BE GROUP

Table of content

I. Introduction:

Be Group: Established in 2018 by Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, Be Group has emerged as a
prominent player in Vietnam's tech industry, headquartered in the heart of the country.

Initially venturing into the ride-hailing sector with BeCar and BeBike, Be Group swiftly
gained a foothold in the Vietnamese market by offering competitive fares and quality
services.

Recognizing the immense potential of Vietnam's tech landscape, Be Group strategically

diversified its portfolio, expanding into various sectors such as delivery (BeMart, BeNow),
payment solutions (BePay), e-commerce (BeShop), real estate (BeHome), and more.

Guided by its mission to "Fulfill all daily consumer needs with a meticulous and satisfying
experience, based on an open multi-partner ecosystem," Be Group remains committed to
providing customers with high-quality products, competitive prices, and exceptional
experiences.

Be Group's audacious growth strategies have propelled its position in the market, establishing
it as a formidable competitor against industry giants like Grab and Gojek.

=> Be Group's remarkable success is inextricably linked to its innovative and impactful
marketing strategies. This article delves into the unique marketing approaches that have
transformed Be Group into one of Vietnam's most beloved brands.

II. Current marketing situation

Evaluate Be Group's marketing situation in the Vietnamese market

Be Group, an emerging name in the field of ride-hailing and on-demand services in

Vietnam, is fighting to gain market share in a dynamic and fiercely competitive
market. To better understand Be Group's marketing situation, we need to further
analyze their target market, product offerings, competitors, and distribution strategies.
1. Target market and Market description

Be Group targets a broad audience in Vietnam, focusing on the young urban

population, those with average income or higher, own smartphones and regularly use
the internet. This is a rapidly growing customer segment in Vietnam due to economic
development, urbanization and increasing internet penetration rates.

This group of customers needs to travel flexibly, save time and want convenient
experiences. They are also interested in fast, reliable delivery services to meet the
essential needs of their busy lives.

The ride-hailing and on-demand delivery market in Vietnam is booming with

significant growth. The market is divided into two main segments: motorbike calling
and car calling. The motorbike calling segment holds a larger market share due to
affordable prices and convenience. However, the car-hailing segment is growing
rapidly due to the growing demand for comfort and convenience. According to
industry reports, this market is expected to reach a value of $4.3 billion by 2024,
showing huge potential for companies like Be Group. However, this market is also
considered to be highly competitive with the presence of "giants" such as Grab, Xanh
SM, Gojek...

2. Product review:

Be Group does not stop at traditional ride-hailing services but has developed into a
multi-service platform to maximally meet the needs of Vietnamese users. Be
application provides main services such as:

● Call a car: BeBike (motorbike taxi), beCar (car), beTaxi (traditional taxi)
● Delivery: Deliver food and goods as requested
● Other services: Airline booking, loyalty program, beAds (online and offline
advertising solution), potential for other lifestyle services.

Be Group's strength is its focus on user experience. They provide a friendly, easy-to-
use application interface, multi-language support (Vietnamese, English) and flexible
payment methods (cash, e-wallet). Be Group is also highly appreciated for its service
quality, professional driver team and competitive prices.

However, there is still not much detailed information about individual product
performance (sales, prices, gross margins) of Be Group. This can make it difficult to
comprehensively assess the financial health and operational efficiency of each service
segment.

3. Competitive evaluation:

Be Group's main competitor is Grab, the "giant" that is dominating the ride-hailing
and on-demand delivery market in Southeast Asia. Grab owns a huge user base, an
extensive driver network and a diverse service ecosystem, including financial
services. Grab is the largest ride-hailing technology company in Southeast Asia. Grab
is present in more than 8 countries and serves more than 230 million customers. Grab
offers a variety of services such as motorbike hailing, car hailing, food delivery,
 grocery shopping and bill payment. Grab has advantages in scale and resources, and
has invested heavily in marketing and advertising.

In addition, Be Group also faces competition from other Vietnamese companies such
as Mai Linh, Vinasun, FastGo... Each competitor has its own advantages, such as
long-standing brands, networks, dense partners or focused on specific market
segments.

To compete effectively, Be Group needs to focus on the following strategies:

● Competitive prices and attractive promotions: Be Group can attract new users
and retain existing users by offering competitive prices compared to
competitors, and implementing promotional programs, promotions, discounts
from time to time.
● Improve service quality: Be Group needs to continuously improve service
quality, train professional drivers, ensure customer safety and improve
response time to bring the best experience to users .
● Technology development and innovation: Invest in technology to improve
application features, optimize driver search algorithms, develop convenient
payment features and integrate new services to attract a lot.

