COVID-19 Crisis: Impact and Recovery (2020)

Published on May 2020
11
COVID-19 CRISIS:
IMPACT AND RECOVERY
Changes in key businesses, customer behaviors &
strategies to adapt to the new normal in Vietnam

2
Table of Contents
Introduction SECTION 3
Trends and solutions
for brands
SECTION 1
Vietnam key business
sectors and consumer
market overview under
the impact of COVID-19
Expected changes in revenues after
the COVID-19 outbreak among
Vietnamese businesses in 2020
Business sectors that suﬀer the
most
The most highly demanded
products during the COVID-19
outbreak
SECTION 2
How consumer
behaviors have
changed under the
impact of COVID-19
3 254 15
Changes in consumer spending
during the outbreak
Preferred activities of Vietnamese
people
The rise of gaming and livestream
New trends in customer behaviors
that can be continued in
post-outbreak period
Checklist for brands in post-out-
break period
Key media opportunities in the
post-outbreak period

3
Introduction
For the last few months, COVID-19 pandemic has severely aﬀected all industries around the world ,
including Vietnam. Under the impact of COVID-19, "uncertainty" and "unpredictability" are what busi-
nesses across sectors and geographies have been facing. Brands are forced to adapt to a new reality in
which changes in customer behaviours become the new normal.
In the post-pandemic era in Vietnam, timely and appropriate adaptation strategy is the main driving
force for businesses in order to overcome those challenges and to get back on their feet. With an aim
to support businesses and brands in ﬁnding applicable solutions at current situation, Adsota, through
this report, outlines a number of the lastest insights tracing the evident changes in market overview,
consumption pattern, and conceivable future implications for brands to consider during this unprece-
dented time of change.
While the pandemic situation is temporarily under control in Vietnam, soon the world will begin to
recover from the impact of COVID-19. Our routines will return to normal, however, the world that we’re
returning to is expected to change forever. We hope this report will provide you with useful insights and
practical solutions for your business to thrive despite the circumstances.
Adsota team.

VIETNAM KEY BUSINESS SECTORS AND CONSUMER
MARKET OVERVIEW UNDER THE IMPACT OF COVID-19
4

Increase Of 1% - 5%
No Impact
Decrease Of 1% - 5%
Decrease Of 6% - 10%
Decrease Of 20% or more
7%
4%
6%
19%
14%
25%
25%
Increase of 1% - 5%
No impact
Decrease of 1% - 5%
Decrease of 6% - 10%
Decrease of 20% or more
5
Statista (2020), "Expected change in revenues after coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak
among businesses in Vietnam in 2020", Available at: https://www.statista.com/statis-
tics/1102848/vietnam-business-revenues-after-covid-19-outbreak/
1.
89% of Vietnamese
businesses are facing
financial problems
After the outbreak of COVID-19, half of the surveyed businesses
in Vietnam expects the revenue to be decreased by 16 percent
or more. Even a quarter of them believes that their income has
decreased by over 20 percent.
Many businesses have to deal with difficulties in maintaining
their cash flow and operational ability during the time of the
outbreak. Since the government enforced strict regulations
regarding transportation and crowd restrictions, we are facing a
significant drop in customer’s demand and stagnation in freight
flow, which leads to a domino effect in which severe damage is
expected to occur across almost all industries.
Expected changes in revenues after the COVID-19
outbreak among businesses in Vietnam in 2020 1

Increase 1.8%
Decrease Of less than 20%
Decrease Of more than 50%
60.2%
28.8%
9.2%
1.8%
Increase of 1.8%
Decrease of less than 20%
Decrease of more than 50%
6
Vietnam Board Of Private Economic Development, "Effects Of COVID-19 On Operation And Business Activities Of Vietnam-
ese Enterprises Report", 2020, survey-based
2.
The situation seems to
deteriorate if COVID-19
lasts longer than 6 months
If the COVID-19 pandemic lasts for 6 months, the difficul-
ties that Vietnam’s businesses have to face will grow even
further. The proportion of enterprises with over 50
percent drop in revenue is over 60 percent, while only 1.8
percent of businesses show positive signs.
According to surveys, the companies with increased reve-
nue are materials and supplies manufacturers for domes-
tic market.
Also, nearly 27 percent of enterprises admitted that they
were on the edge of bankruptcy due to the insufficiency of
turnover to cover operation costs, employee salaries,
payment interest on bank loans, and rents.
Expected changes in revenues among business in Vietnam in 2020
(If the COVID-19 outbreak lasts longer than 6 months)
Risk of bankruptcy for
businesses in Vietnam if
the COVID-19 epidemic
lasts for 6 months
73.8%
Not At Risk Of
Bankruptcy
26.2%
At Risk Of
Bankruptcy
2

