LV Thạc sỹ_Brand building and development in Lienvietbank

LEEDS METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND LAW MASTER OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FINANCE LIENVIETBANK JOINT STOCK COMMERCIAL BANK – BRAND BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT Dissertation prepared by … ID: 77084333 Supervisor: Professor … January 2011 Statement of Originality and Authenticity This dissertation is an original and authentic piece of work by myself I have fully acknowledged and referenced all material incorporated form secondary sources It has not, in whole or part, been presented elsewhere for assessment I have read the Examination Regulations and I am aware of the potential consequences of any breach of them Signature: Name: … Date: Table of contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Chapter II: Literature Review 12 1.1 What is Brand? 12 1.2 Types of brands 14 1.3 What is the strong brand? .16 1.4 The benefits of strong brand 19 2.1 What is branding? 21 2.2 Branding Challenge and Opportunities 22 2.3 Strategic brand management concept 23 3.1 Overview of International and Vietnam banking industry .28 3.2 The nature of branding service, especially in banking industry 32 Chapter III: Research Methodology 56 Chapter IV: Solution for LienVietBank branding case 73 Strengthening the brand identity 73 Redesigning the brand identity elements 73 Making the brand identity consistent throughout 75 Improving brand management 75 Developing business incorporated with building brand .76 Training and engaging employees in building brand 77 Delivering compelling brand experience .79 Improving frontline staffs’ performance at service counters .79 Investing in advertising campaigns .79 Chapter V: Conclusion .81 APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND LIST OF INTERVIEWEES 86 APPENDIX 2: CUSTOMMER SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE 86 APPENDIX 3: REFLECTIVE SUMMARY .89 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: HSBC Logo – Source: 13 Figure 2: The CBBE Pyramid Source: Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity – K L Keller (2008) 17 Figure 3: Three key aspects that contribute to the assessment of brand success criteria of Interbrand Source: 18 Figure 4: Top 10 Global Brands in 2010 and HSBC rank Source: 19 Figure 5: Banks in Vietnam Source: SBV and Internal Data of 29 Figure 6: Lending Market share of banks in Vietnam (2000-2010) Source: SVB Data 30 Figure 7: Capital mobilization market share of banks in Vietnam (20002010) Source: SVB Data 30 Figure 8: Number of banks in Vietnam (1991 -2010) Source: SBV Data 31 Figure 9: LienVietBank Organizational System 41 Figure 10: The LienVietBank Business Development Plan for 2010 .45 Figure 11: Names of some Vietnamese banks 48 Figure 12: LienVietBank Logo Source: http://polygon.vn/VN/Admin/Media/Picture/Article/TinTuc/BaiViet/YNghia MotSoLogoVietNamPhan2/LienVietBank.jpg 48 Figure 13: Do you know why LienVietBank has been building its brand? 62 Figure 14: Are you aware of the brand objectives? 62 Figure 15: Can you recall the key messages of LienVietBank including mission, vision, values statements? 63 Figure 16: Do you understand your role in building LienVietBank brand? 64 Figure 17: Customers’ awareness of LienVietBank .65 Figure 18: Customers’ thought about the name LienVietBank 66 Figure 19: The frequency customers hear about LienVietBank slogan .66 Figure 20: Customers’ rating of LienVietBank logo 66 Figure 21: The personality of customers associate with LienVietBank .68 Figure 22: Customers’ familiarity with LienVietBank messages 68 Figure 23: Customers’ beliefs about LienVietBank .69 Figure 24: Customers’ dissatisfaction with LienVietBank’s products and services 70 Figure 25: The issues customers complain on LienVietBank’s products and services .71 Figure 26: The most important thing to customers when dealing with LienVietBank 71 ABSTRACT Vietnam’s banking sector has developed rapidly in recent years By 2007, there have been five state-owned commercial banks, five joint venture banks, 37 joint-stock commercial banks and 33 branches of foreign banks After WTO accession, State bank of Vietnam has been receiving considerable numbers of applications for opening joint stock commercial bank from domestic investors (LienVietBank and TienPhongBank are the first two banks permitted to open among the others in 2008) And under WTO rules, two leading European banks HSBC and Standard Charter Bank also have the license to open their independent branches In addition, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Cathay Bank and OCBC Bank are strengthening their ties with local institutions and opening ones In such competitive marketplace, where large number of banks provide almost the same services, branding can be the final factor that affects a consumer's decision of where to bank “A good brand name is gold in the financial services industry Banks rely heavily on their reputation After all, banking only works if the consumer is willing to trust the bank company with large sums of money” (Andrew, 2003) Branding is a top priority for Vietnam’s commercial