Vietnamese businesses and the marketing formula for a new era

For many years, marketing has largely been viewed as a race for reach: the more advertisements that appear, the more memorable the brand becomes. But as consumers increasingly become immune to direct promotional messages, that formula reveals its limits. A campaign may saturate the airwaves, but it does not necessarily create a connection if it lacks empathy and fails to touch the public’s real emotions.

The shift in how people consume information is forcing companies to adjust how they do marketing. Instead of continuing to talk more about products or brands, many firms are choosing a different path: telling human stories, close to everyday life, connected to emotions and community values. When that happens, marketing is no longer just a tool to persuade purchases, but gradually becomes a way for the brand to build empathy and a deeper connection with the public.

Cause: attention is harder to win

In the context of social networks, video platforms, and digital news, users are exposed to a vast amount of information daily. An advertisement might be scrolled past after a few seconds, but content with a story, emotion, and empathy tends to hold viewers longer.

As a result, audiences no longer respond merely to the repetition of brand names or familiar sales messages. Beyond product quality, consumers increasingly care about how a business appears in daily life, the emotions the brand evokes, and the values the brand chooses to champion.

Development: campaigns increasingly focus on community values

From changes in how people receive content, more companies are investing in communications activities that connect communities. Especially during emotionally charged occasions like Tet, messages grounded in human values gain more resonance because audiences are more attuned to family, togetherness, gratitude, and shared values.

A representative example is the video contest “Tet of Gratitude” for Tet 2026, with Agribank as a partner. Besides spreading through digital platforms, the program was broadcast on VTV9, helping the gratitude message reach a wider audience during Tet.

Rather than following the usual path of emphasizing financial products or services, the campaign starts from a life insight: amid busy daily life, many people occasionally forget to express thanks to parents, relatives, or those who supported them over the year.

Data/format: how the contest is structured

Under the format of a video-creative contest, “Tet of Gratitude” opens space for young people to tell gratitude stories through visually intimate and emotionally rich content that can quickly spread. This approach is not only about encouraging participation but also about refreshing the values of Tet such as gratitude, togetherness, and the spirit of sharing.

Impact: feedback from participants and organizers

The campaign’s impact comes not only from the idea or its execution, but also from real feedback during the process. For example, Nguyen Thi Phuong, former Deputy General Director of Agribank, said: “I’ve watched up to film eight and cried a few times.” She also praised the seriousness of the young participants: “They have been very serious about this contest. It’s heartening to see a shift in mindset toward community and caring for others, expressed through creative and emotive perspectives.”

Analysis: brand involvement shifts from promotion to participation

Importantly, Agribank is not merely sponsoring or appearing; it is deeply involved as a judge and attendance at the awards ceremony. This demonstrates that the brand does not just seek broader reach, but genuinely cares about the content, the message, and the positive values the contest aims to promote.

From a marketing standpoint, this is a notable form of presence: the brand does not stand apart to talk about itself, but enters the story to listen, to choose together, and to spread positive content.

From campaigns like “Tet of Gratitude,” Vietnamese brands seem to be shifting toward elevating the human element as a new point of connection with the public. Instead of competing on frequency or reach, brands are increasingly prioritizing the ability to create empathy and align with values that resonate with real life. In a media landscape with shortening and fragmenting attention, the advantage will belong to brands that tell their story with genuine emotion and values close to everyday life.

After all, what lingers longer in public memory is not a promotional message but the feeling that the brand has truly touched them with kindness and empathy.