7
Vietnam Board Of Private Economic Development, "Effects Of COVID-19 On Operation And
Business Activities Of Vietnamese Enterprises Report", 2020, survey-based
3.
Proactive measures from businesses to deal
with the COVID-19 outbreak
Businesses have been
actively seeking for
possible solutions
An immediate solution that many businesses have
implemented recently is reducing labour. This
method can help companies to partly cope with the
difficult situation, helping them reduce labour costs.
This immediate solution may be beneficial at the
moment, however, it can trigger unhealthy economi-
cal consequences, including unemployment rates
and social instability.
A striking number of businesses stated that they
currently did not have any specific solution to deal
with the damaging effects of the outbreak. The
passivity reflects the lack of operational capacity and
crisis management of small and medium-sized com-
panies. This should be seen as an early sign of a
likely upcoming crisis in the post-pademic period.
38.7%
20.8%
7.2%
5.9% 5.2% 3.9% 3.8% 3.1% 2.4% 1.7%
19.0%
No solution
Employee training
Improve service quality
Shift to ecommerce
Apply unpaid leave for employee
Temporarily closed
Do proactive prevention according to the
recommendations of the Ministry of Health
Implement promotion and discount
Seek for new market
Cut down on production cost
Cut down on personnel
3

8
Vietnam Board Of Private Economic Development, "Eﬀects Of COVID-19 On Operation And
Business Activities Of Vietnamese Enterprises Report", 2020, survey-based
Support and regulation
from the Government
are needed
Business's recommendations to the
Government
Local enterprises have urged the Government to
activate support policies to help them overcome
immense diﬃculties in production and business
operation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three short-term solutions that businesses
propose the most and expect the Government to
prioritize are to reduce and delay tax payment date
for business (42.9 percent), to provide preferential
loan support (41.2 percent) and to reduce interest
rate (29.2 percent).
42.9%
41.2%
29.2%
5.4%
3.7% 2.8%
1.6%
Reduce and delay tax
payment date for business
Provide preferential
loan support
Reduce interest
rate
Implement stimulus
package
Allow customs clearance for
importing raw materials
Update information,
maintain positive spirit for people
Reduce water and
electricity costs
4.
4

The impact of COVID-19 on businesses in
SEA and East Asia countries
How the outbreak aﬀected those businesses' yearly
growth expectations in 2020
61.18%
46.43%
35.12%
18.45%
21.18%
14.71%2.94%
Strongly negative
Somewhat negative
No impact
Positive
Their outlook expectation
is unchanged
They are likely to downgrade
their growth outlook
They will certainly downgrade
their growth outlook
9
The Economist Intelligence Unit, "Coronavirus outbreak –
economic & business implications", 2020, survey-based
5-6.
“Depression” is the
common situation across
SEA and East Asia market
The current pandemic also puts pressure
on many companies all over Asia. More
than half of surveyed companies
responded that they had to reduce their
business outlook this year.
Businesses in South East Asia and developed
economies in East Asia (Japan, China and
Korea) are all forced to bear the hardship.
Nearly 75 percent of companies around the
interconnected areas of SEA and East Asia
informed that the COVID-19 outbreak had
either slightly or strongly caused negative
eﬀects on their businesses.
65

BUSINESS SECTORS THAT SUFFER THE MOST
10
economic & business implications", 2020, survey-based
7-8-9.
Logistics
This industry has been witnessing
distribution process interrupted with
current quarantine measure. Delivery staﬀ
shortage is also a problem during the
COVID-19 outbreak.
Tourism and Travel
This sector suﬀered the hardest hit due to the
quarantine restriction among major cities in
Vietnam and other countries.
Decline in travel and consumer spending also
contributed to the current crisis.
7
Luxury Goods
The outbreak has been preventing con-
sumers from spending on item that they
don’t use immediately. Spending for luxury
items is dropping as consumers start to
tighten their belts.
Manufacturing
The COVID-19 pandemic forced lockdowns
across Asia on February and March,
paralyzing economic activities across the
continent as factories were shut down. This
brought manufacturing sector to a halt.
8
9