banks, to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, particularly when the financial and banking market is developing strongly Vietnamese banks become much more aware of the importance of branding but relatively few of them understand the method of building strong brand Up to now there has not been strong brand in Vietnam banking sector LienVietBank officially opened in March, 2008 As a new brand, it has to compete with not only established bank brands but also other new brands The bank needs to consider and implement effective branding activities from the beginning ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor, …., whose guidance and comments have been very useful to accomplish my dissertation I would like to thank my family who have supported me spiritually during the research process I would also like to thank Professor …., whose lectures have provided me with a solid background of research knowledge and implementation Finally, I would like to thank all staff of International Training Project – Academy of Finance, who has greatly supported MAITF0210 students during the research process Chapter I: Introduction Background of the Study 1.1 Vietnam banking industry overview Vietnam’s banking sector has developed rapidly in recent years Vietnamese commercial banks are divided into three main groups: State-owned commercial banks (SOCBs); Joint stock commercial banks (JSCBs); and Foreign and joint venture commercial banks (JVCBs) By 2007, there have been five state-owned commercial banks, five joint venture banks, 37 joint-stock commercial banks and 33 branches of foreign banks After WTO (World Trade Organization) accession, State bank of Vietnam has been receiving considerable numbers of applications for opening joint stock commercial bank from domestic investors (Lien Viet bank, Lien Viet bank are the first two banks permitted to open among the others in 2008) And under WTO rules, two leading European banks HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) and Standard Charter Bank also have the license to open their independent branches In addition, Deutsche Bank, BNP (Banque Nationale de Paris) Paribas, Cathay Bank and OCBC (Over-sea Chinese Banking Corporation) Bank are strengthening their ties with local institutions and opening ones In such competitive marketplace, where large number of banks provide almost the same services, branding can be the final factor that affects a consumer's decision of where to bank “A good brand name is gold in the financial services industry Banks rely heavily on their reputation After all, banking only works if the consumer is willing to trust the bank company with large sums of money” (Andrew, 2003) Branding is a top priority for Vietnam’s commercial banks, to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, particularly when the financial and banking market is developing strongly Vietnamese banks become much more aware of the importance of branding but relatively few of them understand the method of building strong brand Vietnam banking industry is in an early stage of development It is lacking up-to-date banking products and services; modern technology; strong corporate governance… Up to now there has not been strong brand in Vietnam banking sector 1.2 Lien Viet Joint Stock Commercial Bank LienViet Joint Stock Commercial Bank (LienVietBank) was granted official license with registered charter capital of VND 3,300 billion in March 2008 The bank had honor of being one of the first two banks which State bank of Vietnam (SBV) licensed after 10 years of standstill on licensing new bank Lien Viet bank was officially opened in March, 2008 after nearly two years of preparation Three founding members of the bank are Him Lam Corporation; Saigon commercial Corporation (SATRA) and Tan Son Nhat air services Corporation (SASCO) The considered investment and alliance brought about by these organizations has given Lien Viet bank undisputable legacy in international trade, construction and building industry, services and finance The current banking market and economic climate have taught Lien Viet bank that strong brand will become more important than ever before Lien Viet bank started focusing on branding The bank has considered and implemented many branding activities during one year since its debut It is time to track the effectiveness of the bank’s branding effort after one year of foundation (June, 2008 – June, 2009) As a new brand, it has to compete with not only established bank brands but also other new brands The bank needs to consider and implement effective branding activities from the beginning Problem statement Realizing the strategic perspective of branding in LienVietBank, I decided to develop the dissertation with the theme: “LienVietBank Joint Stock Commercial Bank - Brand Building and Development” Significance of the Study The key purpose of this research is to assess the effects of Lien Viet bank branding efforts In this research, the author approached the issue by listing and analyzing all of the branding activities, which the bank has implemented during the past one year; in order to discover the strengths and weaknesses of those branding