Vietnam students win TV marketing competition

Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication) students Doan Thai Minh Chau and Nguyen Hoang Hieu An won season five of Vietnamese television show, Young Marketers.

The pair tackled the issue of Vietnamese youth inactivity and created an outstanding marketing plan for branded sports shoe Biti’s Hunter – Move.

To make the final round, they successfully used a hypothetical 3 billion VND budget to raise awareness among their target market of approximately 3 million youth in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. They were then asked to present their full campaign to the judges in the final.

The pair’s presentation was judged to have the biggest “wow” factor by the audience and judging panel, which included representatives from  Coca-Cola Indochina and British American Tobacco.

The students’ most impactful statistic spoke for itself: every summer 3000 Vietnamese children drown, with a disproportionate number of deaths occurring in rural areas.

The pair then presented their innovation – children’s shoes that can turn into flotation devices.

In an emergency, children can pull their shoe straps and set off a simple chemical reaction, injecting air into the strap and turning their shoes into a mini-float.

Doan and Nguyen were able to demonstrate their idea by executing a real chemical reaction on stage.

“We believe this innovation will draw attention to the issue of drowning deaths in Vietnam,” the pair said.

Questioned during the show on the production cost of their floating shoes, they responded: “The chemical reaction only requires a combination of cheap substances such as vinegar and baking soda can be used to trigger the reaction, or hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate.”

The outstanding performance of the team impressed Pham Nha Uyen, Regional Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola Indochina.

“This team is the only group that produced a product innovation for real social benefit,” she said.

“I can see the great effort the team put into their slides and designs, and the real chemical reaction added to an overall very attractive presentation.”

Doan said she is looking forward to the opportunities the win could lead to.

“Young Marketers is a door that leads to many other doors,” she said.

“It's not only an opportunity to get further exposure to professional marketing, but also a chance to make more friends

“The journey is not easy, but it’s worth the effort.”

For Nguyen, the competition was about learning lessons valuable skills in marketing.

“After two-and-a-half months in the competition, I have learnt numerous practical marketing lessons from senior marketers,” he said.

“Young Marketers is a great springboard for marketing lovers at RMIT Vietnam.”

Chau and An won tickets to the Asia Marketing Effectiveness and Strategy Conference in Singapore, a visit to Google in Singapore, and other valuable prizes.

Story: Van Doan