Within the framework of the BSI Awards 2020, VitaDairy’s “Protect Doctors 24/7” campaign won in two major categories: Campaign of the Year and CSR Campaign of the Year. This campaign achieved the widest reach during a period when daily life was profoundly affected by the pandemic. During the peak of the outbreak (February – April 2020), 84 major CSR campaigns were launched by various brands. According to Buzzmetrics, three key conditions are essential for a successful CSR campaign in a sensitive period:
In this context, VitaDairy’s “Protect Doctors 24/7” campaign was executed professionally and systematically, meeting the key criteria for a successful CSR campaign. The campaign called on people to share public posts featuring images of frontline doctors accompanied by the hashtag #BaoVeBacSi24h. For each valid post, VitaDairy pledged to donate VND 10,000 to the “Protect Doctors 24/7” fund. All medical supplies raised through the campaign were delivered to the Ministry of Health and distributed to frontline doctors combating the pandemic.
The campaign received widespread support from social media users. Over 700,000 discussions were generated, including 200,000 posts participating in the donation movement, equivalent to more than VND 2 billion contributed to the doctors.
What factors drove the campaign’s social media impact?
In other donation campaigns, the entire execution process is usually controlled by the brand. The brand determines the donation amount and later delivers money and materials to the relevant organizations or groups. Media coverage often only occurs after the campaign has concluded, meaning users only become aware of the campaign’s presence at that point. As a result, users have little opportunity to actively participate alongside the brand in supporting COVID-19 relief efforts, and naturally, the campaign’s reach is relatively limited.
In the case of VitaDairy, social media users played a more proactive role. The campaign’s donation amount was determined by user participation through Facebook’s hashtag feature.
With the hashtag feature, the campaign ensured:
The VitaDairy campaign was sponsored under the supervision of the Vietnam Dairy Association. Campaign information was updated on the Ministry of Health’s homepage and covered by official media outlets, creating trust and credibility among users.
The campaign’s message was “Protect the Doctors – So That Doctors Can Protect Us.” This message stood out compared to other campaigns and resonated with the collective spirit of the community.
Most COVID-19 campaigns focused on raising awareness or changing behavior to protect people from the virus. Even donation campaigns often did not specify the beneficiaries, with messages usually remaining general, such as “Join hands to fight COVID-19.” In contrast, VitaDairy’s message clearly identified the target audience: healthcare professionals—a group typically seen as helpers rather than recipients of help. The sacrifices of doctors were a highly discussed topic during the outbreak, making a doctor-focused message more likely to gain strong community engagement. According to Buzzmetrics, news related to doctors generated at least 5 million discussions.
VitaDairy’s campaign gave users an opportunity to take an active role and responsibility during the pandemic. In March 2020, the spirit of “leaving no one behind” was prominent in the community. This spirit had two layers of meaning: (1) those affected by the pandemic would receive assistance, and (2) anyone could contribute to the fight against COVID-19. VitaDairy’s message successfully reflected this collective spirit.
The “Protect the Doctors 24h” campaign had a well-timed start and end, effectively capturing shifts in user behavior on social media.
The campaign launched at the end of March, just as the country was about to enter a period of social distancing. During this phase, consumers increasingly shifted their discussions toward community-oriented activities: sending supportive messages to the government, sharing official information, and promoting anti-pandemic messages. Previously, users had mainly focused on personal prevention measures such as personal hygiene, eating clean food, and wearing masks when going outside.
The campaign ended in mid-April, coinciding with the end of social distancing. In the post-distancing phase, consumer attention turned back to normal life and pre-pandemic plans, meaning community-focused messages were less prominent. Although VitaDairy’s campaign lasted only two weeks, it coincided with the peak period of community awareness, fully capturing user attention.
This was a meticulously planned campaign, with well-timed launch, clear insight-driven messaging, and effective execution. Its success is therefore understandable. By the end of March 2020, over 250 brands had shared anti-pandemic messages. VitaDairy’s “Protect the Doctors 24h” campaign, launched in the last two days of March, generated over 100,000 discussions. In just three days, more than 200,000 user posts were created.
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