I.

BRANDING
1. What is branding? Example ( vt )
· Opening: Each person has a brand. Phuc, back in university your brand is
that you are an introverted friend who had always gone to school with a big blue
hiker backpack and lunch boxes. Vy, you were a classmate who had a
contagious smile and the iconic curly long hair that some of your peers
described as “big anime girl hair”. Maybe now your image with the hair is gone,
but things like your smile are still there and I know you are still known as
someone who spreads a positive vibe all around!
· That is our personal brand. I read somewhere on a Harvard online site that a
personal brand is “the intentional, strategic practice of defining and expressing
your value.” → Anything around us can have a “brand”, a product, a person, a
store, a website.
· Corporate brand: Just like that, corporations have their brands as well.
Branding in marketing is a process where companies popularize themselves
with the general public, while also using that to distinguish themselves from
competitors in the market.
· ( 10.38124/IJISRT20SEP134) Branding is all about building a sentimental
connection between the brand and its customers.
Transition here
· Aspects of branding: Branding is not only about the name and the logo. It is
much more than that. If you are looking to build a brand for your company, here
are a few elements that you need to consider: (Pahwa, 2023)
· Name: The name which we use to identify the product with.
· Logo: A symbol or other design adopted by the business to identify its
brand.
· Colour: A colour mostly used by the business in its marketing
messages to describe or complement the brand.
· Vision: The group of goals or objectives behind the brand that help
guide its activities and its future.
· Message: the value proposition of the brand which it conveys through
the brand personality to set the brand positioning.
· Shape: Either the distinct shape of the offering or the shape of the
packaging.
· Graphics: The uniform and distinct aesthetics used in the marketing
messages.
· Sound: The sound used in the marketing messages to reinforce the
brand identity.
· (Next slide) Aroma: The distinct smell which the user experiences
before, during, or after he uses the offering. “One of the main purposes of
 using scent is to associate the brand with a pleasant smell and create an
association in the consumer's subconscious.” (Temizkan, 2023)

Transition
· You may have recognized a pattern here: All the elements mentioned above
evoke our 5 senses: touch, hearing, smell, sight, and even taste. You can see
branding like this: immerse your customers in your brand by creating a
thorough experience that shows the colors of your business in every aspect.
· Transition
· Example: some businesses have peaked their branding game to the point
where their name represents the products instead of the other way around! A
prime example of this is the iPad. iPad is a tablet, but a significant amount of
the population in Vietnam associate iPads with tablets, calling any tablets iPad.
Or back in the day, Honda infiltrated our market, and the name is now
ingrained in many of our minds, to the point where it created a language shift
where the word “Honda” means a manual motorbike (xe số) itself. You must
have heard the adults around you ask about a Honda that is actually a Yamaha
bike before. (slide chú hỏi “con chạy Honda đi học hả” and a picture of a
Yamaha bike and young person answer “dạ”)

Transition

2. Significance of branding ( Vy )
Branding helps businesses stand out in a competitive market, catch attention,
and shape public perception. For customers, a strong brand builds trust, making
decision-making faster. For employees and shareholders, it fosters a solid
business culture, creating a high-value work environment that attracts
investment and collaboration. To become a well-established brand, your
business should know clearly about its significance. First thing first, branding
successfully can definitely increase your recognition…
1. Increase recognition​
Ok so imagine that you constantly see a really attractive business, maybe by
their impressive name, their colorful logo or their profound tagline, those things
may somehow stick in your subconscious mind, and when you need a product
or service, the first thing that come up to your mind would be the most
memorable name amongst every other brands. By that way, with successful
branding, a business may increase their identity coverage for those who haven’t
even used their products once. This emphasizes the need for an investment on
branding, which attracts your customer and create chances for your business
having loyal customers by getting them recognized more often.​
​
 ​

