Phạm Tú January 19, 2025 21

Vietnam’s Influencer Marketing Revolution: 3 Trends to Watch in 2025

Livestreaming and social commerce continue to explode in popularity.

While 2023 saw the rise of charismatic livestreamers like Phạm Thoại and Pewpew, 2024 has witnessed a surge of entertainers joining the fray. Livestreaming events have become increasingly extravagant, consistently setting new sales records. Currently, most content creators and major influencers regularly host livestream shopping sessions every week. All of this speaks to the unprecedented fervor surrounding livestreaming. Consumers tune in because they can interact directly with celebrities, see products demonstrated live, and purchase them at discounted prices.

However, due to inflation and economic difficulties, Vietnamese consumers remain relatively price-sensitive, and brands are competing to offer discounts to stimulate the market. Despite this, purchasing power this year remains weak.

In 2025, the Vietnamese economy is predicted to improve significantly, and purchasing power is expected to recover. Livestreaming activities in 2025 will continue to grow strongly. Influencer livestreams will be more clearly segmented by product category and price segment. While the livestreams of 2024 focused on extravagant productions and prioritized a fun, entertaining atmosphere, 2025 will demand higher quality livestreams with knowledgeable hosts who can explain the unique features of each product. This aims to attract a group of consumers with good incomes who are interested in the differentiation and uniqueness of a product in addition to its price.

The year 2025 will see the emergence of new faces in the livestreaming field. These individuals will not only have the ability to share high-quality, in-depth information about products and possess a good understanding of the industry but also have sales skills and the ability to interact with viewers. These hosts have the potential to open up a livestream segment dedicated to luxury goods.

Complex products and B2B services will also be brought to livestreaming because these are among the product groups that require the most direct interaction between buyers and sellers. Hosts of these live sessions will be senior personnel from the companies providing the services. Companies also have a need to build personal brands for their senior personnel so that their appearances bring attraction and credibility to the live sessions.

Government Crackdown on Influencers

Governments in many countries have implemented policies to regulate sponsored content from influencers. Vietnam is gradually following suit. Towards the end of 2024, the government actively pursued tax collection from KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) engaged in livestream selling. In December 2024, Ho Chi Minh City’s tax department announced plans to conduct tax inspections in 2025 targeting celebrities with income from salaries and wages.

It is becoming crucial for influencers to seek advice from financial experts and stay informed about the state’s tax policies. This will enable them to ensure transparency in their contractual paperwork and optimize their tax obligations.

Furthermore, the proposed new advertising law, which requires celebrities to verify their use of products before endorsing them, has sparked heated debate. This draft law also mandates pre-notification to consumers about sponsored content. Despite ongoing discussions surrounding the new law, these developments indicate the government’s increasing scrutiny and gradual tightening of influencer marketing regulations.

Following this regulatory trend, KOLs are essentially becoming individual media entities, subject to similar management and constraints as traditional media organizations. Consequently, KOLs will demand thorough product documentation and exercise greater caution in their product endorsements. Products seeking to advertise through influencer marketing to circumvent the Advertising Law will certainly need to reconsider their strategies. As the Tax Department begins to closely monitor individual contracts and transactions of influencers, there will be little room for collaborations that do not comply with the current legal framework.

From a brand perspective, advertising strategy and creative teams must diligently study the new Advertising Law once it is passed to ensure that their influencer marketing campaigns align with the new legal framework.

Prioritizing Authenticity and Naturalness

After more than 10 years of emergence and explosive growth in Vietnam, influencer marketing has entered a phase that emphasizes authenticity and naturalness. Previously, the market went through periods that favored influencers with unique personalities, creativity, and flamboyant ideas, as well as periods that valued influencers with profound and inspiring stories. From 2024 and continuing into 2025, amidst a dynamic economic and social landscape, authenticity and genuineness will be the key factors driving virality.

From a consumer insight perspective, this shift is likely due to a period where terms like “superficial,” “fake it till you make it,” and “all style, no substance” flooded social media, leading consumers to prioritize genuine values. Moreover, consumers have become accustomed to and can easily recognize and scroll past content that incorporates advertising. Skipping content is incredibly easy for consumers on platforms like TikTok and Reels.

Content creators need to focus on producing natural, authentic content that showcases the ordinary aspects of their lives, demonstrating that they are just like everyday working people, relatable to the majority of the community. From the perspective of brands and advertisers, they need to accept that forced and unrealistic content will no longer be accepted by the public. Advertising campaigns need to align with the trend of receiving information in a natural and authentic way.

Influencers Will Be Profoundly Impacted by AI

The AI revolution is impacting every aspect of modern life, and the advertising industry in general, and influencer marketing in particular, is no exception to this wave. In fact, influencers are one of the groups that will undergo a significant transformation under the influence of AI.

AI Model Aitana Lopez Earns Millions as an Influencer

First, AI will compete with and gradually replace influencers as a source of neutral and efficient information for consumers. Previously, consumers often consulted the opinions of multiple KOLs before filtering out the answers or necessary information. With AI, consumers only need to ask a question to receive a definitive, neutral, and much more efficient answer than information from a few individual influencers.

Influencers need to compete with AI tools themselves to become a source of highly reliable information, providing in-depth knowledge in niche areas. The trend will be towards high-quality micro and nano influencers with a reputation for expertise and the ability to provide specific, detailed information that satisfies users.

In addition, AI provides content production tools with super high productivity and easy accessibility for everyone. This will help even ordinary people create polished, beautiful, and quick content. The market will welcome a wave of new influencers taking advantage of AI tools to rise. They are people with good thinking and the ability to control and command AI proficiently.

However, AI lacks the ability to be creative and connect emotionally with humans. Therefore, influencers with creative abilities, the power to inspire, and the ability to share interesting personal experiences will maintain a solid position.