Vietnam's new marketing vitality

Vietnam has new marketing vitality, thanks to ongoing economic growth and rising household buying power for a population of 90 million (see right).

Here are a few of the ways marketers are paying attention to Vietnam:

• Starbucks will soon open its first coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City, as part of the Seattle-based company's international expansion strategy.
• Procter & Gamble markets many of its best-known products in Vietnam, including Gillette razors, Pampers disposable diapers and Pantene shampoo--in competition with Unilever and other multinationals.
• E-commerce is growing in Vietnam, including daily deal sites, "Amazon-like" retailers and other online businesses.
• Retailing is an industry undergoing expansion, with a mix of smaller stores and multi-city chain stores competing for shoppers.
• Vietnam has had a thriving tourism business for years, drawing vacationers from Russia and China in particular. Among high-profile visitors, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and friends spent Christmas 2011, in Vietnam.
• HSBC Bank offers full-service banking in Vietnam and, with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, has developed a guide to doing business in the country.
• Danish companies such as Mascot are profiting from B2B and consumer relationships in Vietnam.
• Chevron is developing a gas pipeline project in Vietnam, only one example of the nation's infrastructure improvement initiative involving multinational corporations.

Marketing the Titanic

One hundred years ago this week, the RMS Titanic (above, leaving Belfast on a sea trial) set sail and then sank. (Test your knowledge--take the BBC's quiz here.)

After hundreds of books, movies and TV shows about the epic tragedy, the century-old event continues to capture the public's imagination and now has become a marketing theme:

James Cameron's Titanic has been released in 3D and is back in cinemas for a limited time.


Belfast's newly-opened Titanic Centre (left) tells the story of the shipyards that built the ocean-liner. The grand opening of this new building drew 30,000 people for a 3D light show. This area is attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists who want to learn the story behind the legend.

The Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool has an exhibition about the Titanic. Because the White Star lines had its head office in Liverpool, the Titanic was registered in that city and has a close connection with it.

The genealogy company Ancestry has a large collection of records about the passengers, calling attention to the people (and to the hobby of genealogy, where Ancestry is a major player). Looking for ancestors? Check it out.

Marketing tourism during the Olympics

Holidays at Home - Rupert Grint

For UK tourists who will be going to the London area for this year's summer Olympics, the Holidays at Home Are Great campaign encourages visits throughout Britain and Northern Ireland with 20.12% off meals, lodging and other vacation expenses. And for those who want to escape the London crowds, the campaign encourages travel to many outlying areas (like Bridlington, where Rupert Grint likes to surf).

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is targeting Londoners in particular who want to spend two or three weeks away during the Olympics. More than 500,000 people have watched the authority's YouTube videos. Its Tumblr account posts beautiful photos of 'Amazing Thailand' and engages the audience by inviting them to share their images via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. 

That extra mile: Special service

Looking for online sources about good customer service, I clicked to the Extra Mile Scotland website, which posts stories by people who've been delighted by superior service throughout the country.

The site is run by two professionals with extensive travel and tour experience. You can 'Ask Dougal' a question about where to find something or what time of year is best to visit a particular region of Scotland. The site includes a blog with comments about all aspects of travel in Scotland.

I read through a number of glowing recommendations of hotels, restaurants, and tour guides that went out of their way to offer special service in the comments pages. The site will accept negative reviews and even threatens to post such comments (although I couldn't get the "bad stuff" part of the site to load today, for some reason).

Extra Mile also warns:

If you think that, say, this is the place to promote your cousin’s tea-shoppie in Cowdenbeath or anywhere else, then we’ll be on your case. Oh yes, we’ll be checking.