· Transition
2. Building trust among customer
​ So if you MAKE a comparison between two distinct businesses, one has a clear,
comprehensive and professional appearance, and another one who seems to have zero
interest in building their brand’s identity, you’ll definitely know which one to trust
more. /show slide of 2 examples/
Having strategies to build your brand shows that your business has a clear goal,
mission, value, and to explicitly show your expertise.
Building trust is a key element to attract potential customers and create opportunities
for development.
Businesses can obtain this by maintaining a loyal customer base through strong
branding and quality.
This investment, in my opinion, is worthy and can totally earn your business a positive
reputation.
Transition
3. Better advertising
According to Pahwa (2023), (Research has found that/Did you know) branding
is a core part of marketing because all of the marketing strategies have their
roots in branding. That means branding and advertising go hand in hand.
If you advertise something that goes against your identity, that marketing
campaign may not work effectively or even turn out unsuccessful.
You have to understand that: before you run a marketing campaign for any
services or products, you need to first ensure that your business image and
branding is widespread in a specific market. In other words, define who you are
before you let people know who you are. (what you can offer, what are your
goals, why you need to exist in the market, what value can you bring)
If you don’t have any solid branding, you may lose to your competitors in the
industry.
In short, branding helps define the business essence for advertisement plans.
These two elements work together to give your business a better chance to stand
out, to become one that is highly competent and increase brand awareness.

transition
4. Improve pride and satisfaction
Employee’s motivation is an important factor that keeps your business creating
value inside. By positively investing in greater branding, that may create a sense
of belonging for those who associate with your company, enhancing their
productivity and making them feel like they are working in more than just a
team, and they will be more dedicated to their job. As a result, with a deeper
 connection amongst employees, your business may create a sense of unity,
which can end up in a successful business.
Transition

3.How to build a brand ( Pinky) cite: sach giao khoa (The Staff of Entrepreneur Media,
2015)

Branding looks like a step forward helping you become more different and unique compared
to other competitors.Therefore, to build a strong and comprehensive branding, we need to
create an effective strategy for it. At its core, a good branding strategy will list the one or two
significant elements of your product or service, describe your company’s ultimate purpose,
and also define your target customer.

Transition In order to do that, The Staff of Entrepeneur Media has proposed these optimal
steps:

Step 1: Define your company’s identity

Is it really important to consider? Why? Why should people buy the product from you
instead of many others? Knowing what your company represents and its purpose are the first
things to build a brand. You can think about the intangible qualities of your product or
service, using adjectives to describe them like ‘eco-friendly’ ‘fast’ and so on. Your goal is to
own a position in your customer’s mind so they think you’re different from others. For
example, a new hair salon might focus on the adjective “convenient” and stay open a few
hours later in the evening for customers who work late- that is something that no other local
salon might do. How will you be different from your competitors? The answers will depend
on you.

Step 2: Know your target customer

After you have defined your product or service, think about your customer. You’ve probably
had in mind some information about the market you’re about to enter, but think about your
audience because your customer will also be the vital point. You have to determine your
audience’s age, gender, socio-economic status, culture and even geographic location.
These factors will influence the way you present your company to the public.

An example of this is Nike. Nike understands that their ideal customers are people who are
passionate about sports, fitness, and an active lifestyle. They therefore target: Professional
athletes who need high-performance gear. Casual fitness enthusiasts who want stylish and
comfortable sportswear. Young people who are influenced by celebrity athletes and trends.
After all, the customer is buying the product for a reason. You have to figure out how to meet
that demand.
transition

Step 3: Develop a “personality”

How will you show customers every day what you’re all about? Many companies say
that they will “value” customers and strive for “excellent customer service”. However, these
are only theories. Not to mention the fact that we are new players in the field.

As a start-up business myself, I believe we have to map out how we’re able to fulfill
our brand’s promise, and how we will provide the true value and service to our customers.

For example, if you promise “quick”, then what does “quick service” mean in your
company? How will you ensure your service stays speedy? If you can turn it into practical
actions rather than all talks, you are on the way to success.

To give you a better understanding of these steps we just talked about, let’s take a look
at Hadilao.

-​ Hadilao’s identity: “Birthday service”, “take care of customers”, “best service”

-​ Hadilao’s target customers: willing to spend on excellent service, young people who
like trendy restaurants
-​ Halidao’s action: many extra services for diners (nail salon service, bracelet, free
dessert and snacks), exotic services (noodle dancing, birthday celebration, dancing
waiters)

transition
II. MARKETING
1. DEFINITION ( Vy )

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines marketing as “the activity,

set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging
offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

In other words, it is a process of creating values for your product or service to

attract potential clients or customers in order to increase sales and establish brand
loyalty.

That means businesses need to convince their target customers that their products
are worth investing in to meet their satisfaction profitably.

