COMM2843 ASN02 Pham Nguyen Mai Anh S3877361 02-01 PDF

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Assignment 2 : Communications Case Study THE POWER OF SOLIDARITY THROUGH THE EPIDEMIC COVID 19 WITH BITI'S HUNTER “#PROUDLYMADEINVIETNAM" MUSIC VIDEOIntroductionThroughout the COVID 19 pandemic, Vietnam footwear industry is evaluated asno disruption; the only effect was due to the outbreak in the le...

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Assignment 2 : Communications Case Study THE POWER OF SOLIDARITY THROUGH THE EPIDEMIC COVID 19 WITH BITI'S HUNTER “#PROUDLYMADEINVIETNAM" MUSIC VIDEO

Introduction Throughout the COVID 19 pandemic, Vietnam footwear industry is evaluated as no disruption; the only effect was due to the outbreak in the length of time between April & June of 2020, resulting in a decline of 10% compared to the exportation in 2019 (WorldFootWear 2021). Being one of the top four largest footwear exporters (Figure 1.1), unfortunately, Vietnam footwear market still could not satisfy Vietnamese teenagers' hearts - the main consumers group, due to their preferences for imported shoes with stylish designs. The most notable reason for this failure is the lack of the variety of choices in design (NWC Vietnam Consulting n.d.) and not understanding the needs of consumers.

Figure 1.1. The chart express the top footwear exporters in 2019, reproduced from (WorldFootWear 2020)

Used to be described as a ‘parents’ brand (Nguyen 2020), Biti’s is slowly transforming into a more up-to-date image with revolutionary TVC/communication plans. With the launch of the new sneaker series nạmed Biti's Hunter, having numerous “hunts" from their target consumers - teenagers, Biti’s is officially competing with worldwide sneakers brands such as Nike, Adidas,.. (Nguyen 2018). The advent of the new upgrading Biti's Hunter Street along with #ProudlyMadeInVietnam platform has proudly honoured the no-need-of perfection beauty and led the wave of pride “ Vietnamese people using products made in Vietnam” (Uyen 2020). Successfully enhancing brand image and parallely dealing with the crisis, in 2019, “Canvas of Pride" campaign and #ProudlyMadeInVietnam Music Video has brought

the great value of national pride and unity close to Vietnamese's heart and become a statue of kindness and vigor through stories. This case study will go into depth to clarify elements of this advertisement with three main points: - Providing background information through the agency of Harold Lasswell’s communication model. - Explaining why this advertisement is exceptional and worth dedicating deeper investigations. - Examining over and above the elements of this advertisement under the scope of Semiotic Theory and Elaboration Likelihood Model

Background The surrounding information concerning Biti's #ProudlyMadeinVietnam campaign video will be identified by using components of Harold Lasswell's communication model with ‘5Ws’ which is "Who, (says) What, (to) Whom, (in) Which Channel, (with) What Effect". (Wenxiu 2015) Who Biti's first came to Vietnamese footwear industry in 1982, gradually became a legend owing to their quality products, attaching alongs with numerous vietnamese 8x-9x generation's childhood. Biti's products in the year of 1990 were mostly owned by every Viet family due to the long-lasting quality and affordability (Dan Tri 2017). “Tender care for Vietnamese Feet '' - The slogan attached along the journey of building and developing of Biti's since their very first beginning. Due to the quality products, especially long-lasting sandals, Biti's has become a top of mind brand for Vietnamese parents (Vietnam News 2017); but Biti’s has soon faced an issue as their product designs become outdated and antiquated since consumers began to upgrade their needs from not only high quality but also fashionable designs. In order to create a rejuvenation from the old image, Biti's launched Biti’s Hunter sneaker series and the lastest “Di de tro ve" campaign might be understood as Biti's branding rebirthed, turned a brand from being evaluated as “out of trend", “ the brand which is only suitable for old generation” (Business Forum, 2020) back to a trending name, reimaged the old thoughts. Says What In 2020, shoe trade industry in general and Biti’s in particular were all facing negative impacts regarding their businesses, especially the economic crisis due to the world pandemic (Tran, 2020). Biti's encountered the challenge of maintaining their business productivity

