Marketing strategy for TNS Vietnam services

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & TRAINING UNIVERSITEÙ LIBRE DE BRUXELLES
HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY SOLVAY BUSINESS SCHOOL

MBMM PROGRAM


NGUYEN HUY HOANG

MARKETING STRATEGY FOR
TNS VIETNAM SERVICES


FINAL PROJECT
MASTER IN BUSINESS & MARKETING MANAGEMENT



Tutor: Dr. Dang Ngoc Dai


Ho Chi Minh City
2007
DECLARATION

I hereby enclose 8 hard copies of my final project entitled “Marketing strategy
for TNS Vietnam services” to the Universiteù Libre De Bruxelles – Solvay
Business School & Ho Chi Minh City Open University. This final project is to the
best of my knowledge and I certify that all information contained in this project
is true and accurate in every respect and may be considered for any further
checking by the Universities.

THANK YOU!

In preparing this final project, I’ve already received valuable feedback and
comments from Dr. Dang Ngoc Dai, my tutor for this project, which I do highly
appreciate and treasure.

In finishing my Master of Business & Marketing Management program, I would
also like to show my big gratitude to my wife who has been supporting,
encouraging and being with me all the time. I would also like to thank Professor
J.P. Baeyens and Dr. Tran Anh Tuan who have designed and implemented this
course the 1
st
time in Vietnam. My special thanks are to my line manager, Mr.
Fabrice Carrasco and TNS Vietnam who have sponsored and offered lots of
support for me to finish this Master program.

To my personal feeling, this Master program is really valuable, worth the money
and efforts and helpful both for my career and my personal development in the
future.

Thank you all for your kind support!






TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1. Background of market research industry………………………………………………………page 1
1.2. Objectives of the final project………………………………………………………………………….page 3
1.3. Organization of the final project…………………………………………………………………….page 4

Chapter 2: Business environment analysis
2.1. Overview of TNS Global and TNS Vietnam………………………………………………page 5
2.2. External business environment analysis……………………………………………………….page 8
2.3. Internal business environment analysis………………………………………………………page 13

Chapter 3: Marketing strategy
3.1. Vision, mission and objectives for TNS Vietnam………………………………….page 15
3.2. Marketing strategy………………………………………………………………………………………………page 17
3.2.1. Segmenting………………………………………………………………………………………………page 17
3.2.2. Targeting……………………………………………………………………………………………………page 19
3.2.3. Positioning……………………………………………………………………………………………… page 19

3.3. Marketing mix………………………………………………………………………………………………………page 20
3.3.1. Marketing mix – Conception…………………………………………………………….page 20
3.3.2. Marketing mix – Communication……………………………………………………page 24
3.3.3. Marketing mix – Channeling…………………………………………………………….page 25
3.3.4. Marketing mix – Convincing…………………………………………………………….page 25
3.4. Suggestions and recommendations………………………………………………………………page 26
Reference list…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page 31
Page 1 of 31
CHAPTER 1:
Introduction

1.1. Background of market research industry:

As a major force in the global market research industry, there is a need for TNS
to have an overall understanding of the global market research industry key
trends which are highlighted as below:
̌ Global market research turnover tops US$23.3bn in 2005, representing year
on year growth of 5.7% and a net growth of 3.0%. Average growth rates over
the last four years tops 5% with average net growth at 3%.
̌ Growth rates stabilize in Europe and North America, whilst Asia Pacific
continues to outpace all other regions (see chart 1).
̌ Over two thirds of global market research turnover is generated in the top 5
markets which are USA, UK, France, Germany and Japan. France moves into
3
rd
position, overtaking Germany, amongst the largest research markets in the
world.
̌ China records net growth of almost 25% and will be pushing for top 5 ranking
within 5 to 6 years if growth continues at this rate.
̌ Growth for 2006 is expected to continue at 4-6%, driven by good economic

conditions and increasing client demand for continuous multi-national
research.
̌ Significant market consolidation, with 88 acquisitions taking place during
2005. The top ten companies generated 58% of industry revenue in 2005.
Page 2 of 31
̌ Increased outsourcing and off-shoring has enabled cost savings of 30 - 40%
for data processing, and programming and coding online surveys.
̌ Broadening range of skills required from researchers. In response, companies
are hiring people from key client sectors and have developed extensive
training programs to improve consulting, strategic, IT and relationship
management skills.
̌ Companies continue to invest heavily in greater technological capabilities
and keep competitive barriers high.
̌ Use of online market research continues to grow rapidly, resulting in higher
response rates, faster delivery of results and lower data collection costs.
Online research accounts for estimated 13% of spend.