4. Evaluate distribution activities

● Distribution channel: Be Group distributes its services through mobile

applications and websites. Be Group also cooperates with a number of partners
such as travel companies, hotels and restaurants to provide its services to their
customers.
● Sales trend: Be Group's sales are growing strongly. According to some
estimates, Be Group's sales will double in 2023.
● Other developments: Be Group is expanding into new markets such as
Myanmar and Cambodia. Be Group is also investing in the development of
new technologies such as self-driving cars and electric vehicles.

Conclusion: The ride-hailing industry in Vietnam is growing strongly and Be Group is

well positioned to take advantage of this growth. Be has an advantage in price and
provides a variety of services. However, Be Group needs to improve operating
efficiency, increase investment in marketing and advertising and expand into new
markets to be able to compete with Grab and other competitors.

III. SWOT Analysis

Facing competition from other businesses, Be targets the mid-range segment and
student customer base by meeting the 3 most suitable criteria: cheap price, easy to
satisfy, easy to close sales.
Besides, one of the fastest ways to reach that customer base is to quickly catch trends
and promote media content to Gen Z. Be group recognized that market and quickly
implemented the project. and received extremely viral results

Strengths

- Quick access to the social media market (Tiktok, Facebook, Video, Advertising...):
Increase user attraction and interest through the projects Be Goi dau, Be Di bo, Be
Conan...
- There is no competitor in this service segment
- In addition to physical articles and products and services, Be has also recently
invested heavily in meme content and attracted many times more interactions with
media publications than other publications. normally. These media contents are very
creative and suitable for the interests of Gen Z

Weeknesses

Opportunity

Threats

IV. Objectives and issues

Marketing goals of Be Group in Vietnam:

1. Enhance brand awareness: Be Group is a relatively new brand compared to

competitors such as Grab and Gojek. Therefore, their primary goal is to increase
brand recognition and attract new customers. To achieve this goal, Be Group has
carried out many aggressive marketing campaigns, including advertising on
television, social networks, and other online media channels. They also cooperate
with celebrities and organize events to attract public attention.

2. Increase market share: Be Group aims to become the leading mobility service
provider in Vietnam. To achieve this goal, they offer competitive prices, many
incentives, and good customer service. Be Group also expanded into new markets and
launched new services such as food delivery, freight transportation, and mobile
payments.

3. Build customer loyalty: Be Group wants their customers to use their services
regularly and recommend their services to friends and family. To achieve this goal,
they offer a loyalty program and many incentives for regular customers. Be Group
also focuses on providing a good customer experience by improving their mobile app
and customer service.
 Problems encountered in the Vietnamese market:

1. Fierce competition: The Vietnamese mobile ride-hailing market is very

competitive, with the presence of major competitors such as Grab and Gojek. Be
Group needs to differentiate itself from its competitors and offer better services or
more competitive prices to attract customers.

2. Transport infrastructure: Transport infrastructure in Vietnam is not fully

developed, which can make it difficult to provide ride-hailing services. Be Group
needs to invest in technology to help their drivers navigate traffic and provide the best
service to customers.

3. Government regulations: The Vietnamese government may impose regulations on

the mobile ride-hailing industry, which may affect Be Group's business operations. Be
Group needs to comply with these regulations and work with the government to
ensure that they can continue to operate their business.

4. Consumer culture: Vietnamese consumers are often sensitive to price and may
choose to use the cheapest ride-hailing service instead of the best service. Be Group
needs to offer competitive prices while also ensuring that they provide high-quality
services to attract customers.

V. Marketing strategy

In today's fiercely competitive landscape across nearly every industry, businesses are
constantly striving to stand out and capture the attention of their target audience. Be uses a
core customer-centric marketing strategy, while creating value and building relationships
with target markets through effective segmentation, targeting, differentiation, and
positioning.

1. Segmentation:

Group's segmentation strategy involves identifying and targeting specific customer

segments with tailored services. Rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, Be has
recognized the diverse needs of its market and developed services to cater to different
segments.

For instance, Be's focus on students and young people, as evidenced by its lower
prices, which are about 20% lower than Grab, and its less strict policy. Unlike Grab, Be does
not have a policy of reporting the driver when picking up 5 minutes late, because students do
not require absolute punctuality like office workers and state employees do. By
understanding the unique preferences and behaviors of these segments, Be can effectively
tailor its marketing efforts to resonate with its target audience.

2. Targeting:

By targeting students and young people, Be aims to capture a significant portion of

the market share from competitors like Grab. This targeting approach allows Be to allocate its
resources more efficiently and deliver value to segments with the highest potential for long-
term success. Furthermore, Be's expansion into multiple service offerings demonstrates its
commitment to targeting diverse customer segments and expanding its market reach.

