to make their products and services known.

However, while many companies wish to “create sustainable branding that matches the Vietnamese market,” in reality, the branding measures that are mainly implemented in Vietnam are mostly offer-type campaigns such as discounts and gifts, and it is not common to see companies other than the major ones that are able to create full-fledged branding.

In addition, the quality of design offered in Vietnam is still in its infancy, and many people may have a hard time finding an outsourcing company that can provide comprehensive branding support.

In this article, we introduce the “eight tips to successful sustainable branding in Vietnam” as practiced by ALIVE Vietnam.

By reading this article, you will be able to easily develop your own branding strategy and know what to look for when choosing a design company, marketing agency, or other outsourcing company.
Please read to the end.

 

Let’s look at each of the seven secrets in turn.

1. High Quality of Design

First of all, in order to make people aware of the brand of one’s products and services, it is of course a prerequisite that the design quality of marketing tools and promotional materials is high.

The quality of design is not only about making something look stylish and attractive, but also about readability, ease of understanding, and ease of use for websites and web services.

Here are some specific examples of points that affect design quality.

• Are the images and color schemes used consistent with the brand concept?

• Is the layout and information design intuitive and easy to understand?

• Are the margins and line spacing appropriate for easy reading of information?

• No unnecessary elements or decorations

 

Humans have an instinctive habit of being attracted to things that they find beautiful and orderly.

Therefore, in establishing branding, the pursuit of design quality with attention to detail as described above is one of the most important points to focus on.

Please also see our separate article on the definition of good design for more details.

>> What is “Excellent UI/UX Design”? An easy-to-understand explanation for beginners

 

2. Consistency of Design in Promotional Tools

In branding, a variety of promotional tools such as websites, social media, catalogs, flyers, and novelties are utilized, and it is important to have a consistent design concept for each tool in order for consumers to correctly recognize the brand.

This is because if each promotional tool has a different design taste and tone and manner, consumers will have a hard time intuitively recognizing the same brand.

However, we frequently see cases where the taste of Vietnamese design differs considerably from one media to another.

There are two possible reasons for this.

• Few companies in Vietnam have detailed design guidelines and rules
• Different designers are assigned to each promotional item, and differences in individual skills and characteristics are reflected in the design

 

To achieve a sustainable and consumer-supported brand in Vietnam, it is recommended that solid design guidelines be agreed upon and that the same design company is hired as much as possible.

Not all promotional materials are created at the same time, so there may be a different designer for each promotional material.

Nevertheless, design consistency can be maintained if you work with a reliable design company that can help you establish design guidelines and follow them closely.

 

3. Expression Should Be Easy to Understand

Commercials and promotional videos in Vietnam often use clear and direct presentation.

Although the taste varies depending on the product, such as cute, cool, emotional, or comical, they all share the same point of being flashy and easy to understand.

We believe this is because of the following backgrounds in the Vietnamese market.

• High affinity for Korean culture such as K-POP and Korean cosmetics

• There is a culture that values family

• The Vietnamese market still has a strong mass marketing mindset

 

Due to these backgrounds, images and videos used for promotions tend to be supported by productions that leave a lasting impact. A simple example of this is the production of Korean dramas.

From our experience, it seems to us that productions that make viewers think about the answers in a Japanese sense, or that imply a message, are not well received in Vietnam.

As an example, here are a few promotional videos of Vietnamese companies.

 

Grab Food Vietnam（Food delivery service）　

PNJ (Jewelry brand)

VIN FAST (Automobile manufacturer)

While the videos of global companies that have expanded into Vietnam, such as those mentioned above, and major local companies are of fairly high quality, there are many promotional videos made on a low budget that are not of high quality, with only flashy productions standing out.

It is not worthwhile if the message of the content is not conveyed because of the showiness of the content, so the eight tips in this article need to be balanced. However, a high-impact presentation that sticks in the consumer’s mind can be a major weapon in improving brand image.

 

4. Highlighting the Uniqueness of the Brand

It is important to have a uniqueness that only your company can have in order to create a sustainable branding initiative. This is because in a marketplace where similar competing products and services are in abundance, that uniqueness is what gives people a reason to choose your brand.

