~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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Unilever is top advertiser in Vietnam in 1999

HANOI - Companies spent about US$116 million on advertising in Viet Nam last year, an increase of 6 per cent compared with 1998's figure of $109 million. Consumer goods giant Unilever topped the list of advertisers, spending over $14 million in 1999, more than doubling its 1998 advertising budget, according to the market research company ACNielsen. "Last year sales of our products increased by over 50 per cent and we invested in advertising proportionally to sales," said Loic Tardy, marketing director of Unilever Vietnam.

Procter & Gamble, which spent $4.11 million on advertising, ranked the second. Coca-Cola also increased its spending on advertising by 46 per cent last year and remained the country's third top ad buyer. The list of top-ten spending brands included Omo, Sunsilk, Clear, Viso and P/S Toothpaste.

Last year, companies spent $56 million on TV ads - an increase of 14 per cent compared with 1998's figure of $49 million. "Advertisers prefer to invest in television ads, because despite the high cost of each ad spot, it is the medium that reaches the highest number of people," said Rackie Secoquian, associate director at ACNielsen Media International. Advertising on prime time TV costs between $1,000 and $2,000 for one slot. Ninety six per cent of Viet Nam's urban population of 17.9 million own TV sets, tuning in for an average of three hours per day, mainly during the peak viewing hours between 6pm and 9pm.

Newcomers to the top ten list of ad buyers were Japanese motorcycle manufacturers Suzuki and Honda, who raced into fifth and seventh positions respectively. Hisamitsu (Salonpas medicated plasters) took the ninth position, edging out pharmaceutical companies Janssen Pharma and Roche Pharma, which both dropped off last year's top ten ranking, along with Kao.

The top ten ad buyers in 1999 spent $31 million on advertising, one-third of the country's total expenditure for ads on TV and print media last year. Advertising in the print media, however, decreased 3 per cent last year.

Vietnam News Agency - March 9, 2000.