Week 7: Marketing to the National and Transnational populations - Ryan Tom

Valverde's introduction to her book, Transnationalizing Vietnam, lays out the push and pull relationship of nationals and the nation's diaspora--especially in Vietnam. Over the course of time, Vietnam has had several attempts to unify the national identity and welcome its diasporic communities to the "homeland" (because it is easier to market a rebrand to one audience compared to two conflicting audiences, if they were thinking with national aesthetics in mind). (Valverde, 2012).

I think its a good comparison to look at media created by (1) Vietnamese nationals vs. (2) Vietnamese in diasporic communities. Despite obvious language differences, there are common themes of goofiness/modern style that resonate with both. As our team figures out ways to market coffee, we will remember to thinking about the nationals as well as the diasporas--trying to illustrate an image of "Vietnamese" that both can be proud of. (We look toward younger generations that do not harbor hard feelings from past events that create a ideological divide between diasporic and national vietnamese communities)

(1) Vietnamese YouTube Video

(2) Vietnamese-Australian YouTube Video

Valverde, Kieu-Linh Caroline. Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture, and Politics in the Diaspora. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2012. Print.