I. The 2026 FMCG Landscape: When “Convenience” Yields to “Connection”
Entering 2026, the FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) market no longer moves in a flat line. According to forecasts from Statista, while total global and regional demand maintains steady growth of 4.5% to 5%, a fierce polarization lies beneath the surface. Convenience in distribution or pricing is no longer the “sole weapon.” Instead, the ability to establish deep connections with users is the factor that dictates market share.
In this context, domestic brands are rising strongly thanks to agility and cultural insight, forcing multinational corporations to ramp up “localization” strategies through technology. FMCG marketers are currently facing a modern “Triple Threat”:
- Brand Agnosticism: Gen Z and Gen Alpha—the core consumer forces of 2026—no longer maintain absolute loyalty to any “giant.” They are ready to abandon a long-standing brand for a newcomer if they find resonance in life values (Sustainability, Ethics) or a more interesting, interactive shopping experience.
- The War in the “Attention Economy” (Content Fatigue): The average consumer in 2026 receives 5,000 to 10,000 advertising messages daily across all digital platforms. In this whirlwind of information overload, the “3-second rule” has become harsher than ever. How to prevent brand content from drifting away like a grain of sand is a difficult puzzle of both creative thinking and distribution techniques.
- The “Post-Cookie” Era and the Rise of First-party Data: As privacy barriers reach their peak, advertising methods based on Third-party Data have officially collapsed. This forces businesses to build their own “data treasure” (First-party Data) to understand customers directly, authentically, and legally.
Faced with these shifts, communication in 2026 is no longer just about telling a good story on a TVC. It is the challenge of building an Experience Ecosystem that spans seamlessly from online to offline.
II. From Reality “Bottlenecks” to a Total Brand Experience Strategy
Under the pressure of brand agnosticism and the post-cookie era, FMCG managers find themselves in two dilemmas:
- For New Products (Launching): How to find a true “niche” in an overcrowded market? Without a sharp penetration strategy, new products can easily “die young” before gaining recognition.
- For Existing Products: How to maintain Top-of-mind awareness and drive repeat purchases without getting bogged down in price wars or margin-eroding promotions?
The Breakthrough Solution: At Novaon Digital, we solve this not with disjointed campaigns, but through a Total Brand Experience Strategy—an ecosystem tightly linking three core elements: Strategy – Creative – Technology (SCT). This intersection creates a smooth experience loop, turning strangers into buyers and buyers into loyal fans. Let’s analyze how Novaon Digital realized this strategy through the three practical case studies below.
III. 3 Impressive FMCG Case Studies from Novaon Digital
Case Study 1: Thach Long Hai – Digitizing Joy, Connecting Heritage via Breakthrough App Experiences
For a 20-year-old heritage brand like Thach Long Hai, the biggest challenge was not just maintaining its “national brand” status but preventing “aging” against the rise of new consumer generations. The practical challenge for executives was to transform sporadic physical transactions into sustainable digital consumer behavior.
Novaon Digital partners with Thach Long Hai to promote their new app and drive sales.
(Source: Novaon Digital)
Novaon Digital solved this by establishing an Experience Ecosystem with the message: “App opens the way – bringing all of Thach Long Hai home.” Here, the app is no longer a pure technical tool but the “heart” connecting every touchpoint. To break the harsh barrier of app installation, we applied a Behavioral-based incentives strategy with a “100% win” mechanism—creating a reason strong enough for users to maintain daily interaction instead of just receiving a gift once and leaving.
The campaign operated at full force across multiple platforms, streamlining content using the “Snackable Content”formula to guide users smoothly from short videos to installation. The participation of Hot Families and KOCs“normalized” the brand, making the product an integral part of family moments. The key technical highlight lay in Data-driven thinking, harmoniously coordinating Zalo Branding and Live-commerce to create a closed O2O (Online-to-Offline) loop. Most importantly, through this ecosystem, the brand mastered its “First-party Data treasure,” enabling direct customer understanding without depending on third-party platforms—a survival advantage in the 2026 privacy era.
