VietNamNet Bridge - The traditional marketing channels such as TV, events and others continue to demonstrate their importance, but the main trends of the shift are related to digital marketing.

1. The rise of video ads

The channels like YouTube have many users in Vietnam (over 15 million people) and they will strongly grow in 2016 in both usage and level of interactivity.

Since 2014, Facebook (34 million accounts in Vietnam) has increased advertising for video and activity will be stronger this year. Enterprises should make the most of this resource in advertisement and marketing.

2. The dominance of mobile divices

In Apirl 2015, Google launched a new algorithm - Mobilegeddon, which ranked websites into two groups: with and without mobile interface. They also prioritised the display and ranking of sites with mobile interface. This algorithm has affected more than 60 percent of websites globally.

In Vietnam, business and company websites without mobile interface will fall in importance. This trend is expected to be even stronger this year.

3. Marketing automation

In the order of priority of marketing trends in the world in 2016, marketing automation - software for automatic marketing - will be ranked first, followed by content marketing, big data and then mobile marketing.

4. Content still a key factor in marketing in 2016

Facebook and Google continue to pursue the biggest goal of finding and honoring good content on the Internet in 2016 to attract users. When video blooms on both channels, the good content will be more important.

5. Event and activation remained strong

Having direct access to consumers, a strong display and interaction, the problem of indirect marketing forms through cyber tools is that the conversion rate of customers may not be high. Considering this criterion, event and activation will be still favored.

6. Integrated marketing continued to dominate

7. The heyday of TV in Vietnam

Worldwide, TV has seen a downward trend as the time to watch television went down in recent years. Ratings of TV channels began to decline and ads also fell. However, in Vietnam, it happened at a slower pace so TV is still in the golden age, at least for several more years.

8. KPI and requirement of greater interaction

KPI (key performance indicators) for each marketing campaign will be more focused. Customers require more interaction for marketing activities.

9. Growth in ad spending

With credit growth defined by the Government of 20% in 2016 (18% in 2015, 14% in 2014), the real estate market and the stock market will go up. However, the rise will not be flat. In general the market will go if credit growth reaches 20% in 2016.

10. SMS Marketing to face difficulty

If Vietnam begins tightening management of pre-paid SIMs, SMS marketing will fall sharply.

11. Advertising on digital platforms will become more expensive

Digital appeals to users via various factors, including the fact that it is very cheap to reach the target audience. 2016 will witness a new milestone - the boom of digital advertising platform with large numbers of users.

12. The print media, especially magazines, will face extremely difficult time

2016 will be a year marking the decline in all aspects of the print media. P & G - one of the groups spending much money on advertising in the world (about $9 billion per year) and in Vietnam – stated that it would cut 14% of spending for advertising in traditional media, especially print newspapers on a global scale since 2014. Recently, they cut 40% of advertising partners and cut spending sharply.

Nguyen Ba Ngoc

NBN Media Chair