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FROM TABLE TO SOUL: HOW FISH SAUCE WEAVES THE FABRIC OF VIETNAMESE LIFE

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FROM TABLE TO SOUL: HOW FISH SAUCE WEAVES THE FABRIC OF VIETNAMESE LIFE

Imagine walking into a Vietnamese home at mealtime. The air is rich with the scent of steaming rice, fragrant herbs, and sizzling meat. And then, at the centre of the table rests a small, unassuming bowl of fish sauce – a silent conductor, orchestrating harmony between flavours, family, and tradition.

The Heartbeat of the Vietnamese Table

In Vietnam, fish sauce isn’t just a seasoning, it’s a symbol of togetherness. It graces nearly every meal, drawing people closer with every shared dip. At a multigenerational home in Huế, our research team witnessed this cultural cornerstone in action. As lunch was served, the grandmother carefully placed a bowl of fish sauce with sliced chilli in the middle of the tray. “Without this,” she said, “our meal feels incomplete.”

Her children and grandchildren instinctively reached for it, dipping pieces of boiled vegetables and fish before taking their first bite. Even the youngest – a five-year-old – was already learning the art of dipping with care, ensuring the sauce stayed clean for everyone. It was a small act, but one filled with meaning: a lesson in sharing, mindfulness, and respect, all carried through a simple condiment.

Westerners might squirm at the idea of a communal fish sauce bowl. In cultures that prize individual portions, the thought of dipping into the same sauce might raise eyebrows. But in Việt Nam, it’s a sacred ritual – one that dissolves boundaries between young and old, host and guest, rich and poor. A single bowl of fish sauce turns a meal into a moment of connection.

And beyond its social function, fish sauce is the ultimate culinary chameleon. It dances effortlessly with everything from grilled meats to fresh vegetables, from tofu to seafood. Even when times were hard, a humble bowl of rice and fish sauce was enough to nourish both body and soul. As an elderly woman in the Mekong Delta reminisced, “We might not have had much, but we had fish sauce.”

The Savouring Affection

Fish sauce doesn’t just feed bellies, it flavours the language, too. Its enduring depth, much like human affection, has inspired countless proverbs and verses.

One famous folk saying compares love to the steadfast nature of fish sauce:

“Nước mắm mặn ba năm còn mặn

Gừng già cay chín tháng còn cay

Hai đứa ta thương nhau thiên hạ đều hay.”

(Just like fish sauce remains salty and ginger keeps its spice over time, love endures through the years.)

During an interview in a northern village, an elderly couple giggled as they recited the verse, “My husband used to whisper this to me when we were young,” the wife said with a twinkle in her eye. The husband grinned and added, “And like good fish sauce, our love has only got stronger with age!”

Another popular phrase, “cơm rau mắm” (rice, vegetables, and fish sauce), harks back to a time when meals were simple but shared with warmth. Originally a humble invitation to a modest meal, the saying endures today, reflecting the Vietnamese spirit of generosity and hospitality. Even in modern times, the phrase is used out of habit, often as an expression of sincere invitation whether the meal is simple or lavish.

The Silent Artisans of Vietnamese Cuisine

For some homemakers, fish sauce is an art form, a family secret that transforms even the simplest dish into something extraordinary. On a trip to a small fishing village along the coast of Phan Thiết, we met Grandma Lan, who makes her own fish sauce for over four decades. With a knowing smile, she invited us into her kitchen. She opened a small pot and drizzled a few drops of the amber liquid over a bowl of hot white rice and water spinach, “Try it.”

The flavours bloomed instantly – delicate, deep, smoothly rich. A bowl of rice and vegetable, kissed with just the right balance of salty, sweet, and umami, unfolded into a symphony of taste. No fancy dish was needed, just nature’s bounty and the magic of perfectly made fish sauce.

In another home, we met a young woman, Mai, who had adapted her grandmother’s recipe by infusing her fish sauce with charred garlic and a touch of palm sugar, “My children refuse to eat boiled eggs unless they can dip them in this,” she laughed, “It makes even the simplest food special.”

Every household we visited had its own variation, its own secret to unlocking the full potential of fish sauce. And yet, the common thread was always the same: love, patience, and the understanding that food isn’t just about sustenance – it’s about soul.

