DDB Vietnam creates new memorable Tet experiences campaign for Saigon Special beer
DDB has launched a testimonial campaign for Saigon Special, one of Vietnam’s leading beer brands for Tet, (Lunar new Year) in Vietnam. The campaign features real people talking about their most memorable Tet experiences. The strategy was based on the insight that with so much change happening in Vietnam, the traditional real values of Tet should be amplified by people’s real experiences.
“We simply asked people to talk about their most memorable Tet experiences and we heard remarkable stories that covered everything from love, humour, death, sadness, tragedy and luck,” said John Sampson ECD of DDB Group Vietnam. “One of the most memorable stories was from Mr The Minh, who had been a young soldier during the Khmer Rouge war. His started a day with 40 of his closest friends and ended the day being the only one alive. That is just the beginning of a remarkable story involving scorpions, being lost in the jungle and a mental institution.”
The Saigon Special Tet campaign involves new Tet packaging, TV, digital and social media components allowing consumers to upload and vote on their most memorable Tet experiences.
2 Comments
There are many strong stories like this in Vietnam. It’s good that people get to hear them.
Seven minutes, you’ll never get back, if you make it that far.
While this tale of war and peril is likely compelling historically, certainly personally for Mr. Minh, he tells his tragic story in such a completely undramatic way as to make the horror seem banal. Given that he’s probably not a public speaker by trade, the failure is all on the director and this laughable production.
The setting does him no favours, as he’s pasted into one of the most amateurish sets and backdrops one could possibly imagine. Public access channels have a greater sense of design. In fact, the look of this testimonial lampoons the poor man in a way that he doesn’t deserve.
Not exactly a strategy that will sell beer either, nor much of anything truthfully, so it’s good that the agency saved so much money on this first-year-film-school execution of their non-idea, as the Saigon Special sales department is going to need all the extra cash they can muster.
You have to give some credit to the agency for sheer gall in putting this up on the blog as their Tet spot though. Knowing the local habits, there’s probably someone building a new villa on what was meant to be on screen.