BUSINESS SECTORS THAT HAVE POSITIVE SIGNS
11
economic & business implications", 2020
10-11-12.
Online Entertainment
Being stuck indoors for days or weeks
even, consumer spending on internet
services has spiked. Game livestream,
multiplayer mobile games or
video-on-demand streaming services are
indispensable entertainment contents to
Gen Z and Millennials these days.
Pharmaceuticals
Undoubtedly, whenever a disease is to
breakout, demand for vaccines and
antibiotics is expected to increase
higher than ever.
E-commerce
During the outbreak, consumers are less likely to visit retail outlets due to fear of
infection. Therefore, e-commerce are the way to go when they need to purchase
any kinds of essential products. Many businesses have expanded their products
to online platforms to adapt with the current crisis.
10
11
12

Products that show a positive growth
rate during the COVID-19 outbreak
Hand Washes
+794%
Liquid Washes
+121%
Mouthwash
+78%
Facial Cleanser
+74%
Paper Towel
+35%
Bar Soap
+35%
Household Cleaner
+24%
Instant Noodles
+65%
Package Bread
+59%
Sugar
+35%
Canned Food
+121%
Processed Food
+74%
Cooking Oil
+35%
Drinking Yogurt
+36%
Adult Milk Powder
+33%
Infant Milk Powder
+14%
Beer
-24%
Soft Drink
-19%
12
Nielsen, "Impact of COVID-19 on Vietnam Consumer Behaviour Report", 202014.
Kantar Worldpanel Division Vietnam, "COVID-19 Initial Impacts on Vietnam FMCG In-home
Purchases 2020 Report", 2020
13.
The majority of consumer goods were negatively aﬀected by
the pandemic, especially beverages. On the other hand, many
"urgent" categories for storage and disease prevention
recorded an impressive growth.
As a consequence of the outbreak, personal care products
such as hand sanitizers witnessed a record rise of nearly 800
percent. Liquid washes products also experienced a
triple-digit growth rate during the peak of the COVID-19
outbreak. For the last few months, retailers have been
promoting the distribution of these items to meet consumer
demands.
Never before have consumers
been more concerned about
hygiene and food storage
13, 14

Categories of products that show a positive growth rate during the COVID-19 outbreak
Urban
Dairy Product+10.0% +16.6%
+4.6%
+18.9%
+15.1%
+26.2%
+29%
+11.4%
Packaged Food
Personal Care
Household
Product
Rural
13
Kantar Worldpanel Division Vietnam, "COVID-19 Initial Impacts on Vietnam FMCG In-home
Purchases 2020 (Rural Vietnam) Report", 2020
15.
With the fear of lockdown and quarantine during the outbreak, demands for specific types of consumer
goods soared. In addition to personal care products, customers tended to make more purchases of
dairy products, packaged food and household products to stock-up for quarantine time. Demand for
these types of goods on major e-commerce platforms therefore showed a significant rise as consumers
went out shopping less than usual. Digital ads of these products hence, received more impression and
had higher conversion rate in comparison with other products.
Daily products
and personal
care items
witnessed
a significantly
higher demand
15

14
In the time of economic
uncertainty, unpredictable
social changes and emotional
unrest, it’s important that
brands keep on communicating
with their customers, as well as
contributing positive values to
the community.
Almost all business sectors and types of commodities in
Vietnam have been negatively aﬀected by the COVID-19
outbreak. Among that, there are only a few business
sectors that might show positive signs.

HOW CONSUMER BEHAVIOURS HAVE CHANGED
UNDER THE IMPACT OF COVID-19
15

16
Statista (2020), "Change in consumption expenditure due to coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak among
Vietnamese in 2020 compared to 2019, by sector", available at: https://www.statista.com/statis-
tics/1102839/vietnam-consumer-spending-after-covid-19-by-sector/
16.
After the outbreak of COVID-19, consumer expenditure was put under diﬀerent levels of
inﬂuences, most of which were negative. While the communication sector lost 21 percent
in consumer spending and online shopping, delivery services noticed an increase of 20
percent. Despite having a positive growth rate in sales, consumer spending for packaged
food and beverage, health care, and personal care products decreased in comparison
with this time last year. However, the decline in spending for these sectors still pales in
comparison to many other ones in the Vietnam market, which are severely damaged by
the pandemic.
Changes in consumption expenditure due to the COVID-19 outbreak
among Vietnamese in 2020 compared to 2019, by sector30%
20%
12% 11%
-4% -5%
-9%
-10%
-13%
-16%
-19%
-21%
20%
10%
-10%
-20%
-30%
0%
Online
shopping
Packaged food and
beverage Household care
products
Education
Home
appliances
Health care products
and services
Personal care
products Entertainment
and dining out
Communication
Delivery services
Household
utilities
The COVID-19 outbreak has made
a substantial change in
consumption expenditure. Online
shopping and delivery services
have showed optimistic signals
16

