Context

In 2024, the global economy showed signs of recession, leading to tighter spending and decreased interaction between customers and brands. Although consumers were exposed to many promotional advertising campaigns, their participation in interactive activities was more limited than before. Therefore, the brand wanted to listen more deeply to customers, understand each individual’s emotions and needs, and implement personalized activities to better meet their expectations and desires.

HDBank Credit Card has run Lookback campaigns in recent years, dedicated to cardholders. At the end of 2024 and before the Tet holiday of 2025 (Year of the Snake), HDBank Credit Card wanted to use this time to strengthen its solid relationship with existing customers while attracting the attention of potential customers through subtle and creative communications. The campaign’s objective was not only to show gratitude to customers but also to build Brand Love, create deep connections, and bring a fresh breeze with positive messaging, sparking vibrant conversations about HDBank Credit Card on social media platforms.

With the brand positioning of “bringing the greatest benefits”, HDBank Credit Card focuses even more strongly on its strategic direction of “Artful Spending”, helping young customers maximize their benefits by spending with HDBank cards that come with attractive, flexible, and convenient offers. The HDBank card is not just a financial tool, but a companion that elevates spending experiences, connecting people to a modern, smart, and creative lifestyle. This is an important premise for HDBank Credit Card to expand and reach younger customer segments during 2025–2030.

Campaign Objectives

• Express gratitude to customers: Appreciate and value their companionship throughout every journey.
•  Increase discussions about HDBank Credit Card on social platforms: Promote conversations, sharing, and spreading the message on social channels to enhance brand awareness and engagement.

Insight

Life today is full of pressures and haste, from work and new trends to daily worries. Even when our bodies rest, our minds never stop thinking and worrying. Especially during Tet, when everyone is busy preparing for new plans and goals, the need to feel understood and empathized with becomes even more important. This is the perfect time for brands to send messages about rest and recovery, encouraging people to regain their energy for a fulfilling new year.

While many other brands tend to encourage people to keep pushing forward and striving, sometimes beyond their limits, HDBank Credit Card chose to take a different approach. Instead of creating more pressure, HDBank emphasized the message of “pause” – not to stop everything, but to pause for a moment to relax, to reflect, and to recharge. This is how HDBank shows its support and companionship with customers, recognizing their achievements over the past 365 days of effort, helping them appreciate the value of rest and step into the new year with a refreshed mindset, ready to conquer new challenges.

Instead of creating more pressure, HDBank emphasized the message of “pause” – not to stop everything, but to pause for a moment to relax, to reflect, and to recharge.

Creative Idea

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In a relentless “race” context, HDBank delivered a profoundly meaningful message: “Pause to keep moving forward.” This campaign encourages customers to take a break amid their busy lives, to rest and recharge, so they can continue their journey with greater strength.

The campaign successfully conveyed the message: “Pausing for a moment is how we keep moving further,” encouraging customers to enjoy the fruits of their efforts after a year of hard work. HDBank Credit Card wants customers not only to enhance their experiences and discover new things but also to trade moments of busyness for moments of reunion and beautiful memories with family and friends. “Pause for a moment” to continue their unending journey, ready for new plans and upcoming challenges.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, with 42% of workers frequently experiencing stress, the campaign’s message served both as a thank-you for their year-long efforts and a gentle reminder to allow themselves to rest briefly, to gain momentum for the road ahead. Beyond focusing on individual well-being, the campaign also clearly reflected HDBank’s commitment to society and the community, as each individual’s growth contributes to a sustainably developing society.

Personalized messages in the campaign:

 Agency staff:
“Hey Agency mates,
Pause for a bit from overwhelming deadlines,
So you can keep ‘crushing tasks and smashing KPIs.’”

Sales staff:
“Hey Sales team,
Pause for a moment from chasing targets,
So you can keep closing explosive sales.”

TikToker:

“Hey TikToker,
Pause your reviews for a moment,
So you can keep getting millions of views.”

Mom:
“Hey Mom,
Pause the housework for a moment,
So you can keep receiving all the love around you.”

Banker:
“Hey Banker,
Pause your endless overtime for a moment,
So you can keep your enthusiasm strong all year.”

Dad:
“Hey Dad,
Pause your worries for a moment,
So you can keep being the family’s pillar for a long time.”

Vendor:
“Hey Shop Owner,
Pause your hardships for a moment,
So you can keep making great sales.”

These messages were crafted to touch emotions and encourage each customer segment to pause briefly to recharge, enabling them to continue striving stronger in both work and life.

HDBank Credit Card chose Firstcom as its partner to implement the campaign through three strategic phases.

Execution Activities

To amplify the message powerfully and build connections with customers, HDBank Credit Card chose Firstcom to implement the campaign across three strategic phases:

1. Teasing – “Hinting” at the message “Pause to keep moving forward”

In the first phase, HDBank hinted at the campaign with engaging teasers, creating curiosity and excitement within the community. The gentle yet deeply meaningful messages, such as “Is it time to stop to keep going?” and “Pause, to never stop fighting?”, were shared via social media platforms, community channels, and online advertisements. These short images and videos prompted viewers to question the necessity of taking breaks in today’s stressful life.