along with enhancing brand value, led to the release of “Canvas of Pride - Tự Hào Made in Vietnam” ( Canvas of Pride - Proudly Made in Vietnam) communication campaign along with the upgraded sneaker series named Biti’s Hunter Street. The idea of using realistic records from Vietnamese people in order to connect their hearts that always care for each other and give an affectionate look towards the homeland, was visualized into an advertising video. In the moment when the spirit of national unity is burning in every single Vietnamese, Biti’s had captured the notion and produced the artwork on the sneakers that presented those sublime sacrifices of medical, army teams, the tolerance of welcoming “the children" from abroad coming back to the motherland on those rescue flights. Consequently, the brand had succeeded at spreading love and positivity through the Biti’s Hunter Street Blackline Sneakers music video during the global pandemic. In Which Channel Images are highly valuable in the media for conveying messages efficiently (UK essays 2015), Biti's Hunter incorporates a wide range of resources, including advertisements, social media integration with KOLs, and public relations in order to generate communication that is innovative and reliable. Furthermore, according to Datareportal (2020) (Figure 2.1), the percentage of internet users aged from 16 to 64 which coincides with Biti’s Hunter target customer (“Generation Z”: the tweens, the teenager, the young adults and the youth (Thanh Ha n.d.). Thus, by utilizing suitable media channels, Biti’s has successfully convey their message and communicated with their target audience.

Figure 2.1. Perecntage chart represented the use of mobile apps by category, reproduced on datareportal 2020

Figure 2.2. The advertising of Biti's on Facebook fanpage, reproduced from (Facebook 2020)

Figure 2.3. The advertising on Nguoi Lao Dong News, reproduced from (Brand Vietnam 2020)

Figure 2.3. The advertisement of Biti's Hunter on social media platform, reproduced on (Instagram 2020)

To Whom According to WARC (2020), Biti's primary sector targets specifically consumers ages from 18 to 35. But they had wonderfully chosen the theme that honors the sacrifice and ever since the music video heading toward every single citizen with the heart bumping for the nation's, aiming to extend the target. With What Effect Due to the campaign music video and target of donating 10% of the revenue, Biti’s has not only grown the sales business but also increased the brand preference. Biti’s Hunter has represented the whole nation to show the respectation to our heroes of the front line against the epidemic

Significance This online music video from Biti’s can be identified as an outstanding instance in this extensive ocean of advertisements, which can be explained through the medium of how the message was communicated in a semiotical way and the amount of persuasiveness it imposes on viewers Firstly, the whole music video was filled with national-based illustrations. Biti’s Hunters always manage to maintain their tradition in the communication process by using a nationalism element to honor the Vietnamese origin ( Koi 2020 ). By this point of view, the brand provoked national pride and strengthened patriotism in every individual target audience that Biti’s wanted to communicate with.

Figure 3.1. The image represented the doctor with the Vietnamese national flag,reproduce from (Youtube 2020)

On the other hand, the best advertisers in the world utilize storytelling to raise brand awareness and conversion rates (Bhattcharya n.d.). According to Forbes (2018), this term of

marketing allows advertisers to engage with their customers on a more personal level. Biti's has brought in the whole of people with important responsibilities and citizens in the fight against the epidemic.

Figure 3.2. The artwork of lofty people who sacrisfice their life for epidemic prevention , reproduced from ( Youtube 2020)