17
Kantar Worldpanel Division Vietnam, "Vietnam COVID-19 Impacts: From Consumers' Thinking
to Behaving", 2020
17.
Surveyed data on how consumers will change
their amount of spending on following products
during the COVID-19 outbreak
Health & Nutrition
Personal Hygiene
Home Cleaning
Dairy Product
Meat & Seafood
Hair Care
Dishwashing
Makeup & Beauty
Luxury
Alcohol
Laundry
Skin Care
Reduced
spending
52%
50%
Unchanged
spending
58%
53%
50%
50%
44%
Increased
spending
73%
68%
63%
47%
44%
More necessities,
less luxuries
Apart from personal hygiene and home cleaning products,
nutritional products/fresh food become the most important
commodities that customers are willing to spend more on
during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, expected spending on several speciﬁc items of
personal care/ home care products remains unchanged.
Around 50 percent of surveyed customers claimed that their
spend on these products would be the same even with the
impact of COVID-19. Luxury goods and alcohol are the least
spend during this time.
17

Shopping at e-commerce website 19% 24% 57%
16%
16%
15%
10% 21%
48%
36%
36%
69%
25% 59%
49%
Ordering food delivery
Internet browsing
Gaming
At home streaming content
Do moreStay the sameDo less
18
Q&Me, "Corona Virus Impact on Vietnamese Behaviours Report", 2020, survey-based19.
to Behaving", 2020, survey-based
18.
At home streaming content,
ordering goods and food
online are the way to go
As outdoor activities are limited by the government
during the COVID-19 outbreak, online shopping and
entertainment at home are much more preferred.
Streaming content (movies, game livestreams, and
music) is the most popular activity of consumers during
quarantine (69 percent). Other activities that gain a
signiﬁcant rise are shopping, ordering food online,
using Internet and playing games (especially mobile
games).
As customers spend more time at home and media
consumption goes up, brands should adjust their distri-
bution of media investment accordingly. A popular
suggestion is reducing OOH budget to switch to online
platforms, keeping consumers engaged through
emerging touchpoints such as digital and streaming
channels, mobile apps, social media.
Surveyed data on how consumers change their daily
habits during the COVID-19 outbreak - Do-more habit 18, 19

How consumers change their daily
habits during the COVID-19 outbreak - Do-less habit
Outdoor entertainment 14% 86%
17%
19%
52%
28% 72%
48%
83%
81%
Eating out
Non-daily good shopping
Fitness
Shopping at physical outlet
Do lessStay the same/Do more
19
Q&Me, "Corona Virus Impact on Vietnamese Behaviours Report", 2020, survey-based21.
to Behaving", 2020, survey-based
20.
Frequency of outdoor
activities significantly
dropped off
On the contrary, more than 80 percent of surveyed
consumers minimize the frequency of their eating
out, outdoor entertainment and purchasing for
non-daily goods. They also do less fitness activities
and find alternative ways to do physical trainings
while staying inside.
In contrast with the growth in online shopping, shop-
ping at physical outlets witnesses a slight decrease.
However people who are not accustomed to e-com-
merce sites and online channels still prefer retail
outlets.
20, 21

