Eric Kong: We, as a customer-centric and youth-oriented brand, strive to empower our beloved audience with meaningful and practical innovations across various price points.
Witnessing the acceleration of digital transformation triggered by progressive tech and telecom players, Pakistan is readying itself for the 5G era. With its teledensity and digital penetration continually on the rise, the country is seeing empowerment of the masses made possible by the ICT.
ne of the key technology players, vivo, is also a key enabler of the digital transformation that Pakistan is currently experiencing. The company says it’s committed to improving the lives of its customers with high-end smartphones in all price segments. Moreover, it’s showing a long-term commitment to Pakistan and says it’s here to stay and contribute to Pakistan’s socioeconomic uplift.
In August 2021, vivo also started producing an expansive catalog of products locally at its first production base set up in the Industrial Estate of Faisalabad, Pakistan. This marked vivo’s sixth such intelligent production base as it strengthens its footprint across the globe in line with the “More Local, More Global” strategy.
ProPakistani spoke to Mr. Eric Kong, CEO vivo, about the company’s success and its plans to cater to the fast-growing market of Pakistan.
Here’s how the discussion went:
What Makes vivo a Global Youth-Centric Brand?
Eric Kong: We, as a customer-centric and youth-oriented brand, strive to empower our beloved audience with meaningful and practical innovations across various price points.
We are delighted to mention that more than 80% of our workforce is deployed in R&D that conducts rigorous studies and market surveys to understand market behaviour and trends for delivering the best-suited technologically advanced handsets that address youngsters’ demands in Pakistan.
Talking about the diverse Pakistani consumers, we have observed growing trends for photography and camera-centric advancements in the region.
It is because brands are constantly empowering users with advanced cameras replacing DSLRs. Pakistan’s youth is also keen for an excellent front camera to unleash their creative potential.
Hence, vivo conceptualised the V and X Series to provide a range of best-suited smartphones resolving consumer aspirations.
Our V series has set a new benchmark in the smartphone industry and has carved a niche for itself in terms of camera and design technology in the region and the X Series brought camera advancement to ensure a professional imaging experience in collaboration with ZEISS.
How Do vivo’s X and V Series Meet Consumer Demands?
Eric Kong: Consumers of all ages, particularly Pakistani youth, use images and vlogs to present their personalities. There is no doubt that image-based self-expression has become a significant aspect of modern thinking.
However, content creators, photographers, and creative minds confront severe difficulty when shooting outside in low light, which results in poor, blurry photographs.
However, as a camera-centric brand, we recognised this problem and built a one-stop solution in vivo’s premium series with futuristic camera smartphones equipped with improvements such as Gimbal Stabilization, OIS, EIS, Night Selfie, and much more.
These technologies not only stabilize and sharpen images but also eliminate background noise, resulting in sharper faces and improved focus.
Technically speaking, vivo’s innovative software-hardware mechanisms create synergy to capture clearer selfies and high-quality pictures and videos at any point of time.
vivo’s V Series massively interests the country’s youth, who actively use a trendier lifestyle and incline towards mobile photography whereas X Series stands for professional imaging experience ensuring DSLR like images utilized by professionals.
These series are successfully bridging the gap for a powerful photography device that suits the spirited lifestyle of the youth.
Launched last year, the success of the V and X series is a strong reflection of the brand’s strong grip over the Pakistani market.
V Series is not merely a smartphone range with advanced technology, but it has become an integral part of users’ lives; one that resonates with their personalities and lifestyles.
On the other hand, X Series co-engineered with ZEISS is a go-to choice for most consumers when it comes to lenses which also highlights the brand’s unparalleled expertise in the field is truly noteworthy.
What are Key Breakthroughs in V and X Series in Pakistan?
Eric Kong: With mobile imaging as one of the strategic tracks, we have introduced some of the most notable camera-centric flagship products to market via our premium V series and X series line-ups, setting new benchmarks in the industry.
While the V series include the V20, V21, V21e V23 5G and the V23e featuring industry-leading front camera capabilities along with night photography capabilities via advanced eye autofocus, wide-angle camera, macro camera.
On the other hand, our premium X series includes X60 Pro and X70 Pro that has redefined the standards of professional-grade photography.
X Series offered one of the first smartphones to arrive with a ground-breaking vivo ZEISS co-engineered imaging system and Gimbal Stabilization for professional photography experience.