Theory The #ProudlyMadeinVietnam music video and the Biti's Hunter Street with artwork sneaker will be analyzed with the application of these two theories, specifically Semiotic Theory and Two-Step Flow theory. These theories will be discussed in detail in the following paragraph. A. Semiotic Theory Semiotics theory is insisted as the study of signs using behaviour (Robert 2006). Semiotic theory or people usually called “the action of sign" is defined as an element process based on the insight which models the species and cultures ( Irene & Vinicious 2011 ). The novelist Umberto Eco has indicated that, ‘semiotics is concerned with everything that can be taken as a sign' (Eco 1976, 7) The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) has been one of the founders of linguistic and also develop the basis groundwork and proposed the term Semiotic or Semiology (Yakin & Totu 2014) , beside, the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) and Charles William Morris (1901-1979) was also the key figures to the development of the semiotic theory (Daniel n.d.). According to Saussure, a sign included 2 components which is sound pattern and concept ( signifier and signified) (Figure 2.1) ; Signifier refers to something that exists and can be eminent physically by human sense, while signified indicated things which basically not existed (Eco, 7 1976; Zoest, 1996; Leeds-Hurwitz, 1993; Chandler, 2001; Masinambau, 2001).The relationship between these 2 are evaluated as can’t be separated, referred as a significant system.

Figure 2.1. The image shows the relationship and basic definition between signifier and signified, reproduced from Writing Commons

B. Elaboration Likelihood Model The Elaboration Likelihood Model is a theory developed by Richard Petty and John Cacioppo in the 1970s and 1980s. Previous research on persuasion has shown conflicting results, so Petty and Cacioppo develop their theories to better explain how and why people can be persuaded to change their attitudes about a certain topic. According to Petty and Cacioppo (1984), a key concept to understand is the idea of construction. At a higher level of construction, people are more likely to think about an issue carefully, but at a lower level, they are more likely to make decisions that are not thought through (Petty and Cacioppo 1984). Essentially, elaboration is a low-to-high spectrum (Petty and Cacioppo 1984). Someone's position on the spectrum affects how likely they are to be persuaded via the central line or the peripheral line (Petty and Cacioppo 1984). On the one hand, when the granularity is higher, customers are more likely to be convinced through the central route (Dillard & Pfau 2002). In the central route, people pay attention to the merits of an argument, and they carefully weigh the pros and cons of an issue (Petty and Cacioppo 1984). Basically, the central route involves using critical thinking and trying to make the best decisions possible (Petty and Cacioppo 1984) (Figure . Importantly, attitudes formed through the central route appear to be particularly strong (Bhattacherjee & Sanford 2006). When persuaded through the central path, consumers are less likely to be tried by others to change their mind later, and they are more likely to act in ways that are consistent with our new attitude (Dillard & Pfau 2002).

On the other hand, at the periphery, people are susceptible to signals that are not really relevant to the current problem (Bhattacherjee & Sanford 2006). For example, consumers may be persuaded to buy a product because a famous or attractive spokesperson is using it. In the peripheral route, consumers may also be persuaded to support something because they see that there are many arguments in favor of it — but they may not consider carefully whether these arguments are really good or not. To sum up, The Elaboration Likelihood Model has been an influential and widely cited theory in psychology, and its main contribution is the idea that people can be persuaded in one of two different ways depending on their preferences depending on their level of construction for a particular topic.

Analysis 1. Semiotic Theory The figures used throughout the music video are painting images that are more likely to be approached by the younger generation, which is also the target audience of the video. The scene of this music video are displays with variety of colors, but red and orange are the main color for the whole video.The value conveyed by the feeling that an observer feels when looking at the color of certain signs is determined by color semiotics (Mario 2019), according to Live Science (2012), the color of red presented for health, strength and desired; besides, orange express the feeling of courage and confidence, synonymous with the faith and spirit of overcoming the epidemic and present the virtue inherent through many generation : resilient, indomitable, needy, thrifty, integrity (Nhan Dan news 2020)

Figure 3.1. The opening scene of the music video. (reproduced from Youtube 2020)

Figure 3.1. The scene of the music video, reproduced from (Youtube 2020)

Ever since Vietnam has a long victorious history of building and maintain along with developing, from the very first beginning, every individual are believed as the children of Dragon from Bach Viet country and grandchildren of Immortal (Lac Long Quan - Au Co), the divine origin of the nation is the combination convergence of nature and landscape which prove the point that regardless of the situation, Vietnamese national unity is maintained by helping one another in overcoming challenges.Biti's has mention and honor our pridely condition in order to remind us even if we falling down, remember to stand straight up

