Marketers go to the movies in Thailand

BANGKOK: A surge in the popularity of locally-produced films is expected

to boost ad spending in Thai cinemas by 20 per cent this year to around

355 million baht (USdollars 7.9 million), according to Prasong

Rungsmaithong, general manager of Wel Ad, a cinema sales firm.

Thai film-making has experienced something of a renaissance in the last

two years with a string of hits that has drawn new movie-goers, broken

box-office records and even garnered a warm reception at the Cannes Film

Festival.

"The movie industry five years ago was struggling, and lots of projects

were brought to the screen that really had no business being there,"

said Roy D. Chapin IV, managing director of MovieSeer, an online movie

and entertainment portal. "Now the production companies have become more

selective regarding the projects they take on. As well, more people with

an advertising background have entered the industry, making the

marketing more sophisticated than in the past."

Bang Ra Jan, in which 18th-century Thai villagers fend off an invading

Burmese army, is credited with kick-starting the trend. "People who

normally don't go the cinema came out to see this one because of the

popularity of the story," Prasong said.