A Thread That Won’t Snap

Modern life nibbles at tradition. The communal bowl of fish sauce may no longer hold the same central place at every modern Vietnamese dining table, but its spirit lives on. Whether in a countryside home or a sleek urban flat, fish sauce remains an unshakeable pillar of Vietnamese culture. Why? Because fish sauce isn’t just a condiment. It’s memory. It is the invisible thread that connects past to present, the bridge between generations, the silent witness to countless family stories.

So, the next time you dip into a bowl of fish sauce, know that you are partaking in something far greater than a mere condiment. You’re not just eating. You’re tasting history, tradition, and the very soul of Việt Nam.

Làn Da Không Nói Dối: Khi Dữ Liệu Hành Vi Trở Thành Vũ Khí Cạnh Tranh

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Làn Da Không Nói Dối: Khi Dữ Liệu Hành Vi Trở Thành Vũ Khí Cạnh Tranh

Mỗi năm, “người chơi hệ skincare” tại thị trường Việt Nam liên tục được tiếp cận với hơn 5 xu hướng làm đẹp mới. Những xu hướng này không chỉ đến từ các cộng đồng yêu làm đẹp và influencers, mà còn được dẫn dắt bởi các thương hiệu khi họ tung ra loạt sản phẩm chính ngạch tích hợp công nghệ và cải tiến mới vào thị trường.

Trong bối cảnh bị bao vây bởi làn sóng thông tin, sản phẩm và truyền thông dày đặc như hiện nay, câu hỏi đặt ra là: Người tiêu dùng thực sự đang mong đợi điều gì từ một thương hiệu mỹ phẩm? Và đâu là yếu tố khiến họ lựa chọn và trung thành với một sản phẩm?

3 insights sau đây sẽ giúp các thương hiệu vén màn cách suy nghĩ và hành vi của người  dùng, để luôn nổi bật trong tâm trí họ:

1. Chi tiêu không còn là rào cản, mà thể hiện kỳ vọng: Hiệu quả minh chứng giá trị đầu tư cho làn da

Dựa trên quan sát của Fusion One, người dùng muốn đổi sang một thương hiệu chăm sóc da mới để tìm kiếm những tác động rõ rệt hơn trên làn da. Tuy nhiên, họ vẫn gặp rào cản về giá hoặc thiếu thông tin thuyết phục để đưa ra quyết định chuyển đổi. Khi được hỏi về mức sẵn sàng chi trả tối đa cho một sản phẩm treatment giúp cải thiện tình trạng da, con số này thậm chí lên đến 1.5 lần trên giá sản phẩm họ đang dùng. Điều này khẳng định rằng: kỳ vọng có cơ sở tin tưởng về hiệu quả rõ rệt có thể trở thành yếu tố thúc đẩy người dùng vượt qua rào cản giá cả.

Đây sẽ là cơ hội cho các nhãn hàng gia tăng khả năng lựa chọn và sở hữu thêm những KOC tự nguyện từ chính người dùng, nếu cam kết được khoản “đầu tư” này có kết quả hoàn toàn xứng đáng – với ROI là làn da cải thiện và đạt được “trạng thái hài lòng”.

2. Im Lặng Rời Đi – Lý Do Người Dùng Không Phàn Nàn Nhưng Vẫn Từ Bỏ Thương Hiệu?

Quan sát trên nhiều ngành hàng chăm sóc da khác nhau, mỗi ngành hàng đều đang sở hữu trung bình trên 3 yếu tố tạo nên sự khác biệt (Differentiators). Nhưng nghịch lý nằm ở chỗ: người dùng không thấy quá nhiều sự khác biệt giữa sản phẩm của các thương hiệu với nhau (Product associations). Ví dụ như chống nắng phổ rộng (UVA/UVB) trong kem chống nắng hay AHA trong tinh chất trị mụn, hiện nay đã trở nên phổ biến và không còn tạo nên sự khác biệt duy nhất cho bất kỳ thương hiệu nào. Khi thị trường đã phân mảnh hơn trước, người dùng đòi hỏi những yếu tố khác biệt chi tiết (Specific differentiators) được thể hiện rõ ràng và thuyết phục hơn (ví dụ công nghệ độc quyền X ngăn được tất cả các bước sóng của tia UVA, bao gồm UVA1 và UVA2), thế chỗ cho những yếu tố khác biệt tổng thể trước đó (Generic differentiators).

