HSBC

CASE STUDY SUMMARIES:

(1) CREDIT CARD ADOPTION CAMPAIGN

Problem:

The brief was to launch a print campaign that would build credit card adoption and regular usage. In 2011, Vietnam was one of the most under-banked countries in Asia, with a banking penetration rate below 10% (source: HSBC). Vietnamese people were happy using cash to make transactions and showed apathy toward credit cards.

The main challenge was therefore to create a demand for credit cards by highlighting their unique benefits, notably the ability to defer payment after a purchase — a benefit that cash simply cannot offer.

Strategy:

To emphasize the unique benefit of a credit card our print campaign dramatized one’s lingering purchase obsession and encouraged its immediate satisfaction through the use of a credit card (something cash couldn’t always do!)

Creative work:

The campaign idea became: Can’t shake it off your mind?

Our print campaign visually externalised what people internally obsessed about (e.g: Affording lobster, indulging in an expensive camera, or a high-end bag).

Results :

In 2012, HSBC Vietnam became the biggest credit card issuer in the country ahead of its competitors (Citibank, ANZ, and Standard Chartered bank).

(2) HSBC VISA PLATINUM LAUNCH

Problem:

A year following the launch of the HSBC credit card in Vietnam, the bank introduced a new product in Vietnam: the Visa Platinum credit card. This card provided access to exclusive rewards and discount programs worldwide, as well as concierge services and club offers from Visa. Even though credit card adoption and usage had increased, our research revealed that there was still a strong natural preference for using cash instead of cards. So our task remained to build the need for credit card adoption and usage.

Strategy:

For HSBC’s Platinum audience — a highly image-conscious segment — high-status purchases were driven less by utility and more by the statement they made about the buyer.

Building on this insight, we moved away from promoting the card’s functional benefits, and instead focused on its platinum image — positioning it as a new social marker that unlocks not just privileges, but instant recognition and elevated status, in Vietnam and around the world.

Creative work:

The campaign idea: The world is yours.

Our print campaign featured Vietnamese people living an aspirational lifestyle - thanks to their HSBC Visa Platinum card - and inviting others to join them in this exclusive circle. 

Note: I was Senior Strategic Planner at JWT Vietnam, directly reporting to the CEO, and working together with Account Management, Creative and Production specialists.