20
Iprice (2020), "6 mặt hàng đang bán chạy trong mùa dịch".
Available at: https://iprice.vn/xu-huong/cam-nang-mua-sam/6-mat-hang-dang-ban-chay-trong-mua-dich/
23.
Google Trend, "Realtime Search Trends", 202022.
Online search for
work-at-home and
play-at-home tools
has been on the rise
Under such a complicated situation, the Ministry of Health in Vietnam urges that citizens should stay
home and avoid going out when not necessary. At the same time, many businesses have started
applying work-from-home policy. As a result, search trends related to "delivery", "online shopping",
and "online learning" have reached its peak in a year. In addition, the level of interest in electronic
devices for working at home such as printers, computers, laptops, and keyboards has been on the
rise.
Top topic queries on Google
25
50
75
100
25
50
75
100
April 1 April 1
Online Shopping E-learning
Items with growth in search on e-commerce sites
Delivery
March 22, 2020
25
50
75
100
Tools for studying and
working from home
Housewares
Printer PC Laptop Keyboard
Oil-free
fryer Grinder
Electric
cooker
Nintendo Switch
Game Console
+56%
Kid Toys
+30% - 200%
PC Keyboard Webcam
+264% +624%
Kitchen
Appliances
+50% - 80%
Gymnastics
Equipment
+116%
(Calculated in March)
22 23

21
Q&Me, "Remote Work Satisfaction By Social Distancing Report", 2020, survey-based24-25.
Video tools that gained usage during
the COVID-19 outbreak
Communication tools that gained usage
Video conferencing tools usage increased considerably to aid the new work-from-home policy
during the quarantine. Skype is the most used tool with 53 percent of survey respondents agreed
that they had used them more frequently in this time period. In terms of messaging platforms,
Zalo is the most used, followed by Facebook Messenger and Skype.
Zoom and Skype are
among the most
popular business
communication
tools during the
COVID-19 outbreak
+18% +18%
+19%
+33% +46%
+83%
+35%
+53%
24 25

App Store
Call of Duty:
Mobile VN
Messenger
Facebook
Zalo
1.1.1.1: Faster
Internet
Youtube
ZOOM Cloud
Meetings
TikTok
Microsoft Teams
Save The Girl!
Google Play
ZOOM Cloud
Meetings
Câu đố vẽ: 1
điểm về chỗ
Garena Free
Fire
Zalo
Brain Out
Save The Girl!
TikTok
Microsoft Teams
Sonic Cat
Messenger
22
App Annie, App Store Ranking, Apr 20, 2020, Category= Overall, Measure= Free Download26.
Top free apps on April (all categories)
During the COVID-19 outbreak, the most popular and downloaded app categories are Games,
Communication and Social. This can be explained by the fact that a number of new habits have
been adopted during the pandemic outbreak. Vietnamese people spend more time on their
mobile devices to play games, use video communication tools and social media such as TikTok
and Facebook. Smartphone has become a vital entertainment and working tool for consumers,
and a noticeable touchpoint to marketers during the pandemic period.
Vietnamese
people play
games and use
social media
more in
quarantine
26

81.37%
Total Views 119.2M
50%
Engagement
79.6%
Reach
23
Apart from movies streaming platforms (ex: Netflix), live streaming
platforms with gaming content such as YouTube and Facebook Gaming
have experienced an upsurge since the beginning of April. Noticeably,
gaming livestream total views on Facebook has skyrocketed by 81.27
percent in nearly half a month. Engagement and reach rates have also
increased dramatically by nearly 50 percent and 79.6 percent, respec-
tively. With such promising engagement rate, utilizing in-livestream
features, influencer marketing and game-related content will be an
efficient strategy for marketers at this time period.
Gaming Livestream views
on Facebook increased
significantly in nearly half a
month since quarantine day

24
Nielsen, "Hậu COVID-19: Sẵn sàng cho một cuộc sống mới", 202027-28-29-30.
Thus, brands should
innovate themselves and
find new methods to
deliver services and
communication
messages in line with the
new reality and new
behaviours. If not
prepared well enough,
non-essential businesses
will face even more
challenges in the
post-pandemic period.
The prolonged quarantine period due to COVID-19 has significantly
changed the habits of consumers. During the outbreak, extremely high-de-
mand products are essential ones including foods, healthcare and house-
hold maintenance products. In addition, consumption has thrived on
online platforms such as online shopping, online delivery, online media
streaming and online gaming. These newly shaped behaviours are presum-
ably going to last for a long time, even when the pandemic ends.
Consumers are going to use
online delivery services more
frequently after COVID-19
64% Consumers will continue
shopping through online
platform more frequently
after the outbreak
63%
Consumers are going to use
online banking/ fintech
services and apps more
often
38% Consumers will prefer eating
at home after COVID-19
62%
27
28
29
30

TRENDS AND SOLUTIONS
FOR BRANDS
25

New trends in
customer
behaviors
that can be
continued in
post outbreak
period
26
Move To Online Shopping And Delivery
More Exercises At Home
As consumers prefer to stay at home and reduce physical shopping, they
have increasingly relied on e-commerce, online platforms and delivery
services. Along with the thrive of e-commerce, delivery services also
flourished during this period, especially food delivery. Supermarket
chains and ride-hailing platforms such as Grab, VinID, Be and Now have
launched their own “mart assistant" services to take advantage of the
current trend.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, consumers pay additional attention to
staying in shape. Fitness training contents and apps are gaining traction,
as they encourage people to do exercise at home. Many trends related
to fitness such as “plank challenges” have gone viral on social media.
Google Search traffic for "physical training at home" increased by 25
percent in the last 30 days of April.

