Accepting Initial Losses to Gain a First-Mover Advantage

According to Chairman Jiang Nanchun’s philosophy, when entering international markets, the first objective is not to generate immediate profits, but to capture the market, gain market share, and occupy a place in consumers’ minds.

Investing aggressively to secure the most strategically valuable screen placements may result in losses during the initial stage. However, when viewed from a 10- to 20-year perspective, this represents a strategic trade-off that can be entirely worthwhile in building a leading position that competitors cannot easily displace.

The Power of the Parent Company and AI Technology

Behind the expansion of the Focus Media network is the substantial support of its headquarters in China — where new standards are being shaped through advanced technologies such as AI and 5G.

Through continuous training and capability development from the parent company, Focus Media Vietnam has now received technology transfer and is actively developing its expertise in NFC technology, laying a strong foundation for transforming Elevator Media Screens into multidimensional interactive touchpoints in the future.

At the same time, AI technology is also being applied to automatically complete an advertisement — from ideation and image preparation to voice-over production — in just 15 minutes.

As a result, advertisements can be deployed across buildings as early as the following day, with highly optimized costs.

“Borrowing a Boat to Go to Sea” and the Art of Explosive Branding

When entering a new country, one of Focus Media’s strategic approaches is to identify and collaborate with the strongest local companies in order to leverage their advantages — a strategy described as “borrowing a boat to go to sea.”

At the same time, the Group’s strategic direction highlights that the greatest challenge facing brands today is not their ability to manufacture products, but their ability to distribute those products and occupy a place in consumers’ minds.

Consumers tend to be highly reluctant to change what they have already remembered. Therefore, brands that move first and establish a strong impression first can build a powerful defensive wall around their position. Those that enter later may have to work significantly harder and pay three times the cost to catch up.

This is why Focus Media does not simply sell advertising placements. It also takes on the mission of helping companies realize their ambition of achieving “Explosive Branding.”

2026 Vision: Bringing Elevator Media Advertising Into the Intelligent Era

Driven by a spirit of ambition, experimentation, and willingness to venture into new territory, Focus Media Vietnam has set an ambitious objective:

2026 will mark the transformation of offline media (Indoor DOOH) into an era powered by data, AI, and the ability to understand consumer behavior at the moment it occurs.