By the end of 2018, total spend on media advertising in Vietnam is forecast to reach VND68 trillion (US$3 billion), according to Kantar Worldpanel.
In its latest report, the market research firm expected the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturers will make up the bulk of that spending.
In Vietnam, the media environment is changing rapidly with the rise of digital. Despite that, as of today, TV remains the most relevant touchpoint to FMCG shoppers in both Urban 4 Key Cities (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Can Tho) and Rural Vietnam.
In Urban 4, there is a 17% higher absolute consumption (Reach x Frequency) than the next biggest touchpoint which is digital, while in Rural, though swiftly increasing smartphone ownership is driving up the number of connected households, the overall reach of digital is slightly less than half that of TV.
Although TV is expected to drop to 66% share of spending in 2018, while Online could reach 30% - reflecting the fact that TV still offers the greatest potential in terms of total exposure.
In Rural, Loudspeaker can reach 76% of key decision makers thanks to activities organized by the Cultural Centre of the commune who use the loudspeaker to announce and deliver social information which can also include FMCG advertising.
In Urban, some of the key differences we see between the top two cities are that HCMC skew slightly more towards traditional media channels, while Hanoi is more skewed towards digital. Newspaper and Magazine penetration is highest in HCMC with over a third of key decision makers reached by Newspaper and almost a fifth by Magazines.
While the reach of digital in HCMC is slightly higher, those in Hanoi are spending more time online. Hanoians spend on average 3.1 hours a day online compared to 2.6 hours on TV, so it is fair to say that Digital channels can work well in Hanoi. News sites, social networks and chatting online are just some of the activities those in Hanoi enjoy for longer in a day than their southern counterparts.
In Rural, the South accounts for a greater proportion of digital media consumption. Again, though penetration is slightly lower than in Central or North, the amount of time spent online is higher, around 2.2 hours per day compared to 2.1 hours for TV.