activities And through customer survey and employee in-depth interviews, the author determined the effect of the bank’s branding activities Taking into account of such findings, some recommendations were introduced for enhancing the effectiveness of the bank’s branding Research Objectives and Research Questions of the Proposed Study • 4.1 Research Objectives To understand the branding activities, which Lien Viet bank has • • • implemented during the past one year To point out the strengths and weaknesses of the bank’s branding To discover the effects of the bank’s branding efforts To suggest Lien Viet bank to enhance the effectiveness of its branding activities And/or giving supplementary elements which the bank is lacking in their branding activities and strategies 4.2 Research Questions To achieve these above stated objectives, the following questions • need to be answered: What branding activities has Lien Viet bank implemented during the • • • past one year? How have those branding activities been implemented? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the bank’s branding? What were the effects of the branding efforts which the bank had • made so far? What should be improved for the bank’s branding activities? What other branding activities Lien Viet bank need to do? Research Methodology and Research Design In principle, the qualitative research method has been applied in undertaking the study The author’s approach is divided into two phrases The first phrase is desk research in which a large quantity of literature and Lien Viet bank’s branding activities was reviewed and analyzed The second phrase involves a field study that consists of customer survey and in-depth interviews with the bank’s employees In order to determine the effect of Lien Viet bank’s branding efforts on engaging employees to deliver its brand, and building customer’s perceptions of the brand, the author has conducted a number of indepth interviews with Lien Viet bank employees to find out how the employees engage in delivering the brand In addition, a customer survey on brand awareness, brand associations and customer has been carried out Structure of Dissertation The research is divided into four parts which correspond to four chapters Chapter I provides to the reader the review of dissertation’s content and is known as the introductory chapter It includes six smaller parts which are background of the study, problem statement, significance of the study, research objectives and research questions, research methodology and research design and executive summary Chapter II consists of four sections describes general knowledge found in the literature review The first section reviews major concepts and definitions of brand The second section elucidates the branding activities This section also introduces the strategic brand management introduces the concept of the strategic brand management The third section addresses the branding in banking industry And the last section provides an insight into Lien Viet Bank’s branding activities Chapter III describes the research strategy as well as the methods of data collection and analysis adopted to implement this research Moreover, this chapter identifies the limitations and potential problems of the chosen research strategy and methods And finally, it deals with the data gathering and data summary process Chapter IV provides the author’s recommended solution of how to improve branding activities in LienVietBank The solution includes the strengthening the brand identity, the improvement of the brand management and the delivery of the compelling brand experience 10 Delivering compelling brand experience The more powerful the experience, the more powerful the brand impression is A brand experience is especially compelling if the brand is looking to sending out clear messages to customers and effectively interact with customers LienVietBank must improve two areas in delivering brand experience: The service counter performance at its branches; and the poor advertising campaigns which the bank has not concentrate on Improving frontline staffs’ performance at service counters While there are many brand touch-points LienVietBank has to control, the bank should prioritize the touch-points at service counters of its branches for two reasons: These touch-points were demonstrated to be weak by the survey result And these are key touch-points where customers have comprehensive experience with the brand The survey result also revealed many complaints about the frontline staffs of the bank from customers Therefore, the bank should apply the following measures to improve frontline staff performance: • Organize sessions for coaching frontline staffs in banking skills; communication skills; behavior along with training on the brand • Translate the brand promise’s meaning at those key touch points into clear guidelines that mobilize and inspire the staffs who are delivering the brand experience • Identify the best practice performance for these touch points and align the guidelines and the counter service processing system of the bank Investing in advertising campaigns Unlike publicity-generation