Chính điều này lý giải vì sao không ít thương hiệu đánh mất người dùng trong im lặng – khi họ rời đi mà không hề có bất kỳ phàn nàn. Từ dữ liệu đào sâu của Fusion One, họ đơn giản là chịu sự tác động của WOM (tiếp thị truyền miệng) và muốn trải nghiệm sản phẩm với công nghệ tiên tiến hơn, cho đến khi họ cảm thấy hài lòng và cho rằng sản phẩm đã phù hợp với làn da. Để tiến đến trạng thái hài lòng này, nhìn chung có 2 chân dung người dùng: một là những người luôn không thỏa mãn và hai là những người tạm hài lòng và sẽ tiếp tục tìm kiếm.

Trước những đòi hỏi và nhu cầu “không ngừng nghỉ” kể trên, nhiệm vụ đặt ra cho nhãn hàng là luôn cải tiến và khác biệt để giữ chân khách hàng. Triết lý “Đối thủ đáng gờm nhất nhiều khi lại là bản thân ta” rất cần được thừa nhận và áp dụng trong bối cảnh này.

 

3. Tái Định Nghĩa KOC Reviews: Từ Lối Mòn Đến Chiến Lược Thương Hiệu

Dẫn dắt xu hướng làm đẹp, tác động đến hành vi mua của người dùng hay truyền tải các thông điệp của thương hiệu,… từ lâu đã trở thành những vai trò được công nhận của KOCs trong thị trường làm đẹp. Hãy cùng Fusion One làm một phép so sánh thú vị về trải nghiệm sản phẩm của KOCs và phần còn lại của thị trường người dùng.

Đa phần các reviews sản phẩm bởi KOCs đang đi theo một khuôn mẫu nhất định: từ ngoài (thương hiệu, bao bì, bảng thành phần,…) vào trong (mùi hương, màu, kết cấu,…) và sau khi dùng trên da (cảm giác ban đầu, hiệu quả trong X ngày, giá, có mua lại hay không,…). Tuy nhiên từ số đông người dùng, không phải sản phẩm nào cũng áp dụng trình tự cân nhắc nhu cầu như thế. Khi phân tích sâu hành vi lựa chọn, họ không muốn mất thời gian cho các chi tiết ngoài lề (Peripherals hoặc Qualifiers) mà cần tập trung vào những yếu tố tạo nên sự vượt trội và khác biệt về sản phẩm.

Chung quy lại, truyền thông KOC đang cần một cách thức tiếp cận sáng tạo và đột phá hơn để cuốn hút người tiêu dùng: nhấn mạnh những yếu tố vượt trội (Motivators) để thương hiệu được cân nhắc nhiều hơn và yếu tố khác biệt (Differentitators) để thương hiệu tạo ấn tượng mạnh mẽ.

____________________________________________________

Skin Doesn’t Lie: When Behavioral Data Becomes a Competitive Weapon

Every year, skincare-interested people in the Vietnam market are continuously exposed to more than 5 new beauty trends. These trends not only come from beauty-loving communities and influencers, but are also led by brands when they launch a series of genuine products integrating new technology and innovations into the market.

In the context of being surrounded by a dense wave of information, products and media like today, the question is: What do consumers really expect from a cosmetic brand? And what are the factors that make them choose and be loyal to a product?

The following 3 insights will help brands uncover the way users think and behave, to always stand out in their minds:

1. Spending is no longer a barrier, but an expectation: Effectiveness proves the value of investing in skin

Based on Fusion One’s observations, users wanted to switch to a new skin care brand to seek more visible effects on their skin. However, they still face price barriers or lack convincing information to make the decision to switch. When asked about the maximum level of willingness to pay for a treatment product that helps improve skin condition, this number is even up to 1.5 times the price of the product they are using. This confirms that: a well-founded expectation of significant effectiveness can become a factor motivating users to overcome price barriers.

This will be an opportunity for brands to increase their ability to choose and own more voluntary KOCs from users themselves, if they commit to this “investment” with completely worthy results – with ROI being improved skin and achieving “satisfaction state”.

