For example, at the stage of the advertising campaign, we did not have a customer service department. Usually, it reads the client’s expectations and the current reality and how Unfortunately we did not much they correspond to each other. We thought that it was enough to have people who simply sell volumes.
We essentially ran campaigns for the easiest advertising products. Unfortunately we did not
That is, we simply found the right audience and “poured” traffic. Meanwhile, our company’s infrastructure has five areas and a dozen different advertising innovation products that were not properly communicated to advertisers. They did not understand what to buy next and how to develop their initial successes. Sales boarding was conducted according to the model: “Do you know what programmatic is? Yes, you do. Here’s a client, tell him and take the budget.”
The head of the office had to promptly Unfortunately we did not
identify the reasons for refusals, those notorious “bottlenecks” that delay processes. But for sales, the very fact of getting a “yes” from the client means success. “That’s it, I’ve done my job, I don’t have to work anymore!” And the regional manager transmitted this approach to the local team of sales, media publisher and account manager, which led to downtime and inconsistency.
Our start in Vietnam did not follow the classic path of launch and marshall islands business email list development, as in other countries. Due to the attractiveness of the market, its high dynamics and the apparent ease of entry, it was decided to trust a manager who had shown himself to be excellent in another country and believed that he could cope on the new front. A large credit of trust and the absence of micromanagement as an approach did not justify themselves.
The role of the state and the individual in business history
The second important aspect of our Vietnamese history is the specific interaction of local advertisers (and businesses in general) with the state.
In Vietnam, international companies with foreign registration are not welcome, all must be “grounded” within the country’s contours. Although currency controls allow payments to foreign suppliers (for example, in Singapore), questions arise: compliance with brand safety rules, advertising legislation, corporate standards.
Unfortunately, we did not conduct a thorough analysis of regulatory requirements, but instead decided to move by inertia: have money, have contacts? Let’s go! Unfortunately we did not
However, government regulation in this country plays a significant role, including control over the level of localization of foreign companies. For example, in Indonesia, we have never encountered any claims from the government. But here we fell into a trap – we transferred our Indonesian and Indian experience to Vietnam, considering that they are more or less similar, since they are located in the same region.
For us, this created many barriers in the form of inspections and the misinterpretation of information about customer expectations claims to work schemes. For example, we placed advertising messages on news channels, where the feed could also contain reports on accidents, road incidents, etc. Such negative news content, according to the regulator, harms brand safety.
For example, a Honda car manufacturer Unfortunately we did not
places its ads through us, and the news reports an accident involving this brand. All of this is a violation of brand safety. We monitor such things, and the percentage of inaccuracies is minimal – about 0.1%, but “friendly” competitors immediately take screenshots and send them to the local Roskomnadzor – VNTA (Vietnam Telecommunication Authority). This is a regulator with a full range of powers to monitor compliance with legislation in the telecommunications and digital services market in the country.
Another point is the personal presence of the regional Unfortunately we did not manager. Our first manager spent most of his time in Indonesia. Video communication mobile lead could not fully compensate for his absence “on the ground”, which affected both the relations with agencies and interaction with regulators. He took on increased obligations and assured that he could cope with the management in both countries (as it seems to me, simply because he wanted to earn more and faster), and we took this risk because he did a great job in Indonesia.
But when starting a new office, the manager’s constant presence is necessary, and one visit every month or two months was not enough. Without proper control, the management vertical began to crack.