| Title | SAY SORRY, START FRESH |
| Brand | THP BEVERAGE GROUP |
| Product / Service | DR.THANH HERBAL TEA |
| Category | B01. Corporate Communication & Reputation Management |
| Entrant | APRIL+ Hochiminh, VIETNAM |
| Idea Creation | APRIL+ Hochiminh, VIETNAM |
| Media Placement | THP Binh Duong, VIETNAM |
| PR | THP Binh Duong, VIETNAM |
| Production | APRIL+ Hochiminh, VIETNAM |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Kian Ho | April | Creative Director |
| Vu Nguyen | April | Head of Planning |
| Fionn Geaney | April | Creative Director |
| Stefan Reicherstorfer | THP | Chief Marketing Officier |
We came up with a simple solution: An honest corporate apology. However in Vietnam, saying sorry is not a publicly expressed emotion and in Corporate world it's seen as being weak and an admission of guilt and shame. If an apology is a solution, it needs to be not only sincere but also clever and at the right moment. THE IDEA: SAY SORRY START FRESH We found that Tet- the Lunar New year was a special occasion, like Christmas in Western world. It offered the chance for people to start fresh and here we showed the true value of a sincere apology and how it's fine to address your past actions in a positive way. It started from the brand founder and then we let the public join in, making it a new cultural movement during 2017 Tet.
Be first to say sorry and give the nation a platform to apologize. We first launch an emotional video containing the sorry of the brand founder to the consumers 1 month before Tet New Year, giving the press and public a big surprise. We also encouraged everybody to say sorry to their loved ones by giving them an online website tool. 1 week after that we partnered with a national television channel to create a reality Saying sorry show that covered different angles on human connection, bravely including what can be considered as taboo in Vietnam culture such as: Homosexual, Single Mother, Religious Monk, match-fixing footballer, Celebrity Drug user. The campaign ran for only 1 month before the Tet New Year. The busiest time for Vietnamese consumers and most difficult time to cut-through. But it really caught the attention and empathy of the target audience and a nation.
Reach: +11 Millions Official Apology Video Views +68 Millions Earned Media (TV Show episodes online views) Engagement: 7,400 Sorry Postcards sent via microsite 63,000 Engagement on Dr.Thanh official Fanpage Sales: 2017(untilMar)vs2016: +24% (Client's sales report) Achievement: Not only increase sales but also earned back respects for the brand founder and the corporation.
Our campaign helped cool down one of the biggest PR crisis in Vietnam marketing history: the case of Dr.Thanh brand belonging to THP beverage group. By submitting to B01 Corporate Communication & Reputation Management sub-category, we believe our case can provide a more emotional approach towards corporate communication in a boycotted situation, with an interesting strategy and idea executions that created a game-changing result for the client and corporate culture.
DATA GATHERING: Our key method was testing the reaction towards the message from the brand founder. Do you accept his apology? Will you say a sincere sorry to the one you love this new year? was key questions. Focus groups gave us important learning to fine-tuned the founder's sorry message. TARGET AUDIENCE: Modern urban Vietnamese 18-35, class A,B,C. National journalists. RELEVANCE TO PLATFORM: A message from the brand founder on social media creates PR stories, conversations, inspirations and sharable content. APPROACH: Surprise the nation with an emotional message from the brand founder (Dr.Thanh) that creates conversation with news rooms and on social channels. Create something people would humanly share in a coffee-shop or online, with reality-show tone.