2. Silently Leaving – Why Users Don’t Complain But Still Abandon Brands?

Observing many different skin care industries, each industry currently owns an average of 3 Differentiators. But the paradox is: users do not see much difference between products of brands (Product associations). For example, broad-spectrum sunscreen (UVA/UVB) in sunscreen or AHA in acne treatment serum, have now become popular and no longer create a unique difference for any brand. As the market becomes more fragmented, users demand more clearly and convincingly expressed Specific differentiators (for example, exclusive technology X blocks all wavelengths of UVA rays, including UVA1 and UVA2), replacing the previous Generic differentiators.

This explains why many brands lose users silently – when they leave without any complaints. From Fusion One’s deep data, they are simply influenced by WOM (Word of mouth) and want to experience products with more advanced technology, until they feel satisfied and think the product is suitable for their skin. To reach this state of satisfaction, there are generally 2 user portraits: one is those who are always dissatisfied and the other is those who are temporarily satisfied and will continue to search.

Faced with the above “unceasing” demands and needs, the task for brands is to always improve and differentiate to retain customers. The philosophy “The most formidable opponent is often ourselves” needs to be recognized and applied in this context.

3. Redefining KOC Reviews: From Old Paths to Brand Strategy

Leading beauty trends, influencing consumer buying behavior, or conveying brand messages, etc. have long been recognized roles of KOCs in the beauty market. Let’s join Fusion One in making an interesting comparison between KOC’s product experience and the rest of the consumer market.

Most product reviews by KOCs follow a certain pattern: from the outside (brand, packaging, ingredient list, etc.) to the inside (scent, color, texture, etc.) and after use on the skin (initial feeling, effectiveness in X days, price, whether to repurchase or not, etc.). However, from the majority of users, not all products apply this need-consideration sequence. When analyzing the choice behavior in depth, they do not want to waste time on Peripherals (or even Qualifiers) but need to focus on the factors that create superiority and difference in the product.

In short, communication with KOCs is in need of a more creative and innovative approach to attract consumers: emphasizing Superior factors (Motivators) to make the brand more considered and Differentiators to make the brand create a strong impression.

Khám phá những insight đắt giá ở nhiều ngành hàng từ 2 research guru

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Vietcetera

Khách mời 1: Anh Bình Nguyễn – Chairman, Founding Partner, and Chief Customer Officer, Fusion One; Elite Empower.

Khách mời 2: Anh Nguyễn Tiến Vượng – Chief Business Consultant – Business Development, Fusion One; former Head of CMI, Masan Consumer; Elite Empower.

Host: Kiều Thiên Vân – Associate Strategy & Creative Director, Dentsu Redder, Eliter Season 3.

Khác với tại agency hay người nội bộ thuộc client, những người làm nghiên cứu thị trường có thể coi là tiếng nói khách quan nhất cho người tiêu dùng mà không chịu ảnh hưởng bởi ý kiến cá nhân mang tính chủ quan nào.

Với gần 20 năm kinh nghiệm hành nghề trong lĩnh vực nghiên cứu thị trường, cả anh Bình và anh Vượng đều hiểu rất rõ tầm quan trọng của insight cũng như hai anh có khả năng thấy những điều người khác không thấy và làm thế nào để có thể kết nối, cô đọng các dữ liệu thô, những câu chuyện chia sẻ vu vơ để trở thành một lợi thế cạnh tranh cho thương hiệu. Từ đó giúp người tiêu dùng vượt qua được nỗi sợ, những khó khăn để có một cuộc sống tốt đẹp hơn.

