Challenge
While sweetness is a prominent feature in Vietnamese cuisine, chocolate enjoys popularity in forms such as drinks, desserts, and snacks.
However, chocolate as a standalone confection remained a small category, particularly in the bar format, which was under-penetrated.
In light of this, we were tasked with a category development project in Vietnam to position the chocolate bar as a meaningful and culturally relevant offering.
Approach
Quantum took a two pronged approach to the challenge:
(1)At a micro level, we focused on the consumer to deeply understand perceptions and attitudes towards chocolate, along with moments, occasions and drivers relevant to chocolate.
(2)At a macro level, culturally and semiotically we explored and understood deep tensions in the Vietnamese culture that chocolate could solve for, thereby identifying relevant and meaningful spaces for Chocolate in the Vietnamese market.
Impact
Through this exploration, we identified that chocolate currently had no cultural meaning in Vietnam.
Given this, Step 1 was to reframe and re-code the meaning of chocolate in the market; identify the role that sweet snacks play, and how chocolate could offer new and relevant meaning.
With this, we zoned in on 4 culturally relevant spaces for the chocolate bar in Vietnam. Each space was elucidated with cues on how to ground this in the Vietnamese consumer’s reality (tension to solve for) and recommendations on communicating the space to consumers (Brand POV, communication recommendations, product role).
Currently, the shortlisted spaces are being developed for communication.