The main purpose of marketing is not only about selling products at all, but also it
is a process of understanding people’s needs, and then creating contents and
advertisement to meet the need and demand of their target market.
Transition

There are many examples of successful marketing around the world, from global
branding: Apple, Nike, or Coca Cola, to domestic branding of Vietnam: from Vinfast ,
Vinamilk or Biti’s Hunter. But today I wanna mention the contrast between Omachi - one
of the best-selling noodles in VietNam with many wide-spreaded marketing campaigns
and one of its opponents - Miliket - a long standing noodle brand in Vietnam. I want to
compare the two brand’s marketing strategies. 1 ng make a question. transition

Firstly, let's go through Omachi. As you can easily see on TV, tiktok or Youtube, Omachi
advertise their noodles extensively via many channels. If you haven’t even tried Omachi
once, the slogan debut of “ Omachi khoai tây không sợ nóng “ may somehow stick on
your mind by hearing it in short videos. Next, Omachi uses a huge amount of well-known
celebrities or Kols to endorse their products, such as actresses like Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc
or Phuong Anh Dao, singers like Amee, or youtubers like Khoai Lang Thang. By
leveraging those famous ones for promotion, Omachi became far-reaching with an image
of heat-free potato noodles. Omachi also defines themselves asa high-quality of noodle
that their potato noodles won’t cause heat, highlighting their concern for customer’s
health.Besides, Omachi expands their e-commerce market to increase sale and reach more
target customers, distributing their products to Shopee or Lazada in order to promote
their noodles prevalently.

On the other hand, Miliket- an old-age noodles brand, gradually disappears from the
media. They neglected marketing, to be honest, Miliket could exist thanks to their
reputation from the past. Recently, they have launched a new type of dry noodles but not
many people know about it until some people on TikTok and Threads know them by
chance. People wonder why this new noodle is so tasty compared to other brands but
Miliket does not run any marketing campaign. Miliket doesn't even distribute their
product to local markets or supermarkets, and customers who want to try cannot even
find their new noodles on Shopee or Lazada. Compared to their opponent - Omachi,
Milkiket doesn't do anything for promotion, from booking celebrities or running ads in
the media or updating any latest trends. So, many big questions are posed. What is
Miliket doing ? What are their intentions ? Are they late to update their marketing or do
they have another strategy ? transition ( make question for the next one “ why miliket do
that ? )

PHÚC:

I have done some research on this, let me show you what I have found. The first
reason is : Miliket is partially held by the government, with two state-owned companies
holding 50% of its shares. The government-backed businesses have a tendency to focus
on stability rather than fast growth. For that reason, Miliket can not spend much money
on big marketing or product innovation like a private company does.

The second reason is : Miliket follows old-fashioned strategies, accompanied with

the latest update of product, new flavor or packaging compared to their competitors, they
choose to maintain their old packaging despite the fast-changing market. Due to their lack
of creativity, Miliket fails to attract people, especially youngsters in the noodle market -
which is dominated by many new types. .

Combining these reasons, in my opinion, Miliket doesn't want and can not step out
of their comfort zone because of the government’s management and they also want to
be trapped in the past and play it safe, avoiding taking risks.

transition

2.Significance ( Pinky )

As far as you can see, Marketing plays a vital role in developing your business. So let me tell
you about the reasons. Why is marketing that significant?

1.Effective customer engagement

Today, marketing is more than just ads. It's how companies make real connections with
customers. By making interesting and useful content, businesses can clearly show what
makes their products or services special, and get people interested/engaged. This is not just
about sending out messages, it's about starting a conversation, making people curious, and
building a friendly relationship. With good stories, helpful information, and fun interactions,
companies can turn one-time buyers into loyal fans who support the brand. Basically, good
marketing is about building a community where customers feel understood, valued, and want
to be involved.

2. Building and maintain reputation

The reputation of a business is strongly influenced by its growth and longevity. One of the
key factors in building a strong and trustworthy brand is effective marketing. Marketing
plays a crucial role in shaping how customers perceive a business and helps establish its
value in the market. A business can only achieve long-term success and positive recognition
if it consistently meets customer needs. When customers are satisfied with the products or
services offered, they are more likely to trust the brand, recommend it to others, and remain
loyal over time.
transition

3. Building relationships between customers and business

In order to achieve sustainable growth, businesses must be developing and

maintaining strong, long-lasting relationships with their customers. This requires a deep
understanding of their needs, preferences, and buying habits.

On the other hand, marketing is mainly concerned with these factors, and so it can be
seen as a key element to help businesses build good relationships with their customers.