Hành trình mua nhà trong phát triển dự án và quản trị thương hiệu

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??????? bất động sản Am hiểu hành trình mua nhà trong phát triển dự án & quản trị thương hiệu

Link đăng kí miễn phí: https://brvn.net/webinar21

Tham gia webinar, nhân sự phòng Marketing, Sales & Research của Chủ đầu tư BĐS sẽ “thấu hiểu” hành trình mua nhà để quản trị danh tiếng thương hiệu, phát triển dự án và tổ chức các hoạt động tiếp thị có ảnh hưởng lên quyết định mua của khách hàng. Cụ thể:

  • Chủ đầu tư BĐS cần quan tâm những mối bận tâm nào, trăn trở nào trong hành trình mua nhà của khách hàng (gồm 5 giai đoạn) để tăng tỉ lệ mua của họ?
  • Mô hình và bộ chỉ số giúp theo dõi & quản lý danh tiếng thương hiệu được các chủ đầu tư dự án bất động sản hàng đầu Việt Nam áp dụng? 
  • Các nhu cầu chính cần nghiên cứu giúp chủ đầu tư phát triển dự án, định vị truyền thông, tìm hiểu insights về khẩu vị đầu tư/rủi ro trong ra quyết định mua nhà? 
  • Các hoạt động truyền thông nổi bật của các thương hiệu đầu ngành trong mùa dịch và có xu hướng tiếp tục được duy trì sau dịch? 

Với sự tham gia của diễn giả:

– Speaker: Ms. Mai Cẩm Linh, Business Development Director, YouNet Media

– Speaker: Mr. Nguyễn Tiến Vượng, Chief Executive Officer, Fusion One

– Moderator: Ms. Võ Thị Mỹ Hạnh – Business Development Supervisor, YouNet Media

Chương trình phù hợp với: Brand Team, Marketing & Sales Team, PR & Communications Team, Research Team thuộc các Công ty, Tập đoàn và Sàn giao dịch BĐS

Quà tặng sau khi tham dự sự kiện: Gift Package chia sẻ các Case study giúp xây dựng thương hiệu và truyền thông tổng thể các giai đoạn trong quá trình mở bán từ Đối tác hỗ trợ truyền thông Time Universal.

THÔNG TIN CHƯƠNG TRÌNH

– Thời gian tổ chức: ??:?? ?? , ngày 20/11/2021 (Thứ Bảy)

– Nền tảng: Airmeet

Link đăng ký MIỄN PHÍ:  https://brvn.net/webinar21

Lưu ý: Chúng tôi sẽ gửi email xác nhận kèm link tham dự sự kiện trong vòng 10 phút sau khi bạn hoàn tất đăng ký. Vui lòng kiểm tra cả hộp thư “Quảng cáo” hoặc “Tất cả thư” để không bỏ lỡ thông tin từ Ban tổ chức.

Đơn vị tổ chức: 

  • YouNet Media – Công ty dẫn đầu về Nền tảng và Dịch vụ phân tích dữ liệu mạng xã hội (Social Analytics)
  • Fusion One – Đơn vị tư vấn và nghiên cứu thị trường tại Việt Nam tiên phong sử dụng nhuần nhuyễn phương pháp nghiên cứu tiên tiến trên thế giới kết hợp với những insight mang đậm chất địa phương nhằm mang lại những giải pháp chiến lược nhiều giá trị cho khách hàng.
  • Brandsvietnam. 

Đối tác hỗ trợ truyền thông: Time Universal – Agency truyền thông đa lĩnh vực với 16 năm kinh nghiệm làm việc cùng hơn 5,000 khách hàng cả trong nước và quốc tế.  

#younetmedia #fusionone #brandsvietnam #timeuniversal #webinarBatdongsan #real-estate #batdongsan #webinar

 

 

Qualitative Marketing Research Executive

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Role: Qualitative Marketing Research Executive

Department: Research – Consumers Insight

Location: 122 Dien Bien Phu Street, DaKao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (on-site from 11/2021)

Job Description:

  • Project Management: handle daily all key steps of research from: logistics, recruitment brief, coordinate with cross-functions, client engagement and other project-related tasks
  • Research and understand client brief and turn into proposal that meet client’s expectations.
  • Analysis and Reporting: Involve and assist Senior levels to write DG/ queries, and reports (needs to be accurate (data, base, questions), comprehensive comments on each slide, consistent look and feel, calls out key findings; But needs revision on Exec Summary, Recommendations, and Story flow)
  • Other tasks: take note and ensure all key findings to be well-covered during FGDs/ IDIs.., and other research methodologies. Help prepare in visualization and preso desk

Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Economics…
  • Good analytical skills and communications skills.
  • Passion to work with consumers to analyze deep consumers’ behaviors insights.
  • Fluent English in both verbal and written.

