Earlier indications that the tourism body would bow to convention and cut spend may prove unfounded.
Radical action is certainly needed. Brand Thailand’s descent into chaos should serve as a salutary reminder of some of the perils of building national brands in Asia.
Radical action is certainly needed. Brand Thailand’s descent into chaos should serve as a salutary reminder of some of the perils of building national brands in Asia.
The region’s ability to slip into political chaos is, of course, impressive. Even by these standards, though, Thailand’s proclivity for civic turmoil is peerless. How else can you describe a country that had witnessed 10 successful coups and seven abortive ones before the toppling of Thaksin Shinawatra’s government in 2006? Since then, the unrest wracking the country has evoked a strong sense of déjà vu, leading up to recent political riots that have turned bloody.
If the hike is true, it means the duo most responsible for telling the Thailand story overseas have decided that the correct approach is to follow best marketing practice.
The strategy is simple enough. Brands in trouble need to invest if they are to rebuild fraying emotional ties. But the instinctive response in Asia is often to batten down the hatches. With recessions taking hold, marketers could do considerably worse than taking a close look at Tourism Thailand’s response to the country’s political crisis.
Not that everything, of course, can be solved by a nifty campaign - particularly when external, uncontrollable factors play such a critical role. But, at the very least, Thailand’s tourism body and national carrier have demonstrated that a crisis need not mean an end to brand building. We can only hope that others in Asia will demonstrate a similar level of resolve in the year ahead.