Here are some examples of the uniqueness that you can bring to your brand.

• Some of the functions and performance are superior to other brands

• Cost effectiveness is superior to other brands

• Customer support and after-sales service are superior to others

• Has a social contribution and brand concept that other brands do not have

 

As more consumers identify with the uniqueness described above, the brand’s image will improve and sustainable branding will be more likely to be achieved.

However, it is quite possible that these uniquenesses will become obsolete due to changes in the market environment and consumer tastes, so it is necessary to strive to constantly update them in a flexible manner.

 

5. Clarifying the Benefits to Be Gained by Users

In order to sustain brand value, the benefits that the brand provides to consumers must always be clear.

The reason for this is that consumers buy goods and services to solve their problems or satisfy their needs.

In the marketing world, there is a famous phrase, “To sell a drill, sell a hole.” Consumers are not looking for the product itself, but for “benefits” by means of the product.

Using an analogy with other products, we can see that in addition to functionality, the pursuit of profit and satisfying needs for approval can also be considered “benefits”.

• Buying cute clothes and going to the hairdresser = Making yourself cute and loved

• Buying a high-spec smartphone = Uploading more beautiful photos and videos to social media than others

• Buying rare, high-brand products = Showing off the high status
• Creating well-designed promotional materials = Getting more customers more efficiently

 

The criteria by which consumers judge a brand’s value always include whether it is highly beneficial.

Therefore, always make sure to clarify and correctly communicate to consumers what benefits they will receive by purchasing the brand.

 

6. Raising Awareness

Maintaining high brand awareness is also important to the success of sustainable branding.

No matter how good a brand is, if consumers do not know it exists, they will not buy it. Of course, it is a prerequisite that the brand has uniqueness and clear benefits, but by increasing awareness of the brand, the value of the brand will become higher and higher.

Specific measures to increase brand awareness include PR, mass advertising, web advertising, social media, and various other methods. Sponsoring events, exhibition halls, sports organizations, etc. is another way.

It is very important to properly deliver the brand and its value to the unengaged customer base that really wants the brand, depending on the size of the budget.

 

7. Value Existing Customers

In Vietnam, resources for marketing activities are limited in some cases, and it is common to focus only on acquiring new customers, but following up with existing customers is also an important factor in sustaining brand value.

The 80:20 Law (Pareto’s Law) is frequently heard in the marketing industry. This is the theory that 80% of all sales are made up of 20% of the best customers.

In other words, the key to continuously increasing brand value is to increase the number of good customers who will stick with the brand for a long time by providing generous support toward existing customers.

 

8. Incorporating Customer Feedback and Making Repeated Improvements

In some cases, brands lose their value over time.

Even if the originality and benefits of a brand were superior to those of other brands at one time, over time, other brands may improve their products and promotional methods, and the next thing you know, the competing brand is superior in terms of originality and benefits. This can happen.

To prevent this from happening, it is effective to obtain feedback from existing customers who actually patronize the company’s brand and use it for improvement.

Insiders on the brand provider side are often drawn to stereotypes within the organization and are surprisingly unable to evaluate their own brand objectively.

By eliciting honest evaluations from actual consumers, there is a greater likelihood that brand problems and differences from competing brands will be objectively revealed.

By taking the feedback of existing customers seriously and repeatedly improving the brand to meet their needs, it is possible to build a brand that will be loved for a long time.

 

Summary

What do you think about the “Eight Secrets to Successful and Sustainable Branding in Vietnam”?

It is important to apply these eight tips in an overall balanced manner, rather than concentrating on just one of them.

If your company is looking to strengthen its branding, please use these eight tips as a checklist. You may find issues in your current measures.

 

We at ALIVE Vietnam can propose a logical branding plan that addresses these points.

In addition to well-reasoned strategic design, we have a proven track record of supporting the branding of numerous companies through our advanced design capabilities.

 

“We want to build a brand that will be loved in Vietnam for a long time.”

If you are a company that thinks so, please contact ALIVE Vietnam for a consultation.

We will propose the best plan in line with your company’s current issues and needs.

 

Thank you for reading to the end.

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