Specifically looking into Asia Pacific region which TNS Vietnam is actively
doing business; market research turnover reached an estimated US$3,270 million
(see chart 1), with year on year growth of 8.9% and net growth of 7.4%. This is a
continuation of a strong growth trend from 2001 onwards. Since 2001 research
sector in Asia Pacific has consistently grown faster than the global growth rate in
real terms; in common with other industries in the region. Growth is strongly
linked to macro economic conditions in specific countries, such as Japan,
Australia, Korea, China, and India. Vietnam market research industry is
expected to grow at 15% in 2005 and 14% in 2006 – quite higher than the
average growth rate of Asia Pacific region; mainly driven by the strong growth of
TNS Vietnam, AC Nielsen Vietnam and other emerging local market research
companies.

Page 3 of 31
Chart 1: Global & regional turnover 2005 and net growth rate on 2004 – Source:
ESOMAR industry report 2005











1.2. Objectives of the final project:

In line with the strong growth of market research industry in Asia Pacific and
Vietnam, TNS Vietnam is facing the challenges of how to apply TNS Global
strategy into Vietnam successfully and build a suitable and effective marketing
strategy to ensure the strong and sustained growth rate of the company in the
future. This final project is conducted in order to have deep analysis and
understanding of what TNS Global is doing in the global market and what TNS
Vietnam is doing specifically in Vietnamese market in line with its global
strategy. Using the Segmenting-Targeting-Positioning marketing model as a
specific tool, this project aims at suggesting the suitable marketing strategy and
marketing mix for TNS Vietnam, trying to build a comprehensive and thorough
guideline for TNS Vietnam marketing activities in the coming years.

45
36

4
1
14
Europe ($10.4bln
+2.4%)
North America
($8.3bln +2.1%)
Asia Pacific
($3.3bln +7.4%)
Central & South
America ($1.0bln
+1.5%)
Middle East &
Africa ($0.3bln
+6.7%)
Page 4 of 31
1.3. Organization of the final project:
Apart from the appendix and the reference list, this project includes 3 chapters.
Chapter 1 “Introduction” analyzes the key trends of market research industry
globally and in Asia Pacific and Vietnam specifically. This chapter also provides
the objectives and the organization of the final project.
Chapter 2 “Business environment analysis” provides an overall understanding of
what TNS & TNS Vietnam are doing in the market; analyzes the external and
internal business environment; from those analyses this chapter tries to provide a
full picture of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the business
environment which, based on that, we will try to build the marketing strategy and
marketing mix for TNS Vietnam.
Chapter 3 “Marketing strategy” tries to apply the global marketing strategy of
TNS Global into Vietnam situation and build the marketing strategy and
marketing mix for TNS Vietnam together with the suggestions and

recommendations.








Page 5 of 31
CHAPTER 2:
Business environment analysis

2.1. Overview of TNS Global and TNS Vietnam:

TNS Global (Taylor Nelson Sofres Plc.) is one of the world's leading market
information groups. Through its global network of operating companies in 70
countries, TNS collects, analyzes and interprets information, as well as delivers
innovative thinking and excellent service, to help local and multi-national clients
better understand the needs and wants of their customers. In particular, TNS
provides research, advice and insight on market segmentation and positioning,
brand and advertising research, new product development, and stakeholder
management, supported by a range of Business Solutions. TNS specializes in
fast-growing and established business or industry sectors that require a global
presence or the transfer of highly developed expertise which are Automotive;
Consumer; Consumer Panel; Finance; Healthcare; Internet, Television and
Radio Audience Measurement; Media Intelligence; Polling and Social;
Technology.
Below are some key facts of TNS Global:
̌ Global network spanning over 70 countries.

