Thai beer brand gives image a $1m upgrade

BANGKOK: Thai beer brand Leo Beer will spend US$1 million to upgrade its image by shifting its focus away from provincial workers to younger, more affluent drinkers across Thailand. Local agency Spa Advertising has been enlisted by Boon Rawd Brewery to head the initial three-month-long campaign. Dentsu Young & Rubicam was the incumbent. The image change was prompted by research which showed the company's marketing efforts did not speak to the demographic consuming the product. "The people actually drinking the beverage are not workers - most of them are younger people sipping it in shops and restaurants," said Chayanin Deb- hakarn, Boon Rawd's marketing manager. "Leo has less alcohol content than the competitor Beer Chang, so it appeals to younger guys who want to have a few drinks with their friends but don't want to wake up the next morning with a crushing hangover," said Trachoo Kanchanasatitya, Spa's executive client service director. With this demographic in mind, Spa hired model Methinee Kingpayom to front two TVCs. The 60-second ads show a man who enjoys his Leo beer so much he has no time to pay attention to his girlfriend. "Methinee's sex appeal is spot on for the demographic that we're targeting," said Trachoo. "And these ads are more cosmopolitan. They're set in urban and suburban pubs, with pop music rather than country." A Thai slogan, which roughly translates as "The right beer for you", ties the TVCs with POP posters and banners. Trachoo hinted that a minor packaging face-lift was in the works. The upscale marketing push is in contrast to Leo's initial efforts to recruit working-class drinkers, which included ads set in provincial towns and featured country musician Pairoj Chaising, the brand's inaugural endorser, singing the beer's praises. Launched three years ago, Leo was intended to go head-to-head with market leader Beer Chang. Leo's more potent sister brand Super Lion Beer will continue that fight, but the fact that Leo is changing its stripes is an indication that it has failed to lessen Chang's sales lead, prompting the latest chapter in the ongoing lager war. Three months ago, Boon Rawd aired TVCs exposing rival brewer Beer Thai's alleged unethical practice of "bundling", which required vendors to buy Beer Chang with purchases of the company's popular whisky products. The commercials followed failed legal efforts by Beer Thai to force an end to the controversial strategy.

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