Salary: Negotiable

For those candidates who are interested in these vacancies, please send your CV to: hr@fusionone.vn  with email subject: “Application to Research Executive

Expiry date: No limitations

Website of Fusion one: https://fusionone.vn/

Research Trainee

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 Role: Research Trainee

Location: 122 Dien Bien Phu Street, DaKao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Job Description:

  • Support Manager/Senior Research Executive/Research to ensure prompt delivery of service to the responsible clients including Project management, project preparation, report delivery/presentation.
  • Provide value-added analysis and response to special requests
  • Manage data quality issues by overseeing data inquiry process
  • Support logistics preparation and take notes during the Focus Groups or In-Depth Interviews and work on the report delivered to clients
  • Recommend improvements in work processes within area of responsibility
  • Maintain an accurate and up-to-date knowledge on research techniques and applications

Requirements:

  • Freshly graduated/senior students from universities, orienting in developing a career in research & innovation or marketing or business consultant
  • Have knowledge about qualitative research or market research
  • Good interpersonal skills, analysis skills, project management skills
  • Have interest in and ability to understand people’s psychology
  • Enjoy interaction with different people
  • Excellent in handling multi tasks, good ability to work under high pressure
  • English is required, fluent in speaking and writing
  • Working full time/ part time (Negotiable)

Salary: Negotiable

For those candidates who are interested in these vacancies, please send your CV to: hr@fusionone.vn  with email subject: “Application to Research Trainee”

Expiry date: No limitations

Website of Fusion one: https://fusionone.vn/

Vietnamese young women: Stranded mermaids

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Standing a chance to talk to thousands of Vietnamese women across age range each year, we discovered loads of interesting things, particularly regarding the mindsets of women aged 26-34. In this stage, Vietnamese women would usually become wives, mothers while are still seeking career achievements.

FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT. COMPLETELY A MODERN MOM. HAVE HER OWN VOICE.

The connected world gives people the opportunity to get access to diverse life perspectives from different cultures. Countless lessons learned and freely preached expand from smallest things in life to bigger plans like career development. In just a few taps on the phone or a mouse click on the computer screen, all the knowledge can be displayed in front of their eyes.

Without being left outside the information vortex, the doors of freedom seem to be larger than ever for young Vietnamese women. They still understand and are willing to take on the role of a mother, a wife in addition to constantly speaking their own voice. They aspire to assert themselves from being financial independence to forming clear parenting style and family care.

PROGRESSIVE. ALWAYS HEADS TO THE POSITIVES.

Progressive and looking forward to a better tomorrow are strong characteristics of young Vietnamese women. As interacting with them, we will be told hundreds of stories about their continuous process of searching for information, finding proof for their choice or negotiating with mixed opinions that can sometimes be a little stubborn to protect their point of view.

In all their stories, a positive and forward-looking look and a “there will be a solution” is always clearly visible.

STUCK IN THE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE-NESS TRAP. NEED A SOULMATE.

They do not lack solutions. Instead, there are mainly two things they are craving for, time and cheerleading companions, which cannot be brought to them by the world of information.

Everyone has the same 24 hours a day, and Vietnamese women seem to be struggling on their own path of pursuing the perfect independence. So far at this point, we see that progressiveness and the quest for good things now should be viewed under a new standard. The standard in which women are free and independent of the influence of perfection, as well as not lost among their desires.     

What they need now is no longer a perspective or a way to solve the problem, since online lessons are way too many. They do not need any more teachers. Above all, they need a cheerleading companion, an empathetic soulmate, the one who gives them confidence and support in their own decisions to take a solid step forward building their own voice and pursuing the perfection.

Would you like to become their companion? Have your media stories captured things that young women nowadays desire?

Articles: Premiumization megatrend

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In the last few years, Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing markets in the region and so does the competition of this market. Every industry has witnessed the participation of several new players. In that situation, it takes many brands’ constant effort to raise its economic value and create meaningful differentiation to win in the competition, leading to the premiumization trend observed across the market.

There are multiple approaches applied by different brands to enhance the brand’s economic value and premium-ness. Below is going to mention the most common measures taken by brands.

Approach #1. Adding new and superior value/quality for the product. 

