Thai newspapers get 'real' as readers demand truth

A 60-second TVC, part of a 40 million baht (US$1 million) campaign by Lowe Thailand for Daily News, shows a journalist witnessing and reporting on illegal logging in a Thai forest. The shot cuts to his pick-up truck exploding, with the tagline, 'Truth must prevail. Read the facts. Read Daily News'.

Traditionally, newspaper advertising in Thailand has been about the scope of content, general news, business and lifestyle. But with advertisers demanding more in the face of tightening purse-strings, media owners are using increasingly aggressive tactics to win readers.

The latest slew of ads by newspapers such as Daily News, Phoo Jad Karn and Prachachart have evolved into positioning and branding statements, with catchphrases like 'truth in reporting'.

"More than ever, in these times of political and economic uncertainty, Thai consumers are looking to local newspapers to illuminate the situations they are faced with and demanding new standards of truthful and impartial reporting," says Tony Prehn, CEO, Lowe Thailand. "This represents a watershed for the newspaper category and readers will quickly decide to whom they will turn for news they can trust."

This new spate of ads is not only about cutting through the clutter; many industry watchers believe publishers are hoping to expand overall market readership instead of simply attracting readers from the competition. This, they hope, will lead to growth in advertising revenues. Several newspapers have launched TV commercials in recent months; while using TV is not inherently new - and even the spend is not remarkably high - the move signals a fundamental shift.

"We expect to see more effective TVCs reinforcing the positioning of both newcomers as well as dominant market players," notes Atipol Ithivatana, CEO of Starcom Thailand. "Usually, consumers in Thailand take notice if there is a bold statement or humour in the advertisement. Advertisers also pay attention to and feel confident about newspaper titles that make noise through using television."

According to figures provided by MEC Thailand, advertising spend on newspapers dropped 5.2 per cent between January to April this year, compared with the same period last year, to approximately 5.6 billion baht, while instore advertising saw growth of 38.2 per cent.

According to industry watchers, the drop in spend was caused by a number of top spending categories, notably real estate and telecos, cutting back.

As Thailand's economy boomed, so too did the market for business and leisure publications, creating a world where deep-pocketed advertisers were content with the existing reach provided by newspapers in the Kingdom.

But a slowing economy has forced even the most loyal advertisers to re-allocate shrinking budgets towards either the most effective or quick response communication vehicles. In Thailand, these would be television and PR activities, respectively.

It is a move which has had a downstream effect in forcing print media owners to rethink their strategies.