Year-end is when SME owners feel the weight of every decision: stock, cashflow, debt, bonuses, expansion. VPBank SME wanted a thematic 2025–Tết platform that reassures them they are not gambling with their business, but making considered, supported moves with an all-in-one banking partner. The communication objective: make VPBank SME feel like the trusted “next-move advisor” so owners can end the year with peace of mind, not anxiety.
The Creative Approach
We reframed year-end business pressure as a game of strategic mastery, not chance. The chess metaphor let us talk about complexity, foresight and control, while the futuristic aesthetic signaled that VPBank SME is not a traditional, bureaucratic bank but a smart, tech-forward ally. The tone is quietly confident: VPBank doesn’t shout; it illuminates the board.
Ideation & Explorations
We landed on “Nước Cờ Thịnh Vượng” as the narrative spine: every calculated move today opens more prosperous possibilities tomorrow. From there, we built a series of storylines where typical SME dilemmas (invest or hold, hire or outsource, upgrade or maintain) become key chess moves, with VPBank tools acting as the thinking engine behind each decision. Copy and visuals work together to show that prosperity is not luck, it is the sum of well-advised moves.
How was the concept developed?
It takes total 3 rounds for the client to consider whether a Golden Horse (Kim Mã) or a Futuristic Knight Chess Pawn is a good story-teller for the 2026 Tết occasion.
The Initial Golden Horse design
The Knight Pawn raw sketch
The Knight Pawn 3D model
The Chessboard
Initial KV Draft 01
Initial KV Draft 02
Visualization
Master Key Visual of "Nước Cờ Thịnh Vượng" Campaign
Asset Adaption
This IMC campaign includes OOH, Talkshow series, Social Outreach and PR Booking articles.