About HONOR
Founded in 2013, HONOR is part of Huawei Technologies’s dual-brand strategy that focuses on the mid-range smartphones’ line. HONOR targets young people who are energetic and full of surprises.
HONOR came onto the Vietnam market in 2015. In 2016, HONOR successfully developed the AI camera to help young people become more connected to others and be more true to themselves.
(Boxall 2019; Kan 2015; Brief for Integrated Brand Communication 2019; ‘About’ n.d; ‘What Is AI Camera In HONOR Mobile Phones’ 2018)
HONOR HULK
In 2020, HONOR introduces HONOR HULK - the newest generation of the ‘X’ line. HONOR HULK has sleek, eye-catching design and a great battery life.
The most fascinating detail about the HULK is its AI camera, which can correctly identify different objects and adjust for the best color and exposure in every lighting condition.
Reputable parent company: HONOR is part of Huawei Consumer Business Group, a global leading technology brand, which will increase HONOR’s credibility (HONOR n.d; Huawei 2019).
Reasonable pricing: Average Vietnamese income is 2,55 million VND (General Statistics Office, 2019). HONOR’s range of 2,990,000VND ~ 5,990,000 VND is affordable for them (FPT n.d).
E-commerce: IT products is the second most popular online goods and E-commerce will continue to grow in the following years (Q&Me 2019).
Millennials: 48% are willing to pay for innovative products and has a preference for affordable premium products (Nielsen 2016; Anjoubalt 2018).
Media consumption: Facebook is the most used social media platform in Vietnam and getting information is the consumers’ 2nd most popular motivation when online (Q&Me 2019)
Three-year inactivity: HONOR had a three-year hiatus from 2015 to 2018. During this period, the number of smartphone users increased and other competitors developed their fanbase (Ngọc Ánh 2018).
Ineffective communications and low brand awareness: HONOR’s number of Facebook followers is only 20% compared to Xiaomi, which launched two years after HONOR. (HONOR Vietnam 2019; Xiaomi 2019)
Fierce competition: The smartphone market is highly saturated (Hà Cúc 2018). In the mid-tier segment, Xiaomi and Oppo are dominating while Samsung also aims to expand in this price range (Thảo Trần 2019; Bảo An 2019).
Decreasing brand loyalty: Pacific-Asian consumers are more open to switching brands, especially those in developing markets like Vietnam (Nielsen 2019). While this may benefit HONOR in the short term, in the long term, HONOR’s brand loyalty will also be at risk.
Reference:
Anjoubault, D 2018, ‘Vietnam: Into the Minds of Millennial shoppers’, Kantar, viewed 6 November 2019, <https://www.kantarworldpanel.com/vn/news/Vietnam-Into-the-minds-of-Millennial-shoppers>.
Bảo An 2019, ‘Samsung mang đột phá vào smartphone tầm trung’, VnExpress, 3 April, viewed 7 November 2019, <https://vnexpress.net/so-hoa/vivo-gioi-thieu-thuong-hieu-smartphone-thong-qua-mon-the-thao-vua-3918642.html>.
Boxall, A 2019, ‘The Honor 9X looks great, but small frustrations will make you cross’, Digital Trends, viewed 12 December 2019, <https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/honor-9x-hands-on-news-features-price-specs/>.
'Brief for Integrated Brand Communication' 2019, COMM2386 Interdisciplinary Communication Project, RMIT University, Hanoi, viewed 12 December 2019, Blackboard@RMIT.
FPT Shop n.d., ‘Điện Thoại HONOR’, FPT Shop, viewed 2 November 2019, <https://fptshop.com.vn/dien-thoai/honor>.
General Statistics Office of Vietnam 2019, Tình hình kinh tế - xã hội 6 tháng đầu năm 2019, General Statistics Office of Vietnam, viewed 1 November 2019, <https://www.gso.gov.vn/Default.aspx?tabid=621&idmid=&ItemID=19226>.
Hà Cúc 2019, ‘Công nghiệp smartphone đã thực sự bão hòa’, Brands Vietnam, viewed 5 November 2019, <https://www.brandsvietnam.com/17527-Cong-nghiep-smartphone-da-thuc-su-bao-hoa>.
HONOR 2018, ‘What Is AI Camera In HONOR Mobile Phones’, Hihonor, viewed 12 December 2019, <https://www.hihonor.com/global/blog/what-is-ai-camera-in-honor-mobile-phones/>.
HONOR n.d, ‘About’, Hihonor, viewed 12 December 2019, <https://www.hihonor.com/global/brand/>.
HONOR n.d, ‘Về HONOR’, HONOR, Huawei Device Co., viewed 30 November 2019, <https://www.hihonor.com/vn/brand/>.
HONOR Vietnam 2019, Facebook Page, Honor, Vietnam, viewed 27 October 2019, <https://www.facebook.com/HonorVietnam/>.
Huawei 2019, Huawei là ai (Who is Huawei), homepage, Huawei, Vietnam, viewed 27 October 2019, <https://consumer.huawei.com/vn/about-us/>.
Kan, M 2015, ‘Huawei's Honor brand strives to become global’, CIO, IDG Communications, Inc., viewed 12 December 2019, <https://www.cio.com/article/2942513/huaweis-honor-brand-strives-to-become-global.html>.
Ngọc Ánh 2018, ‘Nhộn nhịp thị trường điện thoại thông minh nửa đầu năm 2018’, Brands Vietnam, viewed 1 November 2019, <https://www.brandsvietnam.com/15955-Nhon-nhip-thi-truong-dien-thoai-thong-minh-nua-dau-nam-2018>.
Nielsen 2016, 'Mở khoá thế hệ Millennial tại Việt Nam (Unlock the Millennial generation in Vietnam)', Nielsen, viewed 29 October 2019, <https://www.nielsen.com/vn/vi/insights/report/2016/unlocking-millennials-vietnam/>.
Nielsen 2019, ‘Nielsen: Consumer Disloyalty is The New Normal’, Nielsen, viewed 2 November 2019, <https://www.nielsen.com/eu/en/press-releases/2019/consumer-disloyalty-is-the-new-normal/>.
Q&Me 2019, ‘Vietnam consumer trends 2019’, Q&Me, Asia Plus Inc., viewed 1 November 2019, <https://qandme.net/en/report/vietnam-consumer-trends-2019.html>.
Thảo Trần 2019, ‘Chân dung 10 smartphone bán chạy nhất tại Việt Nam’ (Top 10 best-selling smartphones in Vietnam), ICT News, viewed 9 November 2019, <https://ictnews.vn/kinh-doanh/thi-truong/chan-dung-10-smartphone-ban-chay-nhat-tai-viet-nam-190266.ict>.
Xiaomi Vietnam 2019, Facebook Page, Xiaomi, Vietnam, viewed 28 October 2019, <https://www.facebook.com/XiaomiVietnam/>.