VinaMilk’s ‘Milk-tails’ workshop gets executives thinking outside the carton

For 50 years, Vinamilk has dominated Vietnam’s dairy market. Yet, even household names must innovate. But how does a legacy brand transform a simple carton of milk into a trend-setting beverage experience for the next generation? 

It starts at the top and Saigon Social designed a fun yet industry-focused experience that pushed Vinamilk’s executives out of their comfort zone—and literally outside the carton with our ‘Milk-tails’ Bar.

The Client’s Brief

• Bring trends to life: Skip the dry PowerPoint slides and let leadership physically experience emerging beverage trends.
  
• Prove commercial value: Develop versatile, trend-forward drink recipes that work as both premium supermarket RTDs (ready-to-drink) and creative café menu items.
  
• Keep it fun and stress-free: Ditch the stiff boardroom vibe for an engaging, collaborative environment where executives could connect and co-create.

What We Did

We created a Milk Bar experience inspired by a cocktail bar, complete with professional mixology tools like shakers. Instead of a formal, dry product briefing, the setup created a fun, lively atmosphere that felt like a night out.

Immersive Insights Learning Through Storytelling

Led by Saigon Social founder Jovel Chan, we turned a standard product pitch and industry trends and insights boardroom workshop into an interactive and immersive experience. Before mixing their own drinks, executives learned the global consumer trends and narratives behind each recipe, before making them.

Proving Market Viability Outside Traditional Channels

To inspire new market adoption and integration, we developed The Saigon Spritz by mixing Vinamilk’s HAYDAY black tea kombucha with grapefruit, ginger, and Tabasco (which also exists as an alcoholic version). This unexpected, fiery mocktail became the brand’s bestseller, demonstrating how Vinamilk products can capture premium spots on modern menus well beyond traditional coffeeshops.

Demonstrating Retail Scalability & Viral Potential

To address mass-market appeal, we crafted The Pandan Colada using fresh milk, coconut water, and local pandan. This simple, easy-to-make recipe served as the ultimate proof-of-concept: highly scalable for mass supermarket production, yet effortless enough for consumers to replicate at home, making it perfect for viral KOL marketing campaigns.