CP Orange tipped to spend US$20m

<p>BANGKOK: Thailand's mobile phone sector is poised to receive a </p><p>massive wake-up call with the imminent launch of CP Orange, which is </p><p>believed to be armed with a one billion baht (US$20 million) </p><p>marketing budget. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Speculation of its budget size has competitors, chiefly AIS and DTAC, </p><p>bracing themselves for what could be the biggest spending spree ever </p><p>seen in Thailand. A pre-Christmas launch by CP Orange is highly </p><p>anticipated. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Everything is booked in January - buildings, trains, buses, streets, </p><p>tuk-tuks," said one media analyst. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>CP Orange is aiming for 90 per cent coverage of its network capacity of </p><p>1.1 million by the end of 2002. Its corporate affairs manager, Duke </p><p>Theerathada, said: "We will bring the Orange international brand values </p><p>in a way that is highly relevant to Thai people. Our look and feel will </p><p>be very different from the current advertising by AIS and DTAC. If you </p><p>click back and forth between them, there is no difference, except for </p><p>the presenter." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mobile phone firms top Thai adspend categories, with AIS and DTAC </p><p>estimated to have spent a total of 1,146 million baht (US$25.5 </p><p>million) between them for the January to September 2001 period, </p><p>according to ACNielsen. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The mobile phone market is expected to reach nearly 30 per cent </p><p>penetration by 2005, or have about 18.5 to 20 million subscribers. CP </p><p>Orange is aiming to pull in one-third of the total market within five </p><p>years. Heavyweight Thai-based Southeast Asian conglomerate, CP Group, </p><p>teamed up with Orange, Europe's largest mobile phone firm in September </p><p>2000, resulting in a company observers predict will greatly dent the </p><p>fortunes of AIS and DTAC. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This fear can be evidenced by the way AIS and DTAC have been trying to </p><p>take the wind out of CP Orange's sails by mimicking successful marketing </p><p>initiatives the company has undertaken in the past and introducing these </p><p>schemes as their own. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Duke said: "We have affected the market even before our entry. AIS and </p><p>DTAC are trying to pre-empt Orange, such as by helping dealers decorate </p><p>their shops, and introducing drop calls and per second billing." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>