Vietnamese car brand VinFast worked with a fleet of influencers to create livestream and achieve a first for the brand: Inspiring buyers to place pre-orders without ever even test driving the brand's new electric vehicle model.
From Vietnam, VinFast has been a rising challenger in global electric vehicle (EV) market since 2018. With the vision of popularizing EV adoption beyond Vietnam, VinFast has launched globally in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Therefore, the portfolio previously focused on bigger and more premium segment SUVs. These models consistently portrayed VinFast in a mature brand image, catering EVs to individuals and families with medium and high incomes.
In 2024, to grow share by diversifying its portfolio, VinFast decided to expand the audiences by creating a lower entry point for EVs. With its VF3 model, the mini-EV — with a more affordable price tag — was born.
To successfully launch VF3 in VinFast's home market of Vietnam, the brand needed to:
The campaign had to hit the market quickly due to a rising wave of competitors. Because of the urgency needed, the first batch of cars would still be in production when messaging began to go public, making it impossible for customers to test-drive before deciding to buy or not. This goes against the cultural preference for "first-hand experience rather than second-hand knowledge," especially for high-involvement products like cars.
Additionally, EVs were still not widely adopted among prospective Vietnamese vehicle owners, and the lack of test drives posed a significant barrier to customer decision-making.
The VF3 launch aimed to captivate minicar prospective owners with its retro chic design, compact size for urban driving, full functionality, and accessible price.
VinFast strategically defined the target buyers as urbanites nationwide: mature buyers ages 30 to 45 who were seeking a chic second car for city commutes and vibrant younger buyers ages 18 to 30 wanting a trendy first car. This socially savvy audience, united by a passion to stand out with their personal style, is most likely to pre-order the VF3 for its potential as an elevated choice for urban lifestyle and self-expression with an affordable price tag.
Additionally, the Vietnamese are savvy e-commerce and social buyers, as 60.7 percent of the population shops online.
The VF3 itself is an outstanding offering: an affordable price tag, compact size for urban commutes, and a unique retro-chic design. But VinFast needed to build immense trust and desirability to drive pre-orders among early adopters.
The brand highlighted the EV's high perceived value, transforming VinFast's image to appeal to a younger, trendier audience. By activating highly-trusted influencers across diverse fields — artists, comedians, lifestyle experts, and tech gurus — VinFast inspired prospective buyers to "unbound their imagination" and envision a new EV lifestyle. The strategy included diverse product education, ensuring the VF3 met various practical needs and lifestyle wants, ultimately making it a must-have.
With messaging geared toward trendsetting urbanistas, who possessed a passion for expressing themselves differently, the VF3 inspired "Unbound Imagination" — the power to envision a new EV lifestyle with the VF3. VinFast focused mainly on influencers and communities to maximize buzz and significantly boost pre-orders in a short time.
The three-day pre-order period occurred only four days after the surprise announcement of the VF3 official launch. To catch attention and maximize awareness in such a short time, VinFast chose social commerce in livestream format as an effective way to raise social buzz and drive pre-orders.
Firstly, the brand announced pre-order information, including the first-ever livestream for selling cars, to capture the audience's attention, featuring several popular TikTokers, livestreamers, and influencers from diverse industries such as Le Duong Bao Lam, Virus, PewPew, Jun Pham, Issac, Ha Linh, and Duy Khanh Zhou Zhou.
These influencers created content that:
Secondly, the brand amplified efforts through communities and PR to create curiosity and build FOMO among potential customers. Finally, during the three-day pre-order period, official livestreams spread information about the VF3 with diverse content, such as car reviews, detailed product information, lifestyle segments, and entertainment to persuade the audience to make a purchase decision.
VinFast secured 501 pre-orders through the livestreaming sessions, bringing in 7.5 billion VND in three days. This result set the stage for the VF3 to be the best-selling car of 2024, surpassing the sales of Vietnam's 2023 best-seller, the Mitsubishi Xpander, by a staggering 8,000 units. Pre-order goals were exceeded by 300 percent, forcing VinFast to increase its 2024 production plan from 9,000 to 20,000 units to meet the explosive demand.
The groundbreaking approach of livestreaming car sales and leveraging e-commerce platforms has now become the gold standard for VinFast, revolutionizing launch strategies for future models. This electrifying shift not only generated immediate sales but also set a new benchmark for digital marketing and sales in the automotive industry, ensuring VinFast remains at the forefront of innovation and customer engagement.
