Womenomics, or Vietnam

"Masako, if you're hiring people in Vietnam, hire women," I was told by an ECD at a foreign advertising agency. I recoiled. What was that supposed to mean? But within a month of arriving, I felt it keenly.

Vietnamese women work incredibly hard. They marry young, in their mid-twenties (and divorce early too), becoming wives and mothers. In big cities, they're the sales force of companies; in rural areas, they're the backbone of agriculture, heading into town as peddlers. They speak loudly, laugh often, and argue frequently. Early on, I saw women yelling at each other (seriously) and had no idea what was happening. When I found out, it seemed they were arguing about work methods. But what's amazing is that the next day, they'd be perfectly fine, snacking on dried fruit in the company cafeteria while grumbling about their mothers-in-law. That would never happen in Japan, right?

And they're the family breadwinners. Women hold the purse strings, and property is often registered under the wife's name. One day, while watching a men's cosmetics commercial, I muttered, "This guy clearly only appeals to women. Would any man actually buy this after seeing this?" Everyone looked at me blankly. Because wives choose and buy everything for their husbands, so it's perfectly fine. A few years ago, Old Spice, a men's deodorant that won the Grand Prix at Cannes, shifted its target from men to the women who smell them. They ran a campaign saying, "Your man might not be a prince on a white horse, but to make him feel like a prince, use Old Spice." It was a huge hit worldwide, with people saying "Bravo!" But in Vietnam, they'd been doing this ages ago. Interesting. It's really fascinating. I feel like the only ads that consciously target male viewers these days are for air conditioners and cars.

One reason women became such strong, hard workers is that men died in the Vietnam War, forcing women to step up. That's true, but looking into it, Vietnamese folktales often feature girls as the heroes who defeat evil monsters. Not Momotaro, but Momoko. If you hear stories like that since childhood, you have no choice but to become strong. Or maybe that's what communism means. Vietnam, a country with two "Women's Days" in one year. One year into my assignment, I'm learning something new every day, drenched in sweat.

(Supervised by: Dentsu Inc. Aegis Network Business Bureau)