Figure 3.2. “If one day we fell down, never forget that we are the children of Dragon and grandchildren of Immortal", the image of the legendary character known as Au Co, reproduced from (Youtube 2020)

By mentioning the history,we could understand the senior generation lives, what they did, and also to let the later generations draw lessons from the past to live better, beside profound patriotism ( Hau Giang News 2016). With the merit of choosing and building up the wonderful country with an undefeated landscape in the hearts of Vietnamese’s people, Hung King has been a statue in the citizen's mind. Back to the modernity, the minister of Vietnam government office - the presenter of the frontline force of the epidemic prevention has provided numerous solutions to protect citizens at the natio and bringing back Vietnam citizens from the pandemic area in order to rescue them (Ministry of Public Health 2021). For the purpose of honoring, Biti collaborated with individuals to sketch out these legendary people.

Figure 3.3. “ The way to love the one who build up the country", the image of the first king of Vietnam and the Vietnamese Minister of Government office, reproduced from (Youtube 2020)

Human factor is one of the most important elements mentioned in this music video besides the history factor. Leaving no one behind - the slogan provided by the government (Nhan Dan News 2020 ), which is the warmest affirmation for Vietnam compatriots in foreign countries. No distinction of nationality, the government has given a hand to international friends - An England pilot infected Covid 19 is an example of “Leaving no one behind" (Ministry of Medical 2020)

Figure 3.4. Iconic slogan “Leaving no one behind" , reproduced from (Youtube 2020)

Figure 3.5. “ Spreading the wave of connection - Together overcome the “thunderstorm" “, reproduced from (Youtube 2020)

Figure 3.6. The image present the medical and army team“ Friends around the world having danger - no problem", reproduced from (Youtube 2020)

Figure 3.7. The image present how energetic and positive the medical and army team in particular and the citizens in general are, reproduced from (YouTube 2020)

2. Elaboration Likelihood Model It would be such a mistake if this particular advertisement is not further examined under the scope of Elaboration Likelihood Model, since in this video, Biti’s has opted for the peripheral route of imposing persuasiveness on their targeted customers. To start with, during the pandemic, Vietnam emerged as an exceptional example in the eyes of the world (Nhan Dan 2020), not only by virtue of the containment of the coronavirus spread, but also for the optimism, compassion and creativity that the nation stood with (Thien 2020). Noticing the situation, Biti’s had shrewdly employed many emblematic features of fight against COVID19 in Vietnam such as the rescue flights to help compatriot living in foreign countries come back to motherland to stay safe from the pandemic or Vietnamese medical teams and soldiers sacrificed their lives to help restrain the expansion of the pandemic. With the employment of national pride in the advertisement, the brand had successfully transmitted their message and subsidiarily influenced the purchase decision of their viewers.

Figure 3.8. The flight of rescue for Vietnam compatriot from national countries, reproduced from (Youtube 2020)

Furthermore, Biti’s also made use of cultural elements in this specific advertisement. In Vietnamese culture, there was a tale describing Vietnamese as the descendants of dragons and fairies. Bringing out the utmost pride in each citizen’s heart (Hjerm 1998), Biti’s had managed to indicate national pride in a well-thought-out manner, which had resulted in brand impression and locating minor persuasion on their customers.

Consequently, Biti’s had managed to gather social impressions from their target audience and maintain their business segment with an increase of sales.

Conclusion To sum up this case study, Biti's Hunter's music video “#ProudlyMadeinVietnam", pertaining to the Canvas of pride campaign is a notable example of touch plans. Its significance can be gauged by a number of aspects, including the length of time they took to release the video, the unusual way in bringing the whole Covid-19 pandemic stories,getting back an incredible results in both business and improving brand awareness The application of two communication theories on analyzing can be concluded that these two models and theories efficiently transmit the brand's meaning, and that the Elaboration Likelihood Model blends cordially with the Semiotic Hypothesis to improve Biti's Hunter's ability to communicate its main message. The exclusive music video has brought the whole meaningful story of solidarity and the dauntless energy of Vietnamese people in particular and the whole nation in general

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