SC account wins clouded by talk of political help

BANGKOK: SC Matchbox, which is part-owned by the family of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has won a portion of the national Energy Policy Office (NEPO) account, worth 44 million baht (US$1 million). Saatchi & Saatchi and WPP's Marketing Communications also won portions of the NEPO account. However, the NEPO business and a string of other government account wins in recent months has raised concern in the industry that the agency is being given public briefs because of its political connections. Other high-profile account wins include a reduced-fee healthcare promotion and a village fund promotional campaign, both of which were important elements of the PM's election campaign earlier this year. A NEPO source defended the deal, pointing out that SC Matchbox had won a similar contract from the department last year under the previous government. The ad firm "has many years of experience working for government projects", the source said. The agency became the focus of national attention when it was revealed that it had produced posters for the health-care campaign which contained an embarrassing error. The English-language posters, printed for the Ministry of Public Health, omitted the letter "l" from the word "public". The Nation newspaper reported that the gaffe might have been a politically motivated bid to embarrass a cabinet member who was seeking the top job in the Public Health Ministry.

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