Brand Stories: What Worked and What Didn't | Singapore & Vietnam: Marketing

McDonald's: one brand, two stories

In Singapore, McDonald's is part of the culture. In Vietnam, more than a decade in, it is still a niche.

Singapore

153restaurants, end of 2025

About one for every 40,000 people.

The Hello Kitty frenzy (2000): queues of 250,000 to 300,000 people, a shattered glass door and arrests. 2.8 million toys sold, and full sets resold for up to S$980.
Why it worked: scarcity, collectibles and a fear of missing out.

Vietnam

45restaurants, end of 2025

Up from 37 in 2024. It is now aiming for 100 within three years.

Why it stalled: it is seen as premium, burgers are not a staple, and a bánh mì costs far less.
Who wins instead: Lotteria (222 stores), Jollibee (213) and KFC (172).

Coffee: a newcomer wins Singapore, locals win Vietnam

Luckin used cheap first cups and local flavours to reach 100 Singapore stores. In Vietnam, Starbucks took over a decade to reach 150, while Highlands passed 900.

Singapore

Price-led entry: Luckin Coffee arrived in March 2023 with a S$0.99 first drink for new customers.
Localised menu: 100 stores by 2026, with a pandan coconut latte and MILO collaborations.
Its read on the market: Singaporeans are “open to experimentation,” but expect quality, convenience and value.

Vietnam

Coffee chain stores in VietnamHighlands, Phúc Long and Katinat: Sept 2025; Starbucks: Jan 2026

Highlands928
Phúc Long~200
Starbucks150
Katinat114

Local taste wins: robusta, condensed milk and sweet tea drinks; local brands dominate the market.

Ride-hailing: home advantage

Grab dominates its home base in Singapore. In Vietnam, an all-electric local app overtook it.

Singapore

Grab is headquartered in Singapore and leads the market.
Its main challenger, Gojek, has less than 10% of the market, by Maybank’s estimate.

Daytime motorbike traffic on a street in Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Ride-hailing market share, Q2 2025

Xanh SM44.7%
Grab36.1%

Xanh SM, an electric taxi app, overtook Grab by late 2024, helped by local insight into routes, neighbourhoods and peak hours.

Festival marketing that works

Both markets buy around their festivals. Vietnam's best campaigns tell a story about going home for Tết.

Singapore

Chinese New Year: McDonald’s brings back its Prosperity Burger as a limited-time menu.
Four calendars: Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali and Christmas each need their own campaign.

Motorbike riders waiting at a traffic light

Vietnam

Biti’s Hunter, a Vietnamese shoe brand, turned Tết into its brand story with “Đi để trở về” (“Leave to come home”), a 2017 music campaign with singer Soobin Hoàng Sơn.
The idea: every journey ends at home for Tết.
It kept paying off: the 2019 Tết film drew more than 30 million views on YouTube and Facebook and over 100,000 shares in two weeks.

What the brand stories teach

Singapore

Novelty, scarcity and festivals pull crowds.

Limited editions, festival menus and new local flavours win attention, and a cheap first purchase wins trial. Quality, convenience and value keep the customer.

Vietnam

Local fit beats a global name.

Local champions beat McDonald’s, Starbucks and Grab on price, taste and insight. Match local habits, price for everyday budgets, and tell stories about family and Tết.