Important to note that we also achieved an important milestone in 2020, with the V20 from V series becoming one of the top 10 most-searched smartphones on Google.
Also, V23e as per vivo consumption survey became the people’s choice smartphone quickly after its successful introduction in January 2022 showcasing high public preference during the Covid-19 pandemic.
What are User and Design-Centric Innovations in V and X Series?
Eric Kong: We were cognizant of the fact that the camera series should stand different from the rest of vivo products based on consumers’ high preference for camera-centric smartphones and thus wanted the innovation to be contextual, keeping in mind the design preferences.
Talking about V Series, which has magnificent devices with ethereal charm together with high computing capabilities, ultra-modern camera setup, capacious memory, large screens, and advanced operating systems.
The latest product from V series – V23 5G, has brought the Color Changing Fluorite AG Design to the back cover of mobile phone which has turned the tables in the market.
Whereas the premium X Series adopts the flexible display and Dual Tone Step Design, which is lighter and thinner compared with traditional displays bringing frames to life and the cinematic image quality rendering is beyond all expectations.
The Latest launched X70 Pro’s has ZEISS T* Coating reduces stray light and ghosting effect, providing true colors day and night.
Due to X Series bendability and flexibility, its durability is much higher than that of previous displays, reducing the possibility of accidental damage to the device.
Overall, both the Series carry a minimalistic and aesthetic design language that reaffirms the brand’s commitment to user-centric design with a blend of technology and nature.
How Does vivo Empower and Add Value to People’s Lives?
Eric Kong: Our products have always pushed boundaries in terms of technology ever since its inception and vivo has been a pioneer in providing the latest technology, luxurious design, and powerful smartphones to our users.
As a company, we are working dedicatedly to fulfil regional aspirations for advanced camera experience for our young consumers. The great camera experience and high built quality has enabled users to unleash creative content creation and photography using smartphones.
We are penetrating deep into people’s lives to upgrade them to youthful trendy lifestyles. A particularly good example of this includes V23 Series (V23 5G and V23e) that brings a wholesome experience with overloaded features and novel technology.
While X70 Pro is favourite portable mobile camera handset for mobile photographers, videographers and professionals till date.
For instance, Meshaal Danish, Head of Brand Marketing at Hush Puppies, Pakistan personally liked ZEISS T* Coating and Monis Rahman, Co-founder of Dukan.pk believes X70 Pro to have an ideal Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera that adds clarity and stability to your shots.
What is vivo’s Impact on the People of Pakistan?
Eric Kong: We at vivo are guided by ‘More Local, More Global’ strategy, which is an inclusive approach that respects local talent, culture, and consumer preferences to the core.
We diligently work with local talents and celebrities such as Babar Azam, Fahad Mustafa, Hania Aamir, Fahad Hanif, and others serving as youth icons in the region.
vivo does not innovate for the sake of advancements but penetrates deep into consumers’ minds to understand and provide them what they like the best.
vivo heartily extends hand to promote the local interest. Partnerships like EURO 2020, Wheel of Fortune, Explore the Gorgeous, Gorgeous Transformation activities prove that we aim to build a trustworthy relationship with our consumers.
Even industry professionals and businessmen look up to vivo as the right choice. Our brand mission is to make our customers’ lives extraordinary by advancing innovative technology and becoming a trendsetter in the world of mobile technology.
We are advancing user-centric offers through initiatives like Doorstep Delivery, free after-sales service and other exciting offers to avail at 14 customer service centres all over Pakistan.
What are vivo’s Cam-Tech Advancements for Future?
Eric Kong: As mobile photography is one of the vivo strategic tracks, vivo is investing resources to pioneer camera innovations.
We look forward to strengthening our engagement with the consumers’ community with profound interests in photography and futuristic smartphone technologies, in keeping with the Benfen concept of bringing the greatest technology and optimum user experience.
Our global partnership with leader in optics, ZEISS to innovate imaging system for smartphones is a testament to that.
It is rare to find a global smartphone technology company creating a series of advancements by bringing the perfect fusion of camera technology at par with international technology and local needs.
Our V series, in particular, will provide highly improved concepts and features in the future to keep up with consumers’ desires and trust by providing them with limitless opportunities to unfold the potential of young, evolved, fashion-savvy consumers, while our X series will represent futuristic solutions.
With our relationship with ZEISS, we’re on a mission to make even more technological advancements so that our customers can enjoy remarkable smartphone experiences.
This post was originally published by Pro Pakistani.