360 vision to find local digital opportunities

December 07, 2010 | 20:32
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Social media marketing has emerged as a fashionable channel to drive business impacts.

John Stauffer, regional 3600 digital influence strategist director of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, discusses the impact of modern communication tools and how to leverage them to reach the target audiences and enhance the brands.

The social media marketing concept is still new for Vietnam. How will this concept impact on branding and marketing of local businesses in the near future?

The world has changed. Today’s newspaper is social media. Everyone from mums to teenagers to office young professionals potentially can be a news editor, a blogger, an independent and powerful voice with hundreds or thousands supporters and followers.

These consumers are expressing individual opinions, sharing experiences and transforming the very fabric of the online communication and social network across the globe and even in Vietnam. Social media is not a hot phenomenon that can be merely interpreted as opening a Facebook fanpage or creating a group in ZingMe. Social media represents a fundamental consumer behaviour shift requiring companies and brands to change execute marketing communications.

Does Vietnam’s current social media development match to allow absorbing this new concept of marketing and branding?

Vietnam’s social media landscape is diverse and exciting. The country is undoubtedly one of Asia’s fastest growing economies and has a young population. I believe Vietnam is at the fascinating intersection of a developing nation whereby Vietnamese netizens can come online at a breakneck speech with incredible results, more people are accessing the internet from home and 3G seems to be one of the main drivers of internet usage.

Social media has already taken off in Vietnam, taking mobile growth for example. We saw a growth of more than 800 per cent last year, reaching a total of 110 million mobile subscribers in early 2010. The growth rate tops nine countries in Southeast Asia with a penetration rate of 120 per cent. Integrating social media into the marketing and communications functions implies a deep transformation not just of marketing but also customer services, product development, and event the way companies benchmark success.

In the extent of the local business community, will Vietnamese businesses be ready to this new marketing channel?

We feel this is true because our research suggests that peer reviews and recommendations are the most important factor in purchasing and sales. Our social media programmes are designed to drive word of mouth online which fuels those brand perceptions. 

We base on programmes on user research so we know we are designing programmes that align with consumer behaviour. I think different areas of business have adopted social media at various levels. Consumer and small businesses tend to have an easier time using social media give personality to a brand.   Many corporate clients use social media as a way to listen  to the conversation to gain product development, marketing insight or to manage a crisis.

At Ogilvy, we have a methodology for identifying and engaging influencers - important bloggers, online community members, traditional influencers and a new breed of influencer that looks like you and me. By creating engaging experiences and inviting influencers and networks to participate in a way they find valuable, we can amplify the most trusted form of communication today - word of mouth.

With the combined supply and demand factors as you have mentioned, is it true that social media marketing will successfully work in Vietnam?

Social media in Vietnam is not longer something we foresee in the future, but it is happening right now. Brands and organisations who choose not to participate in this new change is truly missing out, lagging behind consumers. Brands and organisations should be aware that consumers are already discussing, sharing, exchanging opinions and experiences they have and will continue to do so. Therefore, the businesses and organisations of tomorrow will start by asking how they can engage their customers, involve them in co-creation, and invite them in as brand owners not simply consumers. Customer-driven and network-enabled innovation will challenge the inward-focus of most Vietnamese organisations. Vietnamese companies and brands that endure change and do not pretend to control the future are more relevant. And inviting the customer or constituent into a conversation versus finding new ways to shove messages down their throat will be the brand-building dynamic of tomorrow.

vir

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