It is the most common for a brand to add new and superior quality to increase its economic value. This is particularly considered by categories that are themselves commodities. Let’s take the roofing steel industry as a typical example as this is the most commoditizing category. While roofing steel product in the past was mostly expected to be durable, many steel brands nowadays have started to communicate about house decoration, insulation/heat protection, or noise reduction functions.

For categories facing the risk of being seriously commoditized, many brands must continually look for superior features to raise their values. Fabric softener is amongst the most successful category in upgrading brands as well as raising the standards from consumers. As described by its name, fabric softener was mostly known by the “softening” function. When the market became overcrowded by numerous brands delivering that same benefit, a few brands took initiative in introducing a more aspiring feature that is the superior fragrance to make it more premium and exceptional.

A similar case was observed in the detergent category. Many detergent brands must be gradually moving away from the most basic cleaning function that no longer creates any differentiation for brands, to offer new benefits to consumers such as fabric protection, anti-bacteria, safeness on skin.

The most interesting illustration of this premiumization approach could be found in the diaper category. Those who want to position themselves as premium diaper must serve more than the basic needs for diaper – the absorbency – but to meet the higher demand of consumers in ensuring the comfort for kids upon wearing the product.

Approach #2. Adding rare/ premium ingredients to produce a product

Accompanying adding new, superior features, brands tend to introduce precious ingredients to account for its high value. The instant noodle industry has observed the constant evolvement initiated by a few progressive brands. In the past, instant noodles had been long associated with inner heat. Therefore made-of-potato noodle was introduced to solve inner heat issue, appreciated for being more delicious and sold at a higher price. Similarly, instant ‘Pho’ that could only be sold at low prices for years has recently been accepted at premium price thanks to added fresh veggies and real meat topping that make it perceived more nutritious and more savory. Likewise, it is the precious source of ingredients that have recently been advertised as the drivers of a premium line of fish sauce.

Approach #3. Adjusting product features according to social trends

To become a pioneer and be meaningfully differentiated from others, brands need to regularly update the latest trends. The increased consumption of natural and organic products is a trend that has recently been well caught by dairy companies. A wide range of ‘organic’ dairy products has been launched to the market at premium prices. Similarly, many personal care products like shampoo and body wash switch to purely natural ingredients to attract green users.

Another successful story could be found in the mobile phone industry where brands that detected the selfie trend and the popularity of social media and invested in camera function on the mobile phone since the early days were enthusiastically welcomed.

Approach #4. Provoking a sense of scarcity and exclusivity 

Many marketers have chosen to create a sense of scarcity and exclusivity for their brands by talking about the meticulous manufacturing process to make high-quality products. An instant coffee brand can also present its craftsmanship in every single stage of making coffee, from planting, harvesting to roasting, to deliver perfect quality coffee.

Another tactic that is often utilized by brand owners is to launch limited edition – a special version for special occasions like the lunar New Year. That action often results in temporary scarcity for the product line, enhancing the product’s values, and upgrading the brand’s imagery.

Approach #5. Creating technical barriers that could not be copied in a short time. 

This is the measure most often applied by high-tech industries. All brands in this field must constantly update their products with state-of-art technology to replace highly popular versions that have been widely adopted by different manufacturers. Let take the motorcycle as another example. Idling system that is used to be considered an advanced application of premium automatic motorcycle a few years ago has recently become a must-have feature of any automatic motorcycle. Therefore, other updated functions such as the smart key or anti-theft lock must be added in to differentiate premium versions with mainstream ones

Besides approaches to change the nature of products, brands also utilized advertising tactics to upgrade a brand image:

  • Premiumizing the packaging
  • Using famous figures to be the brand’s ambassador
  • Changing brand imagery through communication, bringing it closer to emerging social trends. For instance, an advertisement for instant noodles can illustrate the lifestyle of youngsters and their favorite recreation – traveling – rather than featuring a housewife in the kitchen corner. Fish sauce can also appear in the luxurious feast in high-class features.
  • Educating consumers about the superiorities of new ingredients and creating new consumption occasions.

As a consulting research boutique, Fusion One specializes in bringing the most strategic insights to the clients by combining local wisdom with global innovative approaches to capture market movements and achieving radical solutions for the clients. Should you want to discover opportunities to premiumize a brand, we would love to hear from you.