New trends in
customer
behaviors
that can be
continued in
post outbreak
period
27
More Cooking And Eating At Home
Spend More Time Cleaning And Decorating Houses
Increasing Interest In Making Sustainable Choices
As consumers start to avoid eating out, the leisure time at home is
ideal for home cooking and baking . They begin to explore and try out
new recipes, overhaul the quality and appearance of their meals. This
is becoming a noticeable trend in social media, pioneering by the
spread of YÊU BẾP (Esheep Kitchen family) - a public community
where the members can share their ideas, experiences, reviews and
recipes for cooking. This group has drawn thousands of members
after only a few days.
People's houses never look cleaner as they use the extra time at home
to make sure everything tidy and neat. Similar to "Esheep Kitchen
family", "Home addict", a Facebook group where members can share
their living space, taste of house design and decoration, is also a social
community that gains virality recently with a lot of active members.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, we see an evolution in the public's
attitudes towards sustainability. They begin to look for more organic
products, show increasing concern about pollution and environment
protection.

Expected
consumer
trends which
will impact
media usage
28
Tara Johnson (2020), "The Rise of TikTok During COVID-19",
Available at: https://tinuiti.com/blog/main-covid-resource/tiktok-covid-19/
32.
Ogilvy-Social.Lab, "Making Communication Choices in COVID-19", 202031.
More Time For Social Media
Switch To Streaming Services And Content
Social networking continues to be netizen's favorite activity while in the
confinement of their homes. Consumers have indulged in indoor activi-
ties and social media to keep themselves distracted and entertained
while under the pandemic pressure. Short-video platform Tik Tok has
witnessed the most significant growth recently. On the week of March
16th, the video app was downloaded 2 million times globally (an 18
percent increase in downloads compared with the previous week).
Besides, memes and humorous contents are exploited extensively by
social media users as a coping mechanism with the outbreak.
In recent time, the consumption of online entertainment and streaming
content has gone up, including TV, movies, game live stream, and music.
Data is showing that streaming services such as Netflix may exceed
growth expectation this quarter due to the impact of the COVID-19
outbreak.
32
31
31

Expected
consumer
trends which
will impact
media usage
29
Iprice (2020), "6 mặt hàng đang bán chạy trong mùa dịch".
Available at: https://iprice.vn/xu-huong/-
cam-nang-mua-sam/6-mat-hang-dang-ban-chay-trong-mua-dich/
36.
Q&Me, "Corona Virus Impact on Vietnamese Behaviours Report", 2020,
survey-based
35.
Streamlabs (2020), "Streamlabs & Stream Hatchet Q1 2020 Live Streaming
Industry Report", Available at: https://blog.streamlabs.com/stream-
labs-stream-hatchet-q1-2020-live-streaming-industry-report-9630bc3e0e1e
33.
Watch More Live Streams
Online Gaming Sees An Uptick
The appetite for live-streaming is bigger than ever, especially game
streaming. According to Streamlabs, big game streaming platforms
including Facebook Gaming, Youtube Gaming and Twitch are all
reaching their all-time height. The average CCV on YouTube Gaming
Live was at peak, increasing by 15.5 percent since the previous quar-
ter. Facebook Gaming experienced enormous increases; hours
watched tripled, hours streamed doubled, and average CCV quadru-
pled. Besides, sports events, fundraising music concert, esports
tournament and many entertainment contents are organized via live
streams.
Consumers are ﬂocking to gaming platforms as an added source of
entertainment. Game App downloads have increased sharply during
the COVID-19 outbreak. Online games such as Survival, Battle Royale
and MOBA become more popular, witnessing an upsurge in playing
times. Thirty-six percent of Vietnamese people responded that they
spent more time playing games during this time period. Nintendo
Switch, a well-known gaming device, also experienced a growth of 56
percent in search on e-commerce sites during the outbreak.36
35
34
33

