Where national pride is a creative source

Thailand, a serious creative awards contender only in the last decade, has made its mark with signature advertising characterised by several factors -- primarily humour, sometimes black, sometimes slapstick, always identifiably Thai and accessible across countries and cultures. "People recognise Thai ads because they have a distinct flavour," says Euro RSCG Flagship creative director Chukiat Jaroensuk. The flavour itself, encompassed in the Thai expressions sanuk and sabai-sabai, is harder to define, incorporating fun and optimism, says Mark Webster, chairman and CEO of JWT for Thailand and Southeast Asia. "It's never hard-sell," he says. "A lot of Thai advertising (also) tells a story. It's human and emotional, very open, and nothing is taboo. Judges enjoy (Thai ads) in the same way consumers do. It's back to the enjoyment theme connecting with human nature, whatever culture you are from." The success of the Thai brand of advertising resulted in a creative haul last year that ranked the country the seventh most creative in the world, according to the Gunn report, which produces rankings based on performance at local, regional and international award shows. Thailand produced the world's top two most-awarded directors; the third and fourth most-awarded TVCs in the world; the fourth and fifth most-awarded production companies in the world; and the eighth and 12th most-awarded agencies in the world. Matching Studio director Suthorn Pesuwan, rated the world's best director, argues that Thailand has long been producing good, strong work, with increased awareness now resulting"because people in the industry are more interested in submitting their work to international competitions". While there is general agreement with this view, many acknowledge the mid-'90s as a significant turning point for the industry, with BBDO Bangkok chief creative officer Suthisak Sucharittanonta's Black Cat Whisky TVC playing a part. Until then, "Western concepts" dominated Thai advertising, says Euro RSCG Flagship's Chukiat. And then the Black Cat Whisky commercial came along "that had a really Thai feel to it", he says. "It turned out to be so successful, it (pushed) other clients and agencies to move in that direction too." The commercial, which won a Cannes bronze Lion and Media's Best of the Best in 1996, also launched the industry onto the award circuit, Chukiat notes. The creative edge sharpened in the years following the 1997 currency crisis. "During the economic downturn, we had to squeeze everything and we had to work very hard to get simpler, cheaper, shorter and funnier scripts, because of tight advertising budgets," said BBDO's Suthisak. Last year, he and his team produced the fourth most-awarded ad, 'Worms', for client Unif Green Tea. The cards are stacked high in favour of Thailand continuing its winning streak. Clients in Thailand are "open to new ideas and push the boundaries -- and worry that competitors might leave them behind. This is a help for agencies compared to other countries where they may be more conservative or cautious", JWT's Webster points out. Tangible results probably play a large part. The series of three Soken DVD ads by Euro RSCG Flagship and Matching Studio, that ended up the third most-awarded last year, not only raised brand awareness but hiked sales by 60 to 70 per cent. Willing clients and greater competition have also resulted in a gratifying number of emerging creative talents, including Euro RSCG duo Wiboon Leepakpreeda and Passapol Limpisirisan, who worked on the Soken ads. While "it used to be that good creative work was produced by one or two agencies, this has spread now to more agencies, led by BBDO, Ogilvy & Mather, JWT, Creative Juice/G1 and Euro RSCG Flagship", says Chukiat. The pool on the production front remains more limited. "I think outstanding work is made by only just a handful of talent -- 99 per cent of award-winning Thai commercials were directed by only two directors," says Matching Studio's Suthon, who, with Phenomena's Thanonchai Sornsriwichai, clinched a majority of prizes going to production houses. However, Sky Exit and Film Factory are also moving toward centrestage, creative directors say. The challenge to strengthen and enlarge the local talent pool was taken up by the Advertising Association of Thailand last year, with the launch of the Adman Awards, in conjunction with seminars and workshops for students and young creatives. Webster notes that agencies also support themselves with skills training workshops and talent development programmes. What remains, industry members say, is the need to bring the standard of print advertising on par with that of TV commercials. "Our creative people prefer doing TVCs, because it's funnier and, in this country, TV is still the main media," Chukiat notes. "We can't compete with Singapore when it comes to print."