Thai Advertising: A Genre of its Own

Commercials and advertisements have always been a great source of intrigue and enjoyment for me. They reveal a lot about the society we live in through signifiers in advertisements, be it television, online or print. And when it comes to foreign advertising, no other country does it like Thailand.

I remember a few years ago, there was a slew of really gripping Thai commercials that surfaced on YouTube. And I do mean gripping. It’s the kind of ads you don’t mind watching over and over again, no matter how much it might annoy your friends, like listening to ‘Rolling in the Deep’ by Adele. It’s the kind of commercial where you wish the starchy soap opera would quickly reveal who the real father is just so it’ll jump to commercials (hint: it’s usually the brother). I’m sure we all have at least one such ad in mind. Well in the case of Thailand, they really outdid themselves when in comes to the advertisement department. They’ve managed to make 30 seconds to a minute (sometimes two) of airtime more engaging than a two hour-long Michael Bay film. Although to be fair, a baby rattle is usually more engaging than most of his films (and considerably less expensive too).

Despite not being able to understand Thai (with the exception of hello and thank you), the kinds of work that comes out in Thai television airways is quite universal, like this Pantene ad: 

I know what you’re thinking. What does a deaf girl playing the violin have to do with shampoo? Quite frankly, nothing. As far as stretches go, this one was really reaching for it. Still, one can’t deny that it was an absolutely enthralling piece that pulled at your heartstrings. Who’d want to watch yet another ad of a pretty girl with unbelievably smooth, silky hair tells us that a RM20 bottle of shampoo is her secret (I’m not sure how much a bottle of shampoo costs in Thailand). Not me, for sure. While the story might be a little contrived following in the vein of television dramas (complete with the archetypal jealous rival), it was a stroke of creative genius to use a genre that appeals to the female as means of hitting the mark with their target demography.

Let’s not forget his little gem as well: 

A little closer to home with the story than the Pantene one and still a very watchable ad. These tear jerkers are very reminiscent of Malaysia’s own late creative genius, Yasmin Ahmad. While she was still alive, around major festive seasons (Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Deepavali) I’d wait with bated breath for her newest Petronas ad. While the cynics in us might not see Malaysia as a truly united nation, her optimism in her ads offer a contrary to the view, often done in the most delightful and poignant way.  

But I digress.

Thailand has no shortage of creative juices when in the advertising department, judging from the ads I’ve seen on the trains and on the local television. But much like how others fail at capturing our hearts with 60 seconds of air time when compared to Yasmin Ahmad’s ads, Thai commercials thus far have been a let down compared to the great stuff it’s churned out previously.

I wonder what happened.




Low Jia Wei, 24 is majoring in Writing and International Studies and enjoys the simple things in life, like 6x6 Sudoku puzzles and beginners level Minesweeper