̌ Revenue: £1bn in 2006, the key source of revenue comes from Europe
however ALM (Asia-Latin America-Middle East region is growing and
becoming more and more important; see chart 2).
̌ Over 14,000 full-time employees world-wide.
Page 6 of 31
̌ 9 Market Sectors with dedicated researchers – however Consumer
(Qualitative, Quantitative, Consumer Panel researches) and Media are still
the biggest with more than 50% revenue contribution – see chart 3).

Chart 2: TNS Global revenue split by region in 2005 % – Source: TNS Global









Chart 3: TNS Global revenue split by sector in 2005 % – Source: TNS Global









As a member of TNS Global, TNS Vietnam is currently the leader in market

information industry in Vietnam with the market share estimated at 35% in 2006
12
23
65
ALM
North America
Europe
34
19
11
9
14
13
Consumer
Media
Business Svs
Technology
Healthcare
Other
Page 7 of 31
(see chart 4). The company was established in 1996 and has been in Vietnamese
market for more than 10 years. At the moment, the company has more than 250
full-time staff, 1,500 field force and 11 offices across Vietnam. TNS Vietnam
was ISO accredited since 1999 and has been interviewing over 500,000
Vietnamese people since then. The company is currently the market leader in
Vietnam with market share estimated at 35% in 2006. TNS Vietnam is also doing
quite well in terms of human resources management with the retention rate
standing at 92% in 2006. The company is also the only full service market
research company in Vietnam which can provide the whole package of service to
Clients spreading from consumers’ awareness, attitude, and media habits to their

purchase and usage behaviors with its Customized, Consumer Panel and Media
services.

Chart 4: Top market information suppliers in Vietnam market 2006 – Source:
TNS Vietnam and AC Nielsen Vietnam estimates










35
29
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
12
TNS
Nielsen
CI
IMS

Indochina
GFK
Acorn
Milward Brown
CBI
VSG
Others
Page 8 of 31
2.2. External business environment analysis:
According to the latest report from Business Monitor International, Vietnam is
anticipated to continue to grow at a pace of 8-8.5% annually in the years ahead.
High FDI levels and a hoard of infrastructure projects will ensure that economic
activity remains high over the forecast period. Remaining bottlenecks in the
economy and a weak Vietnamese dong will keep inflation at a high level but it is
believed that the longer-term trend is downward as the Vietnam dong starts to
appreciate. Imports, in particular of capital goods, have rebounded following
World Trade Organization accession in January 2007 but exports will catch up
and gradually decrease the trade deficit after a peak of 5.7% of GDP this year.
Vietnamese government is targeting the growth of the country at 8.2-8.5% in
2007, up from 8.17% in 2006. The IMF and World Bank both forecast growth of
7.5%, while the ADB expects 7.6%. In general, all sources – both internally and
externally have very positive forecast on the GDP growth of Vietnam in the
coming years.

With the current 86 million people, the population under 30 years old is 57%, the
consumer base (15-69 years old) around 58 million, Vietnam has a very young
population and a huge consumer base at the moment. More than that, the next 10
years will be the golden age of Vietnam when the main base moves up to the
working age – they will have more money and will spend more. There is also
more and more urban population, increasing from 27% to 32% in the next 10

years. Vietnamese families will become richer and richer, the family size will be
smaller – they will enjoy better living conditions and upgraded needs, asking for
more entertainment and more product innovations. These changes will impact
the landscape of Vietnam's economic future and consumption trends for years to
Page 9 of 31
come. Below are some key trends that will shape the future of consumerism in
Vietnam generally and shape the growth rate and strategic direction of market
research industry in which TNS Vietnam is the market leader specifically:
̌ Population growth: in line with the population growth, consumer spending
will be fast increasing; the work force will be doubling and the same for the
decision makers and consumers.
̌ Emergence of a new income class: in the next 10 years, a new high− income
class will emerge in Vietnam, being the driving force behind acceleration and
proliferation of luxury goods, driving ‘aspirational’ purchases and fuelling
luxury goods sales.
̌ Time and place of purchase: Modern Trade outlets will revolutionize spending
behavior by reducing frequency of purchase, while increasing value of
purchases. Purchases through internet and credit cards will also change how
and where consumers spend their money.
̌ FMCG fierce competition: competition between major Fast Moving Consumer
Goods (FMCG) companies will be a major trend, impacting pricing,
availability and category management. An increase in competition will also
force major restructuring and drive a price war between manufacturers and
retailers, benefiting the consumers.
̌ Infrastructure development: infrastructure development will create a huge
boom for high-price items, such as cars, electronic goods and new media.
̌ Tourism destination: tourism development will influence consumer trends and
products and services from overseas, and create many more jobs for future
consumers in Vietnam. Tourism will also help spread wealth across Vietnam
as well as foreign social and consumer trends.

