Thailand Interview: Jon RussellThis is a featured page

Jon RussellJon Russell

Staff writer at Director Thailand Magazine
Author of Blog Jonny Foreigner



1. Hi Jon, we understand you are currently based in Thailand. What do you do there?

I do a few things. I am a journalist for a business magazine called Director Thailand. I’m also a freelance writer on some companies based in Bangkok. I also teach sometimes as well.


2. What is the dominant platform for communications in Thailand? Where does internet stand among the current choices?

It depends where you are in Thailand. If you are in somewhere like BK, internet is a good way of communicating… Bangkok is a little more westernized. If you are an expat, internet in BK is a pretty big deal. Lots of people using twitter, skype and other communications as well, especially if you are an expat.

If you live away from Bangkok, especially if you are not an expat normally Thai person living away from BK, unless you go to internet café, you won’t be connected since it is very expensive to get computers.

Thais makes up a huge portion of the population so there are still a significant number of people active on internet but they are mainly located in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.


3. Seems like mobile is the dominant platform. Is 3G phones common in Thailand?

Some phones do come with internet access but technology infrastructure is quite bad in Thailand. People in Thailand are not used to using internet on their mobile. Young people in their teens usually use for social networking sites like Hi5.


4. In one of your blogs, you mentioned that Thailand’s online advertising is lackluster as it makes up only 1.5% of total spent on advertising. Reasons being the lack of broadband infrastructure and consumer habits. Tell us more about the “less mature consumer habits”.

Thais are less tech-savvy. In comparison in UK where the average consumer in London spends 10-15 minutes on train accessing internet. Compared to London, The fact they have internet in pocket and able to assess internet even at home or work on their computers shows there is high daily exposure to online advertising. You can also watch TV on computer.

PCs are expensive and less common in the Thai market. In effect, they are less tech-savvy. Their web experience is less intensive.


5. Assuming there is stable internet access throughout Thailand, do you think the people will be receptive to embracing online advertising? Will they trust it as much as traditional advertising?

The attitude towards advertising in Thailand is more tolerant. In UK, people may not trust online advertising. But advertising is everywhere in Thailand. You can see them on every TV show, radio show and also petrol kiosk. An online experience is supposedly more personal experience so naturally people will not be as receptive to online advertising. But, Thais in general are fairly more tolerant.


6. Since internet isn’t rampant and stable throughout Thailand yet, I suppose it is safe to assume here aren’t many businesses in Thailand that use social media for marketing, are there?

That’s an excellent question. That’s one of my specialist areas as a journalist. Yes, not many are using. Not many actually understand how to the dynamics of it.


7. From what we know, Tourism Authority of Thailand is running an online campaign for a contest, Thailand Ultimate Explorers and has been getting good responses so far.

Yes, absolutely, one of the big issues with using internet in Thailand is the web language. English is the most used language online. Although Thais generally can speak some English and understand basic English, as a country English literacy rate is not high. Especially, if you market in English, you can only reach out to mainly international audience and less on local audience.


8. Do you think these are good platforms (Hi5, Facebook or Twitter) for companies to communicate to their consumers in Thailand?

It depends on who your audience is and what the companies are trying to do. If you are targeting young audience (16 to 25) who has an understanding of English and they are on these platforms, then it will be more cost-effective to reach out to them via these platforms.


9. Many companies in Singapore create Facebook pages but they aren’t getting much of an active response from the fans. Do you think this may be the same case for Thai consumers?

I think the problem is how they go about doing it. Social media works best when it is part of a broad marketing campaign. For example you have advertisements on TV, radio, newspapers and magazines, and they are all based around a theme. You can take the theme to the next level using social media like Facebook, it will probably generate more interest than being in a cocoon land. It all has to be part of a big picture.


10. If a foreigner is to set up a new Public Relations (PR) company in Thailand, what advice would you give with regards to the media landscape in Thailand?

That’s a good question. I’ve worked previously in a PR company for about five years in London. But I think the landscape is completely different in Thailand. The advice I’ll give: You probably should go somewhere else (laughs). Most PR companies here do it the standard traditional way. Social media is still quite new here. Perhaps, social media consultancy might be the way to go since social media is going to come to Thailand at some point.


prev main




shaun.tay.2006
shaun.tay.2006 		Latest page update: made by shaun.tay.2006 , Nov 19 2009, 3:29 AM EST (about this update About This Update shaun.tay.2006 formatting - shaun.tay.2006


view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags: Interview Jon Thailand
More Info: links to this page

Threads for this page

There are no threads for this page.  Be the first to start a new thread.

Related Content

  (what's this?Related ContentThanks to keyword tags, links to related pages and threads are added to the bottom of your pages. Up to 15 links are shown, determined by matching tags and by how recently the content was updated; keeping the most current at the top. Share your feedback on Wetpaint Central.)
Thailand: Government Thailand: Culture Thailand: Religion
About Thailand Thailand Thailand: Acknowledgements
Creator's Creations Thailand: Interviews Thailand Interview: Sherrie Daraprai
Thailand Interview: Andrew Clark