Some methods Be uses to reach young people:

· Following trends and interact with customers online: Be has also recently invested
heavily in meme content to attract many times more interactions than regular articles,
because this is content that young people are interested in and is suitable for Gen Z.

· Deploying bold activation stunts, changing the application interface to respond to

anime movies: In May and July 2023, Be incorporated images of characters from comics
and cartoons into its interface, such as Doraemon or Conan. This move has excited fans
of these characters, prompting them to quickly request a special driver. Additionally,
there are equally enticing gift exchange activities for those who order cars with cartoon
posters.

3. Differentiation:

Be Group differentiates itself from competitors by offering unique services and

experiences that set it apart in the minds of customers. Through creative marketing stunts like
"Be thuyền" (Be boat) and "Be gội đầu" (Be hair wash), Be generates buzz and captures the
attention of consumers. These unconventional services not only differentiate Be from
traditional ride-hailing companies but also create memorable experiences for customers.
Additionally, Be's focus on delivering value beyond transportation, such as its "Be Restroom"
April Fools' Day prank, further reinforces its differentiation strategy.

These are all new and shocking services when it comes to technology cars. People
only think of traditional vehicles as cars and motorbikes. These are not official services, but
these are Be's communication activities to reinforce its youthful, multi-service and unique
attributes.

4. Positioning:

Be's positioning strategy revolves around positioning itself as a customer-centric

brand that offers innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of its target market. By
positioning itself as a local alternative to foreign ride-hailing companies like Uber and Grab,
Be emphasizes its commitment to understanding and serving the Vietnamese market.
Through its marketing stunts and customer-focused approach, Be positions itself as a brand
that prioritizes customer satisfaction and delivers value beyond traditional ride-hailing
services.
 A typical example is Be's collaboration with GSM, the Xanh SM Taxi service, which
was launched to receive countless compliments from customers. It also garnered positive
signals in revenue, being about 2-5% higher than the average with other technology vehicle
platforms.

*Conclusion: Through its unique marketing campaigns, Be has partly affirmed its
position in the technology vehicle market. Figures from Statista show that Be is the most
frequently used application by Vietnamese people, with 23% market share in the second
quarter of 2023. Starting out as a "budget-friendly" brand, Be gradually transitioned towards
a Differentiation Focus strategy as it established a stable customer base. This involved adding
services, improving quality, and creating a distinctive brand image, all while remaining
attentive to customer feedback. Be has truly capitalized on its potential and has a clear
direction, not only in communication but also in thorough market research, aligning the
business's development direction.

VI. Marketing mix

1. Product
- "Be"'s products are quite diverse, starting with 3 main services: beBike, beCar, and
beTaxi, which the company launched on December 17, 2018. Next, on the morning of
August 1, 2019, the company announced to the market that it aimed to launch delivery
services called beDelivery and beExpress to compete directly with Grab and Go-Viet.
- On May 30, 2019, "Be" also officially cooperated with VP Bank to launch the
beFinancial product. beFinancial provides VPBank's main financial services on "Be's"
technology platform and financial technology ecosystem. BE GROUP will integrate
VPBank's payment features in the "Be" application with a series of convenient
utilities for users such as payment for Be's trips and transportation services, phone
top-up, and Pay at the store without using cash,...
- Most prominent recently is the cooperation agreement between Be Group and Green
and Smart Mobility Joint Stock Company (GSM) to launch the beVinFast service to
promote the green revolution in transportation.
- The advantages of "Be" include the application being easy to install, transparent, and
quick, and forms of promotion or welcoming new customers that are always noticed.
Moreover, "be" always pays attention to the many and many benefits of customers
when they choose the benefits of using services through the application.
2. Price
- "Be"'s price is always maintained at a stable level, and customers know the exact
price to pay with the pricing strategy based on the distance traveled. “Be” allows
riders to pay with cash, credit cards, or through financial applications. Right at the
time of launch, the company affirmed that it did not "increase prices" too high like
 some other brands. Be Group Company affirms that it will not increase prices during
peak hours or when it rains heavily during this time. Just open the app and try calling
a car at different times of the day, including rush hour and off-hours (5 - 6 pm), you
will see that the trip prices do not change. The fares of beBike and beCar usually fall
at an average level between their two competitors, Grab and Go-Viet.
- Be also has heavy discount codes for its users to stimulate them to switch to its
platform. Promotions and discount codes are the "powerful weapons" of this brand,
Be encourages you to travel more, cheaper and more conveniently. This promotes
customer usage behavior while also approaching them closely.
3. Place
- Be's operating system possesses direct and indirect distribution forms. With a smart
phone and an Internet connection, you can use applications downloaded from the App
Store or Google Play. The clear interface, push-notification, and flexible features
make Be popular with many people.
- In addition, it is not difficult to see drivers with eye-catching yellow and black striped
shirts everywhere. We can see that the coverage of Be is very large.
4. Promotion
- One of Be's strengths is that its starting point is from Vietnam, so understanding
Vietnamese cultural values is what gives the company the material to communicate to
consumers. Be's Marketing strategy focuses on Branding on social media platforms.
The company has posted Posts on its Fanpage to reach many people as well as create
a quite high interaction rate. With an extremely high trend-catching speed, the
company has created truly quality content that is remembered by the audience.
- With a multi-channel strategy, the company also takes full advantage of social
networks such as Facebook Ads, and YouTube Ads,... to promote as well as
communicate and interact with customers. "Be" cleverly uses Visual Marketing to
engrave in customers' minds a very familiar black and yellow bee brand. The Bee is a
symbol of the company's name as well as the core value of "Be" which is hard work.
The brand identity is maintained consistently in communication campaigns to conquer
the psychology and level of trust in customers.
- In addition, "be" also expands public relations promotion, combining famous
influencers to launch appropriate promotional campaigns to increase brand awareness
and strength.