Page 10 of 31
̌ Necessities of life: today's average Vietnamese consumer buys the bare
necessities of life on a weekly basis however by 2016; a Vietnamese
shopping basket will become much more sophisticated with the addition of
personal care categories and convenience products. Line extensions and
specialty products will fuel consumer spending.
̌ Beauty and metrosexuals trend: beauty products and personal care items will
continue to boom in Vietnam, driven by both sexes, females and males.

In analyzing the external business environment, below are some opportunities
and threats of the environment in which TNS Vietnam is operating:

Opportunities:
̌ Vietnam has been one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia over the past
years, averaging growth of 7.5% a year (see chart 5). This strong growth will
bring lots of investors into Vietnam which is also the potential clients of TNS
Vietnam.
̌ Vietnamese government is determined to push ahead with the market-
oriented reforms, corruption clamp-down, bureaucracy ongoing reforms in a
bid to speed up the approval regime for foreign investors and make it more
transparent. These will create a better business environment which TNS
Vietnam can also benefit and push for its future growth.
̌ The economic boom has lifted many Vietnamese out of poverty, with the
official poverty rate in the country falling from 58% in 1993 to 20% in 2004.
This means that there will be lots of changes in the consumerism which TNS
Vietnam can help its clients to get these understandings and insights.
Page 11 of 31
̌ WTO membership will give Vietnam access to both foreign markets and
capital, while making Vietnamese enterprises stronger through increased
competition. This membership will also help TNS Vietnam specifically to

widen its services to best meet the increasing needs of the market and get
more and more potential clients.
̌ Vietnam market research industry is expected to grow faster than the GDP
growth rate of the country in the next 5 years which is very favorable for TNS
Vietnam to further develop in the country and fully benefit thanks to its
market leader position at the moment (see chart 5).
̌ Lots of changes in the consumer behaviors which require the expertise and
specialized services from TNS Vietnam to better understand and best meet
the changing needs of Vietnamese consumers.

Chart 5: GDP growth rate vs. Market research growth rate in Vietnam; f:
forecast – Source: World Bank reports and TNS estimates







Threats:
̌ Speed of domestic reforms, with intrusive bureaucracy and lingering
corruption likely deters some investors.
7.7
8.2 8.2 8.2
7.5
5.5
15.4
10.0
9.0 9.0 9.0
8.4

20.0
13.3
2004 2005 2006 2007f 2008f 2009f 2010f
GDP growth rate (%) MR growth rate (%)
Page 12 of 31
̌ The narrowing of the fiscal deficit is clouded by the government’s heavy
reliance on off-budget operations, while poor credit allocation could lead to
the build up of bad loans and contingent government liabilities, further
affecting Vietnam’s public finances.
̌ Ongoing trade disputes with the US and EU, and the general threat of their
protectionism, which will remain a concern even after Vietnam’s already
joined WTO in November 2006.
̌ Increasing regional and international integration of the economy will present
major challenges to less competitive areas of the economy.
̌ Strong inflationary pressures, driven by sustained high oil prices and further
outbreak of avian flu, risk curbing growth prospects.
̌ In terms of clients, companies here in Vietnam still haven’t had full
understanding of the need of using market research services and do not want
to spend much money for this kind of service.
̌ There is an increasing need from clients to integrate the insights from
consumer attitude, sales & share performance and consumer behaviors to get
real insights of the market / brand performance which require TNS Vietnam
to continually offer the full package service, building the expertise and
professionalism of its staff and sharpening the analytical skills.
̌ In terms of competitors, key competitors of TNS Vietnam like AC Nielsen
Vietnam, Milward Brown – CI Vietnam together with other emerging local
market research companies like FTA, CBI are also improving their service
quality, decreasing their prices, recruiting market research talents, investing
more into new products / services, making the relative competition much
stronger & fiercer.