30
Fraser, "What is the best way to brand & sales recovery?", 202038.
Sinclair, "Covid-19 Recovery Planning For Brands", 202037.
Route to brand recovery
Phase
Customer
Behaviour
Brand
Communication
Focus
Monitor situation
Prepare and adjust to the reality of
people staying home
Focus on crisis management
Work on scenario planning
Deliver bad news, interact with
customers and keep them informed
Adjust content distribution plan
Support the community
Constantly keep customers
engaged
Find alternative channels to
interact with customers
Launch communication
campaigns based on the new
innovated product and service
oﬀered
Full homebound economy.
Consumers adapt to social
distancing, fully committing to
e-commerce and local stores
Daily living normalises as the
situation improves. Value
system has changed
Consumer adapts to social distancing
and a homebound economy
Preparation and optimization Instant adaptation
Update the strategy relevant
tools set (brand, communication,
strategy, personas etc.) based on
new customer behaviors
Implement communication plan
based on “new normal” reality
Engage and inspire customers
through call-to-action campaigns
Market revival
Normal Lifestyle Homebound Economy “New Normal” Lifestyle
Pre-outbreak Community Outbreak
Brand Journey Through COVID-19
Containment Recovery
37, 38

31
Kantar Worldpanel Division Vietnam, "Vietnam COVID-19
Impacts: From Consumers' Thinking to Behaving", 2020
39-40-41-42-43.
Invest on online,
delivery/at-home services and
shift from offline-reliance to
online and delivery-based
ecosystems
Actions for
now and
post-outbreak
period
TOP 8 CHECKLIST
FOR BRANDS
1
Ensure product accessibility,
visibility and availability
5
Increase digital presence,
promote digital transformation
and online-to-offline system
2
Re-adapt and prepare for extreme
peaks in demand after the outbreak
The current situation is only temporary.
Demand for all services and products will be
booming soon once the pandemic is under
control.
6
Keep customer engaged by digital
contents
Digital channels are essential
communication tools for brands
during/after the pandemic. Extending
brand propositions into services and
content is highly recommended to keep
audience informed and connected.
3
Avoid cutting back on product quality
and customer experience
At the time period when all businesses are
facing tremendous difficulties, cutting back
on unnecessary operational costs is almost
imperative. However, this solution should
not be applied if it lowers product quality
and affects customer experience.
Optimization is not about cutting down on
the costs as much as possible, but
maintaining the values that brands are
committed to their customers with
minimized resources.
7
Capture / create customer
behaviours and needs at in-home
occasion and provide
corresponding services
4
Temporarily avoid direct sales
content and product promotion
Focus on how your brand can deliver
meaningful values to customers
8
39
42
40
43
41

32
Canvas8, "Pandemic Culture", 202045.
Br J Gen Pract (2012). Making health habitual: the psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice,
62(605), 664–666. doi: 10.3399/bjgp12X659466
44.
Adapt to the
“new normal”
According to a study published in the British Journal of
General Practice, a lasting habit takes an average of 66
days to form. Since the social distancing was temporarily
ended by the government, imprints from the recent habits
of customers are likely to remain, even if the initial driver
fades. The vaccine for COVID-19 has not been fully devel-
oped yet. Therefore, although the situation has been tem-
porarily under control in Vietnam, the infection risk still
remains. The duration and intensity of the COVID-19 pan-
demic in the coming months will determine which new
ways of living will stick – whether people prefer to work
remotely, rely on their delivery drivers, keep up the
at-home workouts or not.
44
45

33
The outbreak of COVID-19 is the catalyst that pushes businesses to fasten their digitalization
process. The gradual shift on digital platforms may be beneficial for brands as those plat-
forms have more convenient features that can enhance customer experience. In difficult
times, it is not necessary that brands have to recreate the exact same offline experience for
users as usual. Even when the pandemic ends, businesses should work on finding alterna-
tive solutions to utilize advanced online platforms and adapt to the new reality.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam
Founder - FUNiX
The reality that we have to face in the 21st century is that global diseases like COVID-19 will
continue to challenge our world. Day-to-day social distancing or a complete lockdown might
occur again in the future, especially when the vaccine for COVID-19 is not yet to be found.
Therefore, businesses and brands have to seriously review their strategies and prepare for
any similar external crises in the future.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh
Co-founder and Managing Director - Elite PR School