effort, which, at best, result in delivery of your message some of the time, advertising is a surefire mean to carry your brand message into target market Good advertising grabs attention, 79 heightens the interest, create emotional connection and etches a positive brand image in your target prospect’s mind Good advertising is an investment that pays off by building awareness and, as result, equity for your brand LienVietBank has not invested much on advertising; it has limited the media channels and has not focused on advertising content and design The bank needs to realize that investment in advertising campaigns is the nurture of its brand, not an expense Therefore, the bank should coordinate closely with its advertising agency partner to plan, create, produce and place advertising that conveys the bank’s message, inspires its market, and build single, strong brand image in the minds of its target customers LienVietBank should pay attention to the following issues: • All of media channels must be considered and effectively coordinated when being used The bank also has to ensure the frequency of its advertising on each channel, so that its customers can be exposed enough to its advertising message • The bank should start every advertising campaign by defining the purpose of its communication For doing so, the bank should find out about what its target customers currently know or think about its brand, products and services; what it want its target customers to think and what mandatory information it need to convey in the advertising Communicate with a single focused tone and message across all media channels Since customers gain confidence in brands that convey consistent marketing message and customers count on the tone conveyed in the advertising to be the voice of the business and brand 80 Chapter V: Conclusion As an employee of LienVietBank since the bank was in preparatory stage, the author is very proud of being one of the people who set up the bank Her thesis topic was inspired by the fact that her bank had started branding from the founding day, and had clear, differentiating brand strategy in the context of branding was a critical issue in Vietnam banking sector Branding without a clear brand strategy is a chaotic; brand strategy is the plan that defines the ideas and stories behind the brands Many banks in Vietnam, however, had clear brand strategies in place; they did not know how to execute their brands well The research provides an assessment of the effects of LienVietBank’s branding efforts during the past one year The research that the author undertook has achieved its objectives All the research questions have been answered The objectives of research, which the author laid out at the beginning of the thesis paper, are: understanding the branding activities, which LienVietBank has implemented during the past one year, thereby, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of its branding activities, and discovering the effects of the bank’s branding, then giving suggestions to LienVietBank to enhance the effectiveness of its branding activities and/or giving supplementary elements which the bank is lacking in their branding By qualitative research method, the author has answered all the research questions step by step Firstly, almost all of LienVietBank’s branding activities were listed and analyzed Secondly, through the above analysis the strengths and weaknesses of the bank’s branding activities were revealed Thirdly, LienVietBank’s branding activities were determined ineffective since the results of employee in-depth interviews and customer survey highlighted the problems which are: LienVietBank employees were 81 not engaged in delivering the brand; and customer’s perceptions of the brand were not positive Fourthly, understanding the weaknesses in the bank’s branding activities and the problems the bank’s brand faces, the author suggested the bank to strengthen its brand identity; improve its brand management and deliver the compelling brand experience Brands are not only the key element of building profitable businesses with long-term sustainability but also the competitive advantage for Vietnamese banks Upon well execution, they increase sales, add value to products and services and reduce marketing costs “As competition heightens and customers become more sophisticated, companies must work harder to secure the fundamental relationships that fuel business growth Building a distinctive brand is at the heart of long-term relationships between company and customer” (Interbrand, 2005, page 1) Building successful brands is not simply a marketing exercise, especially for corporate brands They need to be consistent, commit to the organization and embodied throughout their activities The case of LienVietBank’s branding can be a good lesson for other banks in Vietnam to learn from 82 REFERENCES • American Marketing Association, 1960, Brand Definition • Andrade, N.P., Lottner J., & Roland C., 2008, How young consumer could shape Vietnam’s bank, The McKinsey’s white paper, McKinsey & Company • BVSC (Bao Viet Security Company), 2008, Banking industry analysis report • Campbell, A., 