By studying these elements, businesses can gain valuable insights into what their customers
are looking for. This allows them to improve products and services, and create more
effective marketing strategies.

As you can see, these 2 elements are tightly integrated. If you can balance both of them, your
company’s performance will increase significantly.

4.Financial Performance

Definitely, the ultimate goal and benefit of marketing are to drive sales. When relationships
with customers are strong and well-defined, customers are more likely to engage in sales.

When marketing is done right, customers turn to your company, and you gain a competitive
advantage over your competitors. Even if both products are exactly the same, clients can be
more likely to pick you over someone else, thanks to that competitive advantage. (next slide)

For startups, marketing is essential for growth. A strong marketing strategy helps us make
people aware of their brand, attract potential customers, gain trust, keep up with market
changes, and expand our business.

By consistently improving our marketing efforts, startups can find new ways to grow, stand
out from competitors, and set ourselves up for long-term success in a fast-changing business
world.

transition

Oh right, I remember this clip from a cartoon I used to watch on TV that talks about
marketing products. Let me show you guys (video)

3. Marketing Mix 4Ps - Product, Price, Place, Promotion ( Vy )

You must have heard of the 4Ps Marketing Strategies before. 4Ps stands for Product, Price,
Place, and Promotion. There are various different marketing strategies that businesses can
follow, but 4Ps is one of the most popular ones for its compact structure that can be easily
comprehended and applied. I came across this
a. Product:
Marketers first need to have a clear and detailed idea about the product that they are
planning on marketing. That is the first P that you need to identify in order to start planning
on a successful marketing campaign.

There are a few questions that you need to answer to determine your product: Let’s go
through these questions with an example, which is Sensodyne toothpaste

●​ What problem is your product solving? Dental hygiene, sensitive teeth, repair
enamel /iˈnaməl/, relieve pain, whitening
●​ Who is your target customer? People who have sensitive teeth, want soothing
toothpaste; people who want to protect their teeth in the long run by using good but
safe toothpaste products; People who have to deal with toothache when eating cold or
hot food
●​ How does your product address your target customers’ needs? Sensodyne is
clinically proven to whiten teeth, specifically designed for sensitive teeth. It can
improve teeth sensitivity after a period of time used, and protect the teeth enamel.
●​ What does your product offer that competitors products do not? Sensodyne is
clinically proven of its positive effects to support sensitive teeth, which means it is
more reliable. Sensodyne is also one of the leading brands of toothpaste that focus on
sensitive teeth, making it stand out from other brands.

Put yourself in your customers shoes to see what they seek in your products.
The better you know your products, the better your marketing strategy will be.

transition

(PHÚC) b. Price:
The next P that you need to determine is the price of your product. Let’s
continue with Sensodyne as the example to answer some questions that marketers need
to watch out for this section:

●​ What do competing products cost? Right now, with the price range between 53-90k
per 100g tube, Sensodyne is competing with brands like Colgate, Closeup, or P/S.
These 3 brands are sold with a much more competitive price, around 25-40k for
regular products and up to 115k for specialized products such as Colgate Optic White
that can whiten teeth. As you can see, Sensodyne provides a slightly higher than
average price, which is understandable for its specialized usage.
●​ How much are your customers willing to spend? For Sensodyne, I believe that their
customers would be willing to spend a slightly higher price than regular products to
 ensure the safety of their sensitive teeth. With that being said, the price range I
mentioned above is suitable for the products.
●​ Can your products have different price points? Aside from the two regular versions
sold at 53k that merely does the job of protecting sensitive teeth, Sensodyne provides
other products that tackle more dental issues such as teeth whitening and teeth repair,
sold at 68k and 90k respectively. For Sensodyne, since they have different products
with different competency levels, it is almost predetermined that they have different
price points for their products.
●​ (next slide 38) What does your product cost to create? This calls for the difference
between your cost price and selling price. For this, I’d like to mention the Big Mac
index. This is a list of prices of a Big Mac sold around the world. (According to
Statista) In 2024, a Big Mac is sold for 3.01 USD in Vietnam. In one of my classes, my
professor assigned us a task which is to look up online where to buy ingredients that
can create the cheapest Big Mac. The winning team managed to “make” a Big Mac
for only half a dollar. That means this team would be generating 2 and a half USD for
each Big Mac sold. Even though it is only a hypothetical situation, I hope it gives you
a good grasp of how the cost price of a product affects your business. Determining the
cost price of your product can help you identify your profit margins as well as
deciding on the budget for marketing. (thêm slide có giá tiền lun)