Page 13 of 31
2.3. Internal business environment analysis:
In analyzing the internal business environment, below are some strengths and
weaknesses of TNS Vietnam:

Strengths: Based on the 4 cornerstones of TNS Global vision & mission, TNS
Vietnam has built its strengths in terms of (1) client orientation; (2) service
excellence and cost efficiency; (3) expertise and innovation; (4) people
development as below:
̌ TNS Vietnam already builds 7 specialist sectors which are (1) automotive; (2)
consumer; (3) finance & business services; (4) healthcare; (5) telecoms; (6)
polling & social; (7) media in line with TNS Global with the aim of
developing both the technical and sector specific skills required to assist its
sector clients make better and informed decisions. Together with that TNS
Vietnam also allocates the specific market research expert of each sector to
create expertise and professionalism.
̌ TNS Vietnam also develops the 5 areas of expertise together with the
relating business solutions and assigns the expert in charge of those business
solutions with the intention to build a framework around information needs
and the corresponding methods.
̌ TNS Vietnam is the only research agency in Vietnam obtaining certified
quality control system (QCSI = ISO 9000) for more than 5 years and have the
wide coverage to Cambodia, Laos & Myanmar markets.
̌ TNS Vietnam is the only market information company who can provide one-
stop service for Clients from customized research, business solutions,
consumer panel and media currency in Vietnam, being able to provide 360”
marketing support for all elements of marketing research.
Page 14 of 31
̌ TNS Vietnam is the market leader in Vietnam in marketing research; being

here more than 1 decade and has real understanding and deep insights into
Vietnamese consumers’ attitude, awareness, media habits, and purchase and
usage behaviors.
̌ TNS Vietnam has a very strong image in service quality, especially in
understanding and tracking the consumers’ behaviors;
̌ TNS Vietnam has senior research skills with high quality;
̌ TNS Vietnam has a very strong regional and global network;
̌ TNS Vietnam is doing business in a very favorable market environment, esp.
since Vietnam joined WTO in November 2006.

Weaknesses:
̌ In terms of marketing: TNS Vietnam currently has strong focus on Sales,
Operations and Client Service not much on Marketing. This puts a real need
to build and implement a suitable marketing strategy and marketing mix to
keep its market leader position;
̌ In terms of human resource management: the retention rate of TNS Vietnam
is currently at 90% which causes the concern for the 10% new staff annually
with not high level of professionalism and skills. In addition to that, the
expectations and requirements of senior managers and experienced staff
towards the working environment and compensations & benefits conditions
are becoming more complex which still haven’t been met fully.
̌ In terms of sales: TNS Vietnam is quite lack of sales initiative and systemized
sales approach & proposals to target new and potential clients;


Page 15 of 31
CHAPTER 3:
Marketing strategy

3.1. Vision, mission and objectives for TNS Vietnam:

Based on the above analyses of the external & internal business environment
analyses which we have defined the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats of TNS Vietnam together with translating the TNS Global vision and
mission into the context of Vietnamese market, TNS Vietnam vision is “To be
the market leader in delivering value added information and insights that help
our clients make more effective business decisions” and TNS Vietnam mission is
based on 4 global cornerstones which are (1) client orientation, (2) service
excellence and cost efficiency, (3) expertise and innovation and (4) people
development.
̌ Client orientation: TNS Vietnam should try to build the partnership by
providing experts in Clients’ market, strong focus on multi-country, global or
regional project management, and building the most appropriate team for
each client together with offering research areas of expertise.
̌ Service excellence and cost efficiency: TNS Vietnam should try to provide
the reliability to its Clients by using global measure and benchmark; adhering
to all the main standards and measures of quality and utilizing TNS network
to provide cost efficiency. With this cornerstone, TNS Vietnam is able to
provide its clients the best services at the most appropriate prices.
̌ Expertise and innovation: TNS Vietnam should try to provide the originality
to its Clients by always being at the forefront of new market research product
Page 16 of 31
development and new services and having dedicated sector researchers to
provide expertise in Clients’ business and using cutting edge data collection
and information delivery systems.
̌ People development: TNS Vietnam should try to provide the best people to
service its Clients by investing significantly in training employees to meet the
ever changing needs of the clients and trying to recruit and retain the best
market research talent for the benefit of clients.

