Blog

Will you really be replaced by AI or is AI just a co-pilot in the future of MarCom? Explore the opportunity map that Sequoia has outlined and find out whether your Planner will "survive" or not.

"People who are too skilled are too busy to teach" – is this prejudice real, or is it just a way of making excuses? Let's flip the issue around to see the truths that most of us overlook.

Do you know what causes relationships between agencies and clients to fall apart? Let's explore the signs of "difficult" clients and how to deal with them.

A funny story about the first time I was pitched a vision board at a Hưng Thời Đại event in my first year of university, and the “Not yet” that made the team leader flip the table.

Why templates are just form, not knowledge, and why planners need strong thinking to avoid becoming dependent on plug-and-play frameworks.

Three payment-term rules for new freelancers: never trust the “first date,” require an upfront payment, and clarify before-tax vs after-tax pricing.

Three examples from Australia, Japan, and Vietnam—melanoma likes me, Adidas Green Light Run, and Pepsi Muối—to ask if insights must be hidden or just actionable.

Four shadow-side motives behind charity: feeding the hero ego, performing virtue, outsourcing conscience, and distrusting the poor.

Five early-career mistakes—cursing clients, guarding ego, overusing case studies, doomscrolling industry woes, and chasing ultra-deep insights—and the healthier mindsets that followed.

A look at how mom-and-baby marketing pokes at parental insecurity—from prenatal milk to toddler English ads to car seats—and a reminder to stay grounded.

Three practical steps for intuitive planners to turn gut feelings into hypotheses, back them with data, and present succinctly in a data-driven world.

Reflecting on the three Enneagram intelligence centers, how intuitive planners can earn trust, and a Lunar New Year idea that felt like a message from the universe.

An analysis of ragebait—the strategy of creating angry content on social media to drive interaction, and its impact on the community and algorithms.

An analysis of cheap dopamine—simple, easily accessible activities that provide a quick, often short-term feeling of pleasure for the mass segment, and how brands capitalize on this in developing markets.

An analysis defining the middle class based on 'discretionary spending' instead of income, and interesting insights from a Lightspeed report on the Southeast Asian market.

Sharing the five levels of stupidity in the AI era and real-world stories about using AI in planning, along with the technology's limits and pitfalls.

The story of my journey from Account Executive to Strategic Planner, the difficulties, and the valuable lessons learned on the path to a career change.

Sharing 5 mistakes I made when I was a new planner and how I changed: train of thought, overusing frameworks, obsessing over 'underlying truth,' writing marketing-speak insights, and being long-winded.

Discussing 'feedback that twists the knife' between Creative and Planner, ego, context, and a healthier perspective in the creative services environment.

A practical approach to getting convincing data for insight: prioritize qualitative research (in-depth interviews), and if time allows, confirm with a one-question survey.

An observation on the difference between 'staying as a son-in-law' (ở rể) and 'being a daughter-in-law' (làm dâu) in Vietnamese families, and interesting insights for the advertising industry.

A guide to presenting a planner's portfolio: the necessary sections, how to write up cases, and advice for those new to the profession.

A real-world experiment using AI to try and replace the role of a planner in brand communication and the limits of AI.

Mr. Thanh and the legacy of 'hacking' the market, changing the passenger transport industry of Thanh Buoi.

Sharing about the negative work culture in the industry and the importance of healthy communication.

A lesson on correctly understanding the client's intent and the difference between the brief's request and the actual underlying desire.

The story of the importance of authentic personal branding and the gap between image and reality.

Sharing 3 ways for marketers/agency staff to improve their business mindset.

Looking back at the 2-year journey of opening a Planning class during the challenging and transformative 'Tam Tai' phase.

Thoughts on the Planner's role and the importance of being able to sell both the strategy and the creative idea.

The story of a Senior Account Executive who persistently transitioned to Strategic Planner after one year.