How TikTok Is Changing Brand Experience In Vietnam With Khiem Ho Of TikTok And Aniq Syed Of Publicis Media (S2E23)

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Dubbed the “destination for short-form mobile videos,” TikTok became famous for its fast video format featuring authentic, entertaining content. But they’re more than that — creators on TikTok use the platform for discussion, campaign for issues, and educate the audiences. Marketers are also drawn to TikTok’s access to audiences of all ages across different backgrounds. This is an opportunity for marketers to create something new and fresh on the platform. With its rapid growth and engaged users from all generations – gaining over one billion global audiences, 240 million of which are in Southeast Asia – TikTok is well suited to further transform the way mobile marketing works.

Khiem Ho, head of Client Solutions at TikTok Vietnam, joined TikTok at a perfect time — “when the entertainment platform was rapidly changing the world with short-form videos,” he said.

Nine months in the company, Khiem operates on TikTok’s complex monetization strategy and products across the funnel. In this episode of the Vietnam Innovators podcast, he is joined by Aniq Syed, deputy managing director of Publicis Media in Vietnam to discuss trends that marketers should take advantage of with TikTok like ‘Shoppertainment’, tips on how to stand out in the platform, and the best practices from their latest campaign collaboration for Maybelline’s Mấy Bé Lì campaign.

Market changes and trends during the pandemic

Pre-pandemic time, Aniq revealed that when creating their audiences, they only look at the demographic and psychographic filters. But given how much the consumers have evolved because of the risks brought by COVID-19, they have to go a level beyond — knowing the behavior of a potential buyer, whether they’ll go back to normal when everything goes well, or they’ll become extra cautious even by just going out. “Even if the consumers have the same demographic and psychographic, we don’t know what their behavior is, and it poses a challenge for the brands,” he said.

Data for personalization is key for advertisers. “But it’s very difficult to personalize a certain number of assets for a certain group of segments, and I think this is where the short-form videos really step in,” Aniq added.

At TikTok, they are positioned to personalize every user experience with their own ‘for you page.’ According to Khiem, TikTok is more than just an entertainment platform; they’re also creating trends. Per their data, 75% of TikTok users say they discover new artists through TikTok.

TikTok is a unique place where culture starts. Trends happen naturally and regularly because of how the community participates in and engages with content on TikTok. #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is one of the platform's most successful trends we see, showing the power of community review and driving sales for many brands over the past time.

TikTok’s Shoppertainment is the experience of shopping with entertainment. Still part of the customer evolution, buyers today don’t go to shopping portals and buy right away; they want to be educated and inspired. In comparison, the consumer journey in the past is linear. With Shoppertainment, the momentum never declines because users discover, experience, and buy repeatedly. “And they will buy when they’re entertained by the brand,” Khiem noted.

TikTok has elevated the advertising game to a whole new level with its proven success. If you’re on the platform, you already have the opportunity to make it big. But how does one stand out on TikTok? Here’s Aniq’s take:

• The first and most important point is to understand the audience — what are they really looking for, what does their feed look like considering TikTok offers a unique feed for each user.

• Get insight into where your brand fits and how you’ll communicate with your chosen audience and make it relevant.

• Video continues to dominate and is the most effective format across multiple platforms.

Maybelline New York has been in Vietnam for quite some time now, and they wanted to get closer to the Gen Z audience with the Mấy Bé Lì campaign. Khiem and Aniq collaborated in making it a success. What is it about?

• Khiem explained that since Maybelline New York’s target audience is Gen Z, it makes perfect sense to do it on TikTok. He also shared that having the relevant audience and the most powerful tool, music, all sums up to a supreme campaign. Not to mention how popular rap music is in Vietnam.

• With the user-generated content under the campaign, they led the audience to Shopee and Lazada for purchase.