2. Launching – Officially introducing the “Pause to keep moving forward” campaign

This phase marked the official launch of the campaign, with the message “Pause to keep moving forward” delivered more powerfully through emotional activities. HDBank sent thank-you messages to customers via emails and personalized text messages. At the same time, HDBank posted short videos and motivational visuals encouraging customers to spend more time taking care of themselves so they can continue embracing new opportunities.

The content shared focused on emotional storytelling, aiming to deepen the connection between the brand and customers, encouraging them to reflect on what truly matters in life and to regain balance. Additionally, special promotional programs were implemented to express gratitude to loyal customers and motivate them to remain committed to HDBank for the long term.

3. Amplify – Expanding the message and increasing engagement from KOCs/KOLs and customers

After the official launch, HDBank focused on amplifying the message by collaborating with KOCs/KOLs and popular influencers. KOCs/KOLs and influencers shared personal stories about how they “paused” to refresh themselves, motivating others and encouraging customers to join the campaign. Through videos, posts, and livestreams, they conveyed the message “Pause to keep moving forward” in an authentic and approachable way.

Through videos, posts, livestreams, and more, KOCs, KOLs, and well-known influencers conveyed the message “Pause to keep moving forward” authentically and accessibly.

The campaign was further strengthened through interactive activities such as mini-games and the hashtag challenge #NgungDeKhongNgung, where users could share their moments of rest. User-generated posts, images, and videos were widely shared across social media platforms, creating a wave of discussions, spreading the message, and attracting more attention from the community.

These activities not only enhanced engagement but also fostered long-term bonds between customers and the brand, while spreading a positive message about rest and recovery to continue moving forward strongly in life.

With three clear phases and a smart amplification strategy, the “Pause to keep moving forward” campaign not only helped HDBank build emotional connections with customers but also encouraged interaction, sharing, and widespread dissemination across social platforms.

A “fresh breeze” in media utilization and implementation

Especially, HDBank Credit Card’s campaign succeeded not only in delivering the message “pausing is how to keep moving further” but also applied many new tactics to enhance interaction and customer connection. HDBank Credit Card creatively organized special Facebook events featuring KOL participation, developed fun “pause application” content on community pages and fanpages, encouraging customers to share their moments of relaxation and enjoy the fruits of their year-long efforts.

• Fanpage Facebook: The HDBank Facebook fanpage was used as the main channel to communicate campaign information and directly interact with the community. To create a fresh and approachable vibe, HDBank Credit Card cleverly “acted as” a youthful, dynamic friend, delivering messages through short, cheerful, and accessible content, making followers feel engaged and receptive.
• Influencer & Community:  HDBank Credit Card also collaborated with popular lifestyle, work, and entertainment fanpages such as “Biết Thế éo đi làm” (Shouldn’t Have Gone to Work), “Cột sống gen Z” (Gen Z Spine), “Gen Z xem gì” (What Gen Z Watches), “Sài Gòn nghen” (Saigon Yeah), “Không hề giả trân” (Not Fake at All) to spread the “Pause to keep moving forward” message. Content was crafted to be relatable to daily life, reflecting the hustle of modern living alongside gentle motivational words, creating a sense of companionship and emotional resonance with the target audience. Additionally, notable KOCs such as popular TikToker Tina Thảo Thi, top reviewer Dương Dê, content creator A Dinh SG, Linh Phạm, Thanh Trường (김남희), Nguyễn Xuân Trí, Nguyễn Thanh Trúc, and others shared their real-life stories around the “pause to keep moving forward” message. This not only helped convey the brand message but also attracted authentic stories that created a deep connection with the community.
• Email Marketing and SMS: Personalized gratitude messages were sent to each existing HDBank cardholder as of January 2025.

Community pages that joined the “Pause to keep moving forward” campaign

KOCs/KOLs on Facebook who joined the “Pause to keep moving forward” campaign

Campaign Results

In just one month of implementation, the campaign achieved impressive figures across social media platforms:

• Ranked #1 among banks for credit card discussions from 01/12/2024 to 28/02/2025.
• Reached over 1.5 million existing and potential customers.
• Achieved over 1 million views for campaign videos.
• Generated more than 10,000 comments about the campaign, with a positive sentiment index of 43.56%.

Conclusion

The “Pause to keep moving forward” campaign not only created a strong emotional connection between HDBank and customers but also encouraged people to take time to rest and find balance in their hectic lives. With its meaningful message and creative strategy, this campaign helped HDBank strengthen relationships with existing customers while attracting the attention of new customers, enhancing its presence on social platforms and driving positive interactive behavior from the community.

The “Pause to keep moving forward” campaign not only created a strong emotional connection between HDBank and customers but also encouraged everyone to take time to rest and find balance in their busy lives. With its meaningful message and creative strategy, this campaign helped HDBank Credit Card strengthen relationships with existing customers, attract new customers, increase social media presence, and drive positive engagement from the community.

Source: Brandsvietnam