1999, Building Brand Identity in the New Economy • Campbell, A., 1999, Building the brand identity in the new economy • Chiaravalle, B & Schenck B F., 2007, Branding for Dummies, Wiley Publishing, Inc Indiana • Cindy, C., 2007, Report Brief: Transforming Employees into Brand Advocates, Forrester Leadership Boards, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA • Court, D C; Forsyth J E.; Kelly G C.; and Loch M A., 2007, The new rules of branding, McKinsey marketing practice, McKinsey & Company • Dolbeck, A., 2003, Branding the bank: Brand value in the financial services sector, Weekly corporate growth report • Dreckker, 2008, The Importance of Brand Name, BlogSpot Web site, viewed on 25 January 2011 • Family Health International, Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector’s Field Guide – In-Depth Interviews • Hahn, D., 2007, Building a Strong Brand: The ID Branding Framework • Harkness, J., 2003, Engaging your people to deliver your brand 83 • HSBC, 2010, Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia, viewed on 25 December 2010 • ID Branding LLC, 2007, Building a strong brand: The ID Branding Framework • Interbrand, 2005, Managing your brand through your employees: Don’t let your employees be the last to know, New York, NY 10011 • Interbrand, 2010, Best Global Brands: 2010 Ranking • Jeff, S., Brand consistency redefined: Achieving constancy of purpose and the 70/30 rule, The Yellow Papers Series • Kapferer, J N.,2008, The new strategic brand management: creating and sustaining brand equity long term, Kogan Page • Keller, K L., 2008, Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity, Ed D Parker 3th New Jersey: Pearson Education • Kotler, P & Keller, K L 2006, Marketing Management, Ed Katie Stevens and Wil Mara 12th New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall • Kotler, P., 2000, Marketing management, the millennium edition, Prentice Hall, New Jersey • Kotler, P., 2006, Kellogg on branding: The Marketing Faculty of the Kellogg School of Management Ed Alice M Tbout and Tim Calkins New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc • LienVietBank, 2009, Annual Report • Lin, E; S Yi; and Yamamoto S., 2007, The right way to break into Vietnam banking, Bain’s white paper, Bain & Company • National Business Research Institute, Inc., Customer Surveys, viewed on 25 January, 2010 • Primary Data, Business Dictionary Web site, viewed on 25 January, 2011 • Rock, S., 2003, Branding for banks 84 • Roll, M., 2004, Understanding the purpose of a corporate branding strategy • Root, S., 2003, Branding for banks, UBS News for Banks, Prophet, London • Shiba, P P., Personnel Differentiation is an Important Factor in Product Positioning, viewed on 25 January 2011 • Steve, M., 2009, Why Brand Identity is so Important for Your Business?, Yahoo! Contributor Network, viewed on 25 January 2011 • Temporal, P., 2000, Advanced brand management, John Wiley & Sons, Singapore • The Lawlor Group, 2004, The Importance of Brand Identity: How Authentic Institutional Values Create Distinction, Intelligent Marketing Solutions for Education • Tybout, A.M and Calkins T., 2005, Kellogg on branding, John Wiley & Sons, New York • Vietnamnet, 2008, Banking Vietnam APPENDIX 85 APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW INTERVIEWEES QUESTIONS AND LIST OF Interview questions • Do you know why LienVietBank has been building its brand? • Are you aware of the brand objectives? • Can you recall the key messages of LienVietBank including mission, vision, values statements? • Do you understand your role in building LienVietBank brand? List of interviewees No Name Bui Thanh Hoa hoabt@lienvietbank.net Phan Thu Thuy thuypt@lienvietbank.net Bui Thi Hong hongbt@lienvietbank.net Tong Ngoc Khanh Nguyen Ngoc Linh linhnn@lienvietbank.net Tran Thi Huong Giang giangtth@lienvietbank.ne t Bach Quang Minh minhbq@lienvietbank.net Kieu Thi Cam Ninh ninhktc@lienvietbank.net Nguyen Duc Thuan 10 Ha Xuan Thao 11 Tran Van Kiet kiettv@lienvietbank.net 12 Nguyen Thu Ha hant@lienvietbank.net 13 Pham Thi Thuy 14 Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc 15 Nguyen Tung Lam Department Customer Service – Hanoi Branch Customer Service – Ha Dong Transaction Office E-mail khanhtn@lienvietbank.net thuannd@lienvietbank.net thaohx@lienvietbank.net thuypt@lienvietbank.net Customer Service – Thu Do Transaction Office ngocntb@lienvietbank.net lamnt@lienvietbank.net APPENDIX 2: CUSTOMMER SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE 86 This survey is conducted for the MBA thesis Collected information will be used for studying purpose only The survey covering LienVietBank's brand awareness; Brand associations and Customer satisfaction, is designed for non-customers and customers of the bank From what you know about LienVietBank, please answer the following questions and/or tick the relevant boxes Thank you for your participation Before this survey, have you seen and heard of LienVietBank? I’ve never seen and heard of the brand before today I’ve seen and heard of the brand a few times I see and hear of the brand frequently (If you indicated “I’ve never heard of the brand before today”, you already finish this survey, please click “done") What you think about the name LienVietBank? It’s difficult to read and remember It’s memorable but easily mispronounced It’s memorable and distinct How often have you heard of LienVietBank slogan? Never Sometimes Usually How memorable would you rate the logo of LienVietBank? It’s not memorable or distinct It's not really memorable or distinct It's memorable or distinct It's quite memorable or distinct It’s very memorable and distinct What five (05) words from the following list would you use to describe LienVietBank? 