34
Mindshare, "Survey on change of media consumption in the 2020 Novel
Coronavirus epidemic", 2020, survey-based
47.
Ogilvy, "Making brands matter in turbulent times: HOW TO STEER BRANDS
THROUGH A CRISIS", 2020
46.
Post-epidemic behaviour forecast - What do people
want to do the most after the COVID-19 period?
Business sectors that are expected to rebound
after the pandemic
After the COVID-19
period, aﬀected
businesses will
rebound shortly and
be at times of peak
demand. From now on,
they have to maintain
communication with
customers by digital
contents
Once the COVID-19 is under control, severely
damaged industries such as tourism, F&B,
out-of-home entertainment, and retails will soon
see a surge in customer's demand. Therefore, in
order to prepare for the post-epidemic period, it
is vital to keep customers constantly engaged
and remind them of your brand by captivating
digital contents. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Out-of-home dining
Travel
OOH entertainment
Food and beverage
Apparel
Household cleaning
Hair salon/manicure
Gym
Wealth management/stocks
Cosmetic
51.2%
46.5%
43.8%
32.4%
23.4%
7.0% 6.7%
5.7%
Eat out with friends
Travel
Movie/Exhibition
Sport
Go shopping
Oﬄine games
Stay at home
Others
Increase Cancel or reduce
46
47

35
Ogilvy-Social.Lab, "Making Communication Choices in COVID-19", 202048-49.
Key media opportunities
in the post-outbreak
period
Digital ad spending has witnessed a
slowdown recently. As Facebook and
Google ad marketplaces work along with
an auction mechanic, a decline in adver-
tisers in the platforms will serve to opti-
mize the overall media costs, making it
more cost-effective to advertise.
More and more people are online for
longer stretches of time. Since COVID-19
was officially announced as a pandemic
by the World Health Organisation, social
media became consumers' main source
of news updates and information. Face-
book, Instagram, and Tik Tok have also
seen spikes in usage and engagement
rates which brings advertisers more
active and engaged audience.
Growth in online media
Digital video platforms
Short video apps
Online & mobile gaming
Online shopping sites & apps
Digital video platforms
Transport media
Billboards
Cinema
Decline in offline media
More cost-effective opportunities
in digital advertising
Social media always take the lead
48
49

36
OTA Network (2020)50-51.
Key media opportunities
in the post-outbreak
period
The prolonged quarantine prohibits large group
gathering and social interaction, which makes virtu-
al meeting the only feasible solution. Compared to
other common online platforms, game and lives-
tream platforms are built to support communica-
tion and interaction on a larger scale. This is the
root behind the success of game streaming plat-
forms such as Twitch, Youtube and Facebook
Gaming, where gamers and viewers can interact,
connect with each other at any time, any place.
As time spent with streaming and gaming content
significantly rises during the COVID-19 period,
advertisers can begin to test new formats of con-
tent that they have never implemented before.
Based on its interactive capability, gaming and
livestream contents will be the effective tools for
marketers in the future.
The pandemic has prompted brands
and retailers to have their own ecom-
merce website or to join an e-commerce
platform for their businesses to survive
the challenging time. In fact, influencer
marketing, live streaming and social
commerce are all ideal options for
e-commerce platforms/ retailers to
enhance brand awareness and build
positive customer experiences.
New platforms to explore - Gaming and
live streaming
E-commerce, social commerce
and influencer marketing50 51

37
Factors to consider in maximising
business performance during the
COVID-19 outbreak
Analyze to ﬁnd out which
media mix delivers the
highest return-on-investment,
and optimise your media
strategy accordingly.
Employ media channels that
encourage interactability and
adaptability in messaging
content.
Cooperate with experienced
partners who are able to
produce cost-eﬀective content
and implement comprehensive
campaigns at pace.
52

38
CONTACT US
HEAD OFFICE:
Building 11 (LE Building), Alley 71,
Lang Ha St., Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi, Vietnam
Hotline: (+84) 911 983 189
Fanpage: facebook.com/adsota
Email: sale@adsota.com
Website: adsota.com

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Adsota is a marketing company under Appota corporation.
We strive to become the leading integrated marketing company that
elevates digital landscape in Vietnam. Adsota provides digital solutions
to help content creators, publisher and advertisers improve customer
acquisition and maximize revenue growth.
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