The campaign, which aired two weeks before the elections, was produced on a pro-bono basis, while Brand Energy sponsored media place- ments.
The TV spots featured rural folk being offered money before casting their votes. The narration argues that while voters might have different reasons for selling their vote, their actions would have adverse effects on their children and country’s economic prospects.
The TV spots featured rural folk being offered money before casting their votes. The narration argues that while voters might have different reasons for selling their vote, their actions would have adverse effects on their children and country’s economic prospects.
“Everyone knows that selling your vote is wrong,” said Cholakan Visutipitakul, managing partner, Y&R Bangkok.
“The Government actively promotes how bad it is, but it’s always the same old message. So even though the problem might not have been solved in this election, we hope things can change in the future.”
The anti-vote-selling campaign was supported by TV and radio stations that aired the ads for free. The campaign was ranked first on advertising portal ADintrend within five days of its premiere.
The selling of votes is estimated to be worth over 100 million baht (US$3.3 million) per election. Political candidates often target impoverished villagers and pay 300- to 1,000 baht per head to buy their votes.
Three politicians from the pro-Thaksin PPP have since been disqualified for buying votes during the recent elections.