In a creative marketing campaign in 2024, Heineken Vietnam aimed to offer customers a unique experience with The Boring Phone—a minimalist device designed to encourage users to disconnect from social media and embrace real-life moments. However, importing this device into Vietnam was no simple task due to strict conformity certification requirements and legal procedures. Upon the recommendation of Heineken Netherlands, Heineken Vietnam turned to ExtendMax—the leading consulting firm for technology product imports in Vietnam. With extensive experience and strong relationships with manufacturers, ExtendMax facilitated a smooth, legally compliant, and cost-optimized importation process for Heineken. Discover how this project was successfully executed in the article below!
Overview of The Boring Phone Project
In 2024, Heineken Vietnam launched a creative marketing campaign to promote the message of "living in the moment" by including a unique phone called The Boring Phone in its brand promotion programs. This special phone was designed with minimalist features, allowing only calls and text messages, encouraging users to disconnect from social media and focus on real-life experiences. This seemingly "boring" yet intriguing phone was a collaborative project between Heineken, Bodega (responsible for the exterior design), and HMD (the manufacturer).
However, importing The Boring Phone into Vietnam was far from simple, especially for Heineken Vietnam's import and procurement teams, who were primarily experienced in handling beverages and standard marketing materials. To comply with strict import regulations, quality inspection procedures, and conformity certification requirements, Heineken needed a partner with deep expertise in legal procedures to ensure a smooth and legally compliant customs clearance process.
Upon the recommendation of Heineken Netherlands, Heineken Vietnam reached out to ExtendMax, Vietnam’s leading consulting firm specializing in product conformity certification and the importation of IT products, to take part in the project.
The Boring Phone features a streetwear-inspired design by Bodega. Photo: Heineken
Challenges and Difficulties of the Project
The importation of The Boring Phone posed unique challenges compared to typical projects:
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Heineken required comprehensive consulting: The import and procurement teams, along with Heineken’s traditional contractors, had no prior experience in importing IT devices. They needed end-to-end guidance on all required documentation, covering both the transportation process from the Netherlands and the importation and customs clearance procedures in Vietnam.
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Challenges with conformity certification: As a mobile phone, The Boring Phone was subject to quality inspection and conformity certification under Vietnam’s national technical regulations issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications. Notably, compliance with QCVN 117:2023/BTTTT required a conducted sample, a specialized test unit for certification purposes. Additionally, QCVN 101:2020/BTTTT mandated battery safety tests that resulted in the destruction of dozens of batteries, effectively rendering the devices unusable.
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Urgent project timeline: Heineken aimed to roll out its campaign on schedule, making it critical for the importation process to be executed swiftly and smoothly to ensure the products reached consumers at the right time.
Heineken's Objectives in Partnering with ExtendMax
Recognizing these challenges, Heineken collaborated with ExtendMax with three key objectives:
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Ensuring full regulatory compliance in Vietnam to facilitate the legal importation of The Boring Phone while mitigating any legal risks.
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Expediting the customs clearance process to ensure the marketing campaign could be executed on schedule without delays.
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Optimizing import costs and procedures, minimizing unnecessary complexities while ensuring that the products remained intact and undamaged during the required testing processes.
The Boring Phone. Photo: Heineken
ExtendMax’s Solution to Overcome Challenges
To facilitate the successful importation of The Boring Phone, ExtendMax conducted a comprehensive analysis and proposed three optimized solutions. Heineken Vietnam ultimately selected the option in which ExtendMax would purchase the phones from a supplier in the Netherlands and resell them to Heineken’s supplier, ST Event, in Vietnam.
Under this approach, ExtendMax assumed full responsibility for the entire process, including:
- Procuring the devices in the Netherlands
- Handling transportation to Vietnam
- Managing all customs clearance procedures
- Conducting quality inspections, testing, and conformity certification
- Fulfilling all legal obligations and compliance requirements
As a long-standing partner of HMD, the manufacturer of NOKIA and HMD-branded phones, ExtendMax leveraged its direct connections with HMD to access existing technical documentation and product compliance records. This enabled a streamlined testing and certification process, with direct support from HMD’s in-house experts, ensuring efficiency and regulatory compliance.
CEO Trần Thanh Phương – The Key Strategist Behind Heineken’s Importation of The Boring Phone
A Highly Successful Project Outcome
With ExtendMax’s support, Heineken successfully imported The Boring Phone into Vietnam, achieving the following outstanding results:
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Completed conformity certification and import procedures in record time, ensuring the product was ready for the marketing campaign as scheduled.
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Preserved product integrity during testing, thanks to the utilization of HMD’s manufacturer-provided documentation, minimizing damage risks.
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Ensured 100% compliance with Vietnamese regulations, giving Heineken full confidence in the product’s legal status.
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Enhanced the success of the marketing campaign, as The Boring Phone became a unique highlight that attracted customer attention and helped Heineken achieve its communication objectives.
Vũ Thị Quỳnh Hương (Hana Huong Vu) – ExtendMax Specialist in Charge of the Project
The importation of The Boring Phone by Heineken is a prime example of the importance of partnering with an experienced consultant in import procedures and conformity certification, especially when a major corporation from a different industry ventures into unfamiliar regulatory territory. With ExtendMax’s support, Heineken not only successfully brought the product into Vietnam but also optimized the entire importation process, ensuring a smooth marketing campaign with maximum impact. The project also reinforced ExtendMax’s international reputation, as Heineken Netherlands recognized and recommended ExtendMax to Heineken Vietnam.
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With extensive experience in handling complex import projects, including trading projects, ExtendMax continues to solidify its position as the leading consulting firm, helping businesses navigate regulatory challenges and enter the Vietnamese market with maximum efficiency.