VII. Action programs

Be's "unique" communication strategy has been incredibly successful, but how did

they achieve such success? Let's analyze the core marketing strategy of Be, from its goals,

strategies, to its action plans.

 Firstly, Be has clearly defined the goal of this marketing strategy by understanding

their target market segment, which is students and young adults. Therefore, their primary

objective is to increase brand recognition in the technology-driven transportation market by

creating differentiation to attract the attention of potential customers. This not only increases

revenue but also establishes Be as a tech-savvy and versatile transportation brand.

Based on the clear objective stated above, Be has developed a marketing strategy that

can be considered perfect. This strategy not only involves collaborating with Key Opinion

Leaders (KOLs) and influencers in a traditional way but also ingeniously utilizes the speed of

dissemination of major social media platforms and media channels to promote their services.

For example, they have partnered with upcoming animated movies as media partners,

leveraging the imagery from these movies to attract attention. Additionally, they have posted

unique and attention-grabbing images of their services, garnering significant engagement on

social media channels.

When a brand has a clear purpose and an excellent marketing strategy, the final step is

quite simple—they just need to execute that strategy in practice. So, what activities did Be

undertake? Firstly, they leveraged advertising combined with digital techniques. Be ran ads

on popular channels, especially on social media platforms like Facebook. For example, a post

on the fan page "Insight Mất Lòng" garnered over 28,000 interactions and 619 shares. They

used eye-catching images and videos to convey the message about Be's unique and diverse

services. According to data from September 19, 2023, after 3 days of posting videos on

TikTok, two review videos of "Be shampooing" reached 3.4 million and 3.2 million views

respectively. This helped to enhance the public's perception of Be, with customers sharing
 images of Be drivers walking, sailing, or shampooing, conveying the message that Be is

always there for its customers. They also collaborated with large fan pages to publish posts

featuring Be, which didn't feel intrusive but rather attracted the attention of young people.

Additionally, they offered attractive promotions and discounts for Be's unique services. For

example, Be drivers carried Doraemon-themed stuffed animals when Be was a media partner

for the release of the new Doraemon movie. Similarly, with Conan, Be welcomed guests with

cars adorned with Conan posters and offered gift exchanges. While specific budget figures

for this marketing campaign are not available, it's evident that Be used its budget sensibly,

combining advertising, PR, and partnerships. They likely allocated spending based on the

importance and benefits of each activity to the campaign.

Through all of the above, Be's marketing campaign has succeeded on all fronts—from

having a clear purpose targeting the Gen Z customer segment, to crafting a strategy to blanket

their brand recognition, and executing the campaign so that Be has become ingrained in the

minds of the younger generation through the attention garnered from media dissemination

without causing any discomfort to the marketing audience

VIII. Conclusion

Be Group has huge potential for profit thanks to its creative effective business strategies and
powerful marketing strategies. Be Group promises to continue to succeed in the future and
support the development of Vietnam's digital economy in general with vision and continuous
effort.
An overview of Be Group has been given by this analysis, which has improved our
understanding of the company's growth and successes in economic efficiency.

IX. Reference
1. Anh, M. (2023, September 20). TỪ “be thuyền” đến “be gội đầu”, đâu là
chiến thuật đằng sau cách làm marketing thu hút Triệu View Của be?
CafeBiz. https://cafebiz.vn/tu-be-thuyen-den-be-goi-dau-dau-la-chien-thuat-
dang-sau-cach-lam-marketing-thu-hut-trieu-view-cua-be-
176230920060836411.chn