After considering these elements, a business can decide on its own prices that
make sure it is profitable yet competitive. Transition

c. Place:
This 3rd P in the Mix determines your distribution channels, which is one of the
key factors to reach your customers. Marketers need to ask themselves these questions
to identify the place factor:

●​ Where does your customer purchase similar products? This one sounds easy, like if
you are selling toothpaste then they sure are seen in retail stores. But what if you’re
selling anything other than that? Or if that’s not all the distribution channels? Here’s a
trick from a fellow gen z: Look online. You will see which sites are selling the
products, and naturally, they will be sold in that site’s physical stores. Though, I'm
sure that spending some time going out to stores to look for the goods and make a
detailed report also does the trick!
●​ Where is your target customer located? This one can be a bit more abstract, but I
think you can observe your competing brands as well. If you are selling high-end
products, then locating near upper-middle to high income neighborhoods or city
centers would be more suitable, while for low-end and mid-end products, anywhere
aside from those areas would be more appropriate. You might be wondering: why can’t
I just be in high-income areas to sell my mid-end goods? One word for you: Rent.
●​ Are you business or customer-focused? For example, if you are a semiconductor
company, your target customers would actually be other businesses instead of
individuals. On the other hand, a flower shop would be customer-focused as they trade
directly with users as individuals.
●​ Where are your competitors selling their products or services? This can go from
more general information such as which store, in what area of town, to smaller details
such as where on the shelf, or in which section of a retail store. Observing successful
competitors is a great way to indicate which distribution channels would be a good fit
for your product or service.

Transition: Vy, do you know the last P in this mix?

(Vy) d. Promotion:
If product is what you're selling, price is how much you're selling it for, and
place is where you're selling it, then promotion is how you're promoting the sale. There
are a few questions you need to answer to set a good foundation for your promotion
plans:

●​ Who is your target audience? You have to understand who you're speaking to so you
can decide what voice and tone will resonate the most.
●​ How do you want your brand to be perceived? Think about what brand personality
makes sense for your product and industry. A lot of brands are building a personality
that can be very intimate to their audience. You must have seen Duo - Duolingo’s
mascot online that films trendy videos on social media, or other brands’ social
accounts acting quite impulsive in a way, in order to promote their product or service
(Diêm Thống Nhất, Hỏa Lò). On the other hand, businesses that require seriousness
would prefer building their image around that to maintain professionalism. In short,
the way you promote your brand will affect your overall image in the eyes of your
audience.
●​ What distribution channels does our target audience use to consume
information? As mentioned before, different brands may suit different channels. And
choosing the right channels according to your target audience and brand is also a
crucial factor for your promotional campaigns. For example, if you are a B2B
business, your main audience is other business owners, so you will need to identify
suitable channels to advertise your business.
●​ How are competitors promoting their products? This once again emphasizes one of
the advantages of a start-up business, which is the ability to follow your predecessors’
footsteps. Learning how other businesses promote their products will give you a good
idea of how to run your own promotional campaign
●​ Can you capitalize on seasonality? Take into consideration if your product or service
needs changing based on the time of the year. Fashion industry is a prime example of
this, where different seasons look for different styles and trends: spring-summer
 fashion would go for more breathable, and for fall-winter season, people would want
to be swaddled in warmer garments. transition

Transition Key differences: branding vs. marketing

Take a look at these important distinctions between branding and marketing:

Branding Marketing
Aim Establish a unique brand identity Promote products and make sales
that resonates with customers

What it Brand personality and brand values Brand messaging, plus selling points
conveys like discounts and product positioning

Lifecycle Long-term Can be long-term or short-term

Target Stays the same regardless of Can vary depending on campaign and
audience audience segment channel

Success Includes brand awareness, brand Can include KPIs like click-through
metrics perception, and brand loyalty rates, email open rates, and website
traffic

(Branding Vs. Marketing: Examples, Similarities, and Differences, 2025)

Reference: https://www.shopify.com/blog/branding-vs-marketing

​ That is the end of our presentation, we HOPE after our little talk, you can implement
an effective branding and marketing strategy for your own business. Before we move onto
the Q&A, we would like to check your understanding of the knowledge we introduced you to
through a quick Kahoot game.

​ …

​ Okee kahoot done

​ Now it is time for Q&A. You can raise your hand to ask a question.