Abstract

In spring 2015, a customer discovered a fly in one energy drink bottle of Tan Hiep Phat (THP) - the largest soft drinks maker in Vietnam. While THP agreed to buy the bottle for $25,000, the company made a trap to put the customer in jail. Consumers, while got pissed off by their treatment to the reporting customer, questioned the quality of their products seriously. A series of inappropriate responses from THP has been exploited by the media, which helped to build an unethical, self-interest image of THP. The attack of the unknown competitor on social media has added fuel to the flame in anchoring “fly badge” to THP trademark. Consumers lost trust in THP brands. Boycott wave, which started in February, shows no sign of cooling down. In 20 years leading Tan Hiep Phat as CEO, Dr. Tran Quy Thanh was famous for doing “the impossible” turning a small workshop into the market leader outplaying global players in the market where trendy foreign brands have been highly appreciated. Thanh realizes the seriousness of the situation. He knows that making any mistakes at this moment will ruin the achievements he struggled to build last two decades. The founding motto “Today must be better than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow” has been the inspiration for 5,000 employees working tirelessly. At this moment, 5,000 headcounts are looking forward to Thanh to maintain the founding motto and his spirit of doing “the impossible”.

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