Case Study 2: Custas Com – A Model Lesson in the Art of “Localization” via Heritage Storytelling
In a market where Influencer booking has become a “common dish” with questionable effectiveness, Novaon Digital’s Custas Com (Green Rice) campaign emerged as a lesson in optimization. The challenge was to launch a new flavor for the international brand Orion while still conquering modern housewives (25-40 years old)—who are extremely sensitive to hollow advertising. To stand out, Novaon performed a revolution in Influencer Marketing operations, turning each KOC into a link conveying heritage values.
Novaon Digital partners with Custas to introduce the Custas Com product line, weaving in local traditional stories
(Source: Novaon Digital)
The first unique point was applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve the “DNA Fit” puzzle. Instead of choosing KOCs based on vanity metrics, Novaon’s AI filtered for Millennials who truly love Hanoi’s culinary culture. This technology shortened search time and ensured each KOC was a natural “storyteller.”
The secret to truly “dominating the airwaves” lay in the combination of technology and a multi-format content strategy. Novaon Digital directed content under the “Awakening Hanoi Flavors” concept with high-end visual formats like Cinemagraphs, Video Animation, and Multi-photo. Instead of dry reviews, KOCs provided a miniature “cinematic experience,” turning an industrial cake into an emotional “heritage gift.”
Case Study 3: Juchi Rice Crackers – “Social-First Strategy”: Capturing Gen Z’s Minds with the Language of Non-conformity
In a rice cracker segment often framed as “traditional” and somewhat aged, Juchi (HBC Foods) served as a test for Novaon Digital’s ability to pivot customer psychology. The biggest challenge was making a savory rice cracker a “must-have” for diverse groups, from experience-hungry youth to family-oriented consumers. Novaon Digital deployed a Social-First strategy with a methodical roadmap: starting from sharp awareness touchpoints, moving to deep emotional cues, and finally retaining customers through community engagement.
Novaon Digital partners with Juchi Rice Crackers to introduce the product to young consumers.
(Source: Novaon Digital)
The “Aha!” moment came from understanding modern consumers: they don’t just eat for taste; they need a “snack” compelling enough to start and sustain conversations. Thus, the Big Idea “Addictive Taste, Wild Stories” (Vị Cuốn, Chuyện Cuồng) was born, directly hitting the need for “Chilling”—a mental state of emotional sublimation with loved ones.
Novaon Digital manifested the campaign’s execution through a series of explosive “Key hooks” across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. By blending emotional TVCs, rapid-fire short videos, and the “Chill with Juchi” lifestyle contest, the brand sparked a natural and persistent wave of discussion. By discarding a formal appearance to become part of the community and speaking the customers’ language, Juchi didn’t just sell products—it created loyal brand ambassadors.
IV. Expert Insight: From Execution to 2026 Total Strategy
The three campaigns of Thach Long Hai, Custas, and Juchi are the clearest evidence that 2026 FMCG communication has no room for one-way messaging. The upcoming trend will shift strongly toward Personalized Omnichannel Marketing. As customer journeys become increasingly fragmented between physical shelves and digital spaces, brands must change.
FMCG brands need to create personalized messages at every touchpoint, from using AI to find the right KOC “frequency” to establishing app ecosystems for First-party Data collection. This shift helps brands reflect true user behavior and emotions while standardizing data processes to optimize repurchase rates and build sustainable loyalty rather than just racing on price.
Understanding this reality, Novaon Digital is proud to provide a Total Brand Experience solution ecosystem, combining Strategy – Creative – Technology. We don’t just support automation and personalized omnichannel communication; we help brands tell heritage stories with messages “tailor-made” for each consumer—ensuring the right insight, at the right time, to remain fully present in the customer’s mind on the 2026 racetrack.