87 Sincere Up-to-date Competent Co-operative Sophisticated Systematic Pretentious Practical Open Old-fashioned Conscientious Creative Spirited Effective Reliable Youthful Innovative Friendly Successful Polite Do these messages about products and services of LienVietBank sound familiar to you? - The appeal of LienVietBank’s products and services lies in the variety, modernity and easiness to use and access - LienVietBank will always innovate to introduce new financial solution; new service quality in accordance with world standard - LienVietBank is place where customers feel secure; confident and where customer relationships grow into partnerships Not familiar Familiar Very familiar If you are familiar with the messages you believe that LienVietBank can deliver its promise? Totally unbelievable Slightly unbelievable Neutral Slightly believable Totally believable (If you are not familiar with the messages, please skip this section) In thinking about the quality of products and services you have received from LienVietBank How you feel? 88 Extremely unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory Average Very satisfactory First class (If you have not used the products and services of LienVietBank, please skip this section and click "done") If you indicated "Unsatisfactory" or "Extremely unsatisfactory", please could you tell me what happened? 10 Overall, when you deal with LienVietBank, what’s most important to you? The total image of the bank’s office The way I’m spoken to by the bank’s staff The products and services of the bank Done APPENDIX 3: REFLECTIVE SUMMARY There is the famous quote: “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice In practice there is” I revive this quote of Yogi Berra with other purpose rather than to make theory more lightly than practice My purpose is to mention that the knowledge I have studied from Leeds University during the Master course is appreciated as the foundation for me to understand more these theories when I put them into practice with 89 my dissertation Before doing this dissertation, I had many weaknesses that needed to improve First of all, although in the pass I graduated from the university that major in English but after long time working in the environment that English was not a native language so my English skill was going to fade, especially the Business English aspect After completing this dissertation, my English skill is improved definitely During processing dissertation, I had to spend large amount of time to read and research through many documents in English language Firstly, it was very difficult for me to understand all words and meanings by myself so I tried to seek the support from dictionary as well as from my friends who were good at academic English But after one month continuously searching and developing my resources, my understanding of English was better Moreover, when beginning to write the dissertation, the research and development process has created the accurate foundation for me to create the outline, develop each sentence and paragraph of the dissertation in the academic way which learnt from the previous reports, books, and white papers of many experts In addition, the most significant point after I finish my dissertation that my knowledge and experience about branding activities was enhanced rapidly The reason why I chose the theme “branding activities for LienVietBank” is because I am an employee of LienVietBank, and I realized the importance of branding in banking sectors However, I did not have the opportunity to get acquainted with the marketing or branding knowledge because my job characteristics mostly based on the administration, finance and economic issues Therefore, this dissertation helped me to improve imperfection in my understanding about branding which was the aspect that I not have enough confidence before But from now on, I can understand most basic definition and concept of branding I also developed both my verbal and written communication skills and enlarged my relationship network after completing the dissertation process When discussing with the supervisor through email as well as writing up the dissertation, I improved my ability of how to illustrate my 90 thought, ideas, and arguments clearly and logically I also learnt how to become the good listener and analyzer as well when noting and listen carefully to what my supervisor has said With that communication practices my logical thinking capability has become more advanced In addition, one of the most challenges I had to pass through when putting into practice this experimental