Overseas marketing | No need to use domestic marketing methods, local differences in the Thai market

The development of media and the popularity of the Internet in the Thai market provide new marketing opportunities for brands, and understanding local culture and consumer behavior is crucial to successful promotion.

I have been in contact with the Thai market for more than 5 years, and I used to cross the river by feeling the stones. From the unsatisfactory data at the beginning to the small success now, I have summarized several experiences of investing in local Thai bloggers.

01 Thailand market media incubation and rising period

Why do I say that the Thai market is a good market? Let's look at the data first. The number of Internet users in Thailand has increased from 55.6 million in 2020 to 63.2 million so far. This is already 88% of the country's population. This data has not yet reached this peak in China today, and their online time is also increasing, with an average of 7 hours and 58 minutes per day.

In the past, social media software in Thailand was mainly IG and FB. Tiktok has grown significantly after the mask was introduced. The influencer market is not as competitive as in China, and most bloggers have gained popularity due to the traffic dividend. It is relatively less commercialized and mature.

If you go directly to the blogger, the price will be expensive (because most bloggers do not have a complete MCN system), not many Thai bloggers will accept returned products, and the rejection rate of returned products will be high! Be sure to communicate clearly in advance about the sample return matters, otherwise it is likely to "disappear"

It should be noted here that influencers in the Thai market are not as patient as those in China (personal experience). Most influencers are afraid of trouble. If the cooperation model is very complicated, influencers will most likely refuse to cooperate. Therefore, we need more cooperation and assistance in the Thai market, and the manuscripts should be written completely to facilitate their creation.

02 Humor is more popular

In Thailand, they pay more attention to the concept of "Sanuk", which means "fun". Humor runs through their lives and work, especially in advertising and content creation. Thailand's "sand sculpture advertisements" have repeatedly become popular on social media. This sense of humor can lighten the atmosphere of heavy topics and increase the audience's favorability.

Bloggers can be guided to present brand information in a light-hearted and humorous way, which is especially suitable for entertainment content or lifestyle products. By using Thai localized humorous elements, consumers can more easily accept advertising information.

We have worked with an interesting blogger before. In order to attract more netizens to watch, we saved the advertisement until the end, so that more netizens would stay after watching the video and then insert the advertisement. Thai netizens are relatively receptive to this kind of interesting video. The response was very good at the time, and it received more than one million views.

03 National popular culture influence

We need to understand what young people like in order to cooperate better. Thai young people prefer Korean dramas and K-pop, which have a large number of fans in Thailand. Lisa from BLACKPINK is Thai, which further brings Thailand and Korean pop culture closer. In recent years, Thai trendy toy culture has also been very popular, and young people like to buy trendy toys through social media and shoot unboxing videos to websites.

You can establish connections with Thai consumers through the bridge of pop culture, choose bloggers related to K-pop or BL culture, and use their influence to promote brands and products.

By the way, women are more influential than men on Thai social media because they are more active on social media. Women are more likely to expose social issues and challenge conservatism on social media, which is a bit like feminism in China, so when screening products for product promotion, you must understand whether they affect the female market.

04 KOL and KOC Formation Bonus

The Thai social media market is as prosperous as that in China, especially in the fields of food, fashion, lifestyle, and travel. Compared with big stars, KOLs interact more closely with their audiences, and their real experiences and recommendations are more credible, which consumers will be more receptive to.

Brands can give priority to cooperating with micro-influencers, especially in localized product promotion. Such KOLs can build trust with consumers in a more intimate way, prompting fans to recognize and purchase brands.

05 Thai Family Structure

Thailand is slightly different from China. According to the survey, Thais pay more attention to the collective, and family and friends play an important role in their social life. In advertisements and social media content, elements involving collective concepts such as family and friends tend to resonate.

When choosing KOLs, priority can be given to bloggers who often present content about collective life or team activities, which resonates with Thailand’s collectivist culture.

06 Respect national conditions

Every country has its own religious culture. Thailand is a country that respects the royal family and religion very much, so when cooperating in advertising, remember not to touch this red line. Be extra careful on social media.

Before cooperating, it is best to communicate clearly with media companies and MCNs that have experience in advertising, avoid sensitive topics regarding Thai laws and regulations, and respect Thai culture and Internet norms.

PS: Advertising statements must be in Thai, which is a legal requirement. Of course, I also recommend using Thai for content, after all, it is the native language of this country, and not all netizens understand English. If the advertisement must be promoted in a foreign language, a Thai translation must be provided.