For the coming 5 years TNS Vietnam seeks to achieve the following objectives:
̌ Non-financial goals:
o To keep the leader position in market research industry in Vietnam
o To consolidate and enhance TNS Vietnam services across all
regions of Vietnam together with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar
markets
o To truly obtain and be “the sixth sense of business™”
o To retain its image in terms of best service quality and best
innovative market information company in Vietnam
o To be among the top 10 employers in Vietnamese market
̌ Financial goals:
o To obtain the growth rate in revenue of at least 20% per annum
o To obtain the profit margin of at least 15% per annum

As looking into the organizational chart of TNS Vietnam (see chart 6), we can
see that Marketing still hasn’t been the key focus of the company. However in
order to achieve and fulfill the above-mentioned vision, mission and objectives,
TNS Vietnam should have a suitable and effective marketing strategy and
Page 17 of 31
marketing mix. Therefore the below analyses dig down into the current situation
of the company in the market, trying to provide some recommendations /
solutions for a marketing strategy in long-term and marketing mix in short-term
for TNS services among the Vietnamese market which is becoming more and
more competitive and also in line with the overall marketing strategies of TNS
Global which TNS Vietnam belongs to.

Chart 6: TNS Vietnam organizational chart in 2007 – Source: TNS Vietnam

3.2. Marketing strategy:

3.2.1. Segmenting:
In Vietnam, clients can be segmented into the following groups:
̌ Automotive clients: BP, Castrol, Chevron, Caltex, Exxon, Ford, Honda,
Mobil, Petronas, Shell, Suzuki, SYM, Total, Toyota, Vilube, Yamaha.
TNS Vietnam
Managing
Director
Admin
Dept.
HR
Dept.
IT
Dept.
Finance
Dept.
Quantitative
Dept.
Qualitative
Dept.

Consumer
Panel dept.
Media (JV)
Dept.
Operations
(Field+QC)
Client
service
Operations
(Field+QC)
Client
service
Operations
(Field+QC)
Client
service
Operations
(Field+QC)
Client
service
TNS Vietnam
Managing
Director
Admin
Dept.
HR
Dept.
IT
Dept.
Finance

Dept.
Quantitative
Dept.
Qualitative
Dept.
Consumer
Panel dept.
Media (JV)
Dept.
Operations
(Field+QC)
Client
service
Operations
(Field+QC)
Client
service
Operations
(Field+QC)
Client
service
Operations
(Field+QC)
Client
service
Page 18 of 31
̌ Healthcare clients: Abbott, Bayer, Beiersdorf, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol
Myers Squibb, Diethelm, Hoffmann, LaRoche, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer,
Sanofi-Aventis, Glaxo Smithkline.
̌ Consumer (FMCG) and retail clients: Abbott, Ajinomoto, Beirsdorf Vietnam,

BAT, Bibica, Big-C, Campina, Carlsberg, Coca Cola, Colgate Palmolive, CJ
Korea, Coop-mart, Daso Group, Danone, Diageo, Diana Vietnam, Dumex,
Dutch Lady, Fonterra, F&N, Johnson & Johnson, Kao, Kimberly Clark,
KinhDo Foods, Kraft Foods, LG Cosmetics, L'Oreal, Maxi-mark, Mead
Johnson, Meiji Diaries, Metro Gmbh, Nestle, New Toyo, Perfetti, Pepsi,
Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble, Rohto Mentholatum, SAB Miller, Saigon
Beer, SC Johnson, Tetra Pak, Tribeco, Unilever, UNI-President, Vinamilk,
Vinacafe, Vietnam Bewery Limited.
̌ Finance clients: ACB, Ace Life, AIA, ANZ, AON, Bao Viet, EAB, GE,
HSBC, Manulife, Prudential, Sacombank, Societe Generale, VBARD, VCB.
̌ Polling and social clients: British Council, Government bodies, UNICEF
Cambodia, Singapore Tourism Board.
̌ Technology clients: Comvik, FPT, HT Mobile, LG, Mobiphone, Motorola,
Nokia, Samsung, S-Fone, Sony Erisson, Viettel, Vinaphone, VNPT,
Vodaphone.

