An Interview With Eric Kong to Know vivo’s visions for 2023

The year 2022 has been an eventful one, especially in the technology sector. We have witnessed constant development, innovation, and game-changing products across various categories. One of the most successful brands in Pakistan this year has been vivo, which has had a robust line-up of activities. Check out our interview With Eric Kong to Know vivo’s visions for 2023.

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. Because of the growing interest in vivo Pakistan’s activities and interesting campaigns, we felt the year-end was an opportune time to speak with Mr Eric Kong, CEO of vivo Pakistan to discuss vivo’s accomplishments during 2022 and its visions for 2023.

An Interview With Eric Kong to Know vivo’s visions for 2023

PW: Taking a look back on 2022, how would you describe vivo’s journey in Pakistan?

EK: The year 2022 has certainly been an exciting and eventful one for vivo in Pakistan. As a brand committed to providing its customers with the best products and experiences, we have witnessed some innovative product launches and consumer campaigns over the past year. vivo smartphones are well received in Pakistan and Google’s Year in Search report 2022 is another evidence of this as vivo V23 ranked first among the most searched smartphones in Pakistan.

PW: vivo also gave donated to Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund earlier. What do you want to say about the generous act?

EK: To help citizens recover from the damages caused by the uncontrollable landslides and massive floods across the region, we donated 10 million rupees to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund 2022. Our contribution to the community was also appreciated by Arif Alvi, the President of Pakistan. The President indicated that vivo’s contribution would positively impact and assist the individuals affected by the crisis.

PW: In the course of discussing the activities of the past year, what are the technological advancements that have been achieved by vivo in 2022?

EK: Our brand has made some great technological advances, both on a global and local level. With the launch of the flagship X80 device this year, vivo demonstrated its collaboration with ZEISS, a world leader in optical and imaging solutions. As part of our commitment to providing consumers with the best possible imaging experience, the two leading brands have collaborated in research and development. The vivo X80 contains several components manufactured by ZEISS Optics. For example, all the lenses meet the ZEISS T* Coating standards, which reduce light reflection and in turn reduce stray light ensuring professional-level photography.

To further enhance the user experience, vivo also developed the V1+ chip, which has revolutionized smartphone imaging, screen, and game graphics. It was developed by the vivo R&D team and imaging lab professionals in over 30 months. The chip includes an AI system for professional-level visual enhancement, including AI Video Enhancement. With our flagship V23 5G, we also introduced the one-of-a-kind revolutionary Colour Changing Glass technology to the region for the first time. When exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun, the Colour Changing Technology gradually transforms the colour of the rear panel of the phone. In the absence of sunlight, the colour returns to its original hue. Our goal in vivo is to bring international leading technologies to the  Pakistani market for the benefit of our customers.

PW: A core tenet of the brand is its customer-centric approach. How does vivo ensure that customer needs are met on a local level, bearing this in mind?

EK: As part of its effort to better integrate into Pakistan’s consumer market, vivo utilizes a “More Local, More Global” approach to bring global technologies such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence, and Advanced Imaging Systems to the local market. Further, a key objective of the vivo brand is to promote and appreciate the local culture, talent, and consumer preferences. The brand has come to recognize and appreciate the deep-rooted notions of culture and tradition that make Pakistan a unique country.

It collaborates closely with local talents and celebrities such as Babar Azam, Fahad Mustafa, Hania Aamir, and many others who serve as youth icons in the region through various initiatives.

Consumer-centricity has been a vital component of vivo’s product development, aimed at fulfilling the needs and wants of customers. We have established an extensive network of offline and online customer service centres to ensure greater accessibility for our customers. Providing superior after-sales service is one of our top priorities with 9200+ retail stores and 18 exclusive service centres. Aside from delivering top-notch technology, at vivo, we constantly strive to ensure that every customer has a positive shopping and after-sales experience.

PW: vivo is known as a camera-centric brand, tell us about vivo’s camera technology.

EK: 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 in time.

PW: The response of the Pakistani public to the new flagship products launched this year along with their campaigns has been very positive. Could you please elaborate further on this?

EK: There is no doubt that we are overjoyed with the response of the people to our products. Our devices, especially the V23 Series and X80, have experienced great success since their launch. According to Google’s Year in Search report for Pakistan for 2022 the V23 5G, V23e, and Y21 are among the most popular smartphones in the region, with the V23 5G topping the list. As evidenced in the report, vivo is very popular in the region due to its high-quality smartphones, which have contributed to the company’s top ranking in search engine results. Similarly, our Visual Creator Contest received an overwhelming response from a variety of short films from across the region, all of which were of varying genres. Among the global entries, our films have been widely loved and awarded both international and regional awards.

PW: In anticipation of the year ahead, we would like to know what vivo’s hopes and visions for 2023 are.

EK: We are extremely grateful to our loyal and cherished Pakistani consumers for their support and love throughout our various initiatives this year, whether they are product launches or campaigns. We hope to continue providing consumers with products and services that are of a high standard and exceed their expectations. In the future, we wish to keep innovating and experimenting to develop products that will help users with their day-to-day lives and provide them with the best possible experience.

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