research was to find and evaluate the appropriate and reliable participants for joining into questionnaires and conducting the interview and get the access to it Fortunately, because I worked as the Head Office Administration in LienVietBank so I could take advantage of many relation and contact with a number of LienVietBank employees as well as the customers with the purpose of being able to get the right people to take part in my surveys as well as the interviews Moreover, it also helped me to collect the result in much shorter time that if I did not work as LienVietBank employee Such experiences made me more and more convinced and skillful when communicating with others for getting the information from them The dissertation process also facilitated me to make the relationships with a lot of people who had many experiences and knowledge about the branding and banking aspect, for instances, my supervisor, my fellows, some lecturer from other Vietnamese University, my colleague at workplace, etc Last but not least, I have learned about time and work management Everybody has 24 hours a day and days a week but there are few of them know how to employ and manage the same amount of time effectively When I receive the approval of my dissertation, I realized that there a huge work to in order to establish the quality dissertation It was not simple as sitting on the chair and write down the bunch of sentences but it was really the serious process with strictly timeline The dissertation also involved the research process, the preparation for surveys and participants, the collecting results process, the analysis of data, etc which has to be completed before I began to write the official dissertation So I must organize my time, rearrange which steps were done first in the whole process, which steps can in parallel with the others, etc I decided to create the list of all steps I must process for the 91 dissertation then wrote down the priority from “less urgent” to “urgent”, included with the duration to finish the work After all, I produced the official steps of the whole process to follow and did not forget to place the relaxing time into the schedule to ensure that I had enough health and inspiration to finish the dissertation About the limitations, challenges as well as difficulties during the dissertation process, although I tried my best effort to organize my time as I mentioned before but there were still many difficulties for me to balance between the my work, my study time at school, my dissertation process and especially the time to care for my family and my children Sometimes, I had to spend all night in the table to work on both my project at office and my dissertation It not only decreased my health but also sometimes made me neglect and place myself in an impasse I know that it is the general problem that also occurred with my cohorts at school and the quality of the dissertation would be better if I had enough timing funds Moreover, because revise from many sources of research document, so it was really a challenge for me to find the valid and reliable information Sometimes, there were many different arguments from various people, and it made me a little bit confused about which was the right one And this concern may reflect to my final result So I tried to limit this difficulty by going to ask the third party like the experts, my friend and my cohorts about their opinions to strengthen my ideas This was unavoidable for me in some situation that putting my personality and personal perception as the observation into the final results But after all, when completing the dissertation, I really had the happy feeling of finishing the important project of my study process This dissertation really enhanced and improved my understanding and knowledge They were not only the collective data and information but becoming my own knowledge that had the strategic implication for my study as well as my career in the future From now on, I can confident with my administration job because it was strengthened more with the branding knowledge and I understand more about LienVietBank – my workplace which was the issue I paid less attention before I also decide to 92 submit this dissertation to my director to illustrate my contributed idea to improve the brand image of LienVietBank Once again, I want to send many thanks to my supervisor, my university, my family, my colleague, my cohorts and the related people for creating the chance for my knowledge improvement that brings both the current benefits and potential opportunities in the future 93 ... Making the brand identity consistent throughout 75 Improving brand management 75 Developing business incorporated with building brand .76 Training and engaging employees in building. .. customers and the brand, such as frequency and amount of repeating purchases, feeling love and being 16 proud of brand, having sense of community, and seeking brand information and sharing with... training and developing policies LienVietBank? ??s training activities include domestic and overseas training In addition, LienVietBank often organizes conferences, seminars with the policy makers, and