(See chart 7) It’s quite clear that TNS Vietnam source of revenue is mostly from
Consumer and Media sectors benchmarking with TNS Global. This leaves TNS
Vietnam a great opportunity and also a big challenge to further push for other
revenue sources from Automotive, Finance, Telecoms, Healthcare and Polling
& Social sector clients.

Page 19 of 31
Chart 7: TNS revenue split by sector in 2005 % – Source: TNS

3.2.2. Targeting:
TNS Vietnam should use the differentiated targeting strategy based on the above
segmentation of the market. In Vietnam, TNS is currently the leader in market
information industry which is worth around 17 million USD in 2006 (see chart 4).
TNS Vietnam should also target itself to be the market leader in delivering
services and quality to its clients and drive the market growth in the future.

3.2.3 Positioning:
In line with the positioning of TNS Global, TNS Vietnam should position itself
to be “TNS – the sixth sense of business™”. TNS Vietnam should be the leader
in delivering value added marketing information and insights, providing
companies with market measurement, analysis, insight, advice to help its clients
make more effective business decisions by offering a full range of market
research services to understand, to confirm and to track consumers’ awareness,
attitude, media habits, purchase and usage behaviours.
TNS Global
7
34
9
11
7
19
13
Automotive Consumer
Finance Healthcare
Telecoms Polling & social

Media
TNS Vietnam
2
67
1
4
2
22
2
Automotive Consumer
Finance Healthcare
Telecoms Polling & social
Media
Page 20 of 31
3.3. Marketing mix:
Into the marketing mix of TNS Vietnam, this section covers 4 aspects of the
company marketing mix which are (1) conception, (2) communication, (3)
channeling and (4) convincing (see chart 8).

Chart 8: Marketing mix flow chart – Source: Strategic & operational marketing
management – Professor Jean Pierre Baeyens

3.3.1. Marketing mix – Conception:
The first step in marketing mix is to conceive the “marketing value proposal –
MVP” which includes 3 angles of a triangle (1) product, (2) image and (3) price.

Conception – Product:

Consumer, Consumer Panel and TV Audience Measurement are the 3 biggest
revenue contributors of TNS Vietnam (89% revenue contribution in TNS
Vietnam vs. 53% in TNS Global – see chart 7). This shows that TNS Vietnam
Conception
Communication
Channeling
Convincing
MARKETING
PROGRAM
(Marketing Mix)
TARGET
SATISFACTION
Competition
Fighting spirit
Decision/Action
Buying, using,
consuming
Page 21 of 31
should rely less on these 3 key products by widening and developing other kinds
of services such as Automotive, Healthcare, Finance, Technology and Polling &
social in which Automotive, Technology, and Finance promise the strong growth
in the very near future in Vietnam. But the question is how should TNS Vietnam

build its core products?
̌ Consumer: this service should provide strategic tools, innovative approaches
and critical insights to help TNS Vietnam clients develop new ideas and
products; track and evaluate product performance, advertising and
promotions; and forecast sales; factoring in everything that drives, influences
and impacts brand success.
̌ Consumer panel: this service should provide the continuous measurement and
analysis of FMCG consumer purchasing behaviour to give Clients the most
incisive insights, to help them solve their existing problems and guide their
business to new opportunities.
̌ TV Audience Measurement: this service should provide measurement of TV
viewing, radio listening and internet usage to provide accurate audience data
on a continuous basis.

And how TNS Vietnam builds the potential products for the future?
̌ Automotive: this service should provide expert measurement, analysis and
insights through a complete portfolio of customised and syndicated
automotive research services covering
advertising, brand building,
automotive clinics, new product development, customer satisfaction, market
analysis, dealer satisfaction, quality studies and much more.
̌ Technology: this service should provide market insights by telling Clients the
trends and changes in internet penetration, mobile phone developments, and