I first went to Thailand in 1997 and immediately fell in love with the country. Thailand at that time to me was mysterious and exotic, full of potentials and pitfalls.
Fast forward to 2010 and here I am after 13 years and many trips to the LOS sharing, with the help of my 
Mobile Advertising in Bangkok – And I Don’t Mean Cell Phones
Here’s a new advertising twist. Put large LCD screens and electronic boards on top of small trucks and then park them at major intersections. Plus you have the bonus of being able to move them throughout the day based on traffic patterns.
That’s exactly what the Hello Bangkok agency has been doing in Bangkok since December and people are now complaining about the new advertising saying that it is distracting to drivers and causes traffic jams.
If it is effective advertising of course it is distracting, that’s the point. As far as creating traffic jams I can’t imagine how much worse things can be in a city that regularly sees gridlock everyday. Have you ever tried to get through Chinatown, Khao San Road or Sukhumvit between the hours of 5pm and 8pm? The roads are so clogged already that it’s almost better to walk.
The CEO of Hello Bangkok claims ”Mobile outdoor advertising is a new development in Thailand’s ad industry. They could help overcome the BMA’s possible ban on oversized billboards, which can be fatally dangerous during heavy storms,” Mr Kitichai said.
Yes, but what about distracting motorists with these new billboards that can be fatally dangerous at any time Khun Kitichai? Last week, a man claimed that he was hit by a mobile unit of Hello Bangkok, further complicating the difficulties already faced by the company.
Wannee Ruttanaphon, chairman of the media buying agency Initiative, said she found the new medium ”interesting” and might introduce it to her clients.
”It’s quite flexible and can reach a target group easily since it is movable. The advertisers can choose locations that are right for their target groups,” Ms Wannee said.
Currently Hello Bangkok has 700 of the mobile units, but can you imagine if this takes off in a big way? Thousands of small trucks with glittering neon all vying for your attention while you’re trying to drive does not sound like a safe scenario to me.
I know America has Times Square and Las Vegas and similar areas, but at least these glitzy areas are stationary. I can only imaging what traffic would like in Manhattan with these distractions. Of course if you’ve been to Bangkok you know that Thai’s love the neon lights. Simply look at the clubs, pubs and restaurants to see that. Or take a look at a Thai website like TeeNee, all flash and glitz galore.
Has anyone seen these mobile ad units in Bangkok? What do you think about them? Will they take off and turn Bangkok’s streets into parking lots during rush hour or will Bangkok clamp down on this type of advertising and remove it from the streets?
Popularity: 8% [?]
Check out these similar posts:
- Traffic in Bangkok Thailand
- Retiring to Bangkok Thailand
- Nana Plaza – History and Future of Bangkoks Naughty Nightlife
- Mikes Place Patpong 2 in Bangkok
- Club Culture Bangkok
- Goodbye Suan Lum Night Bazaar
- 12 Great Bangkok Hotels
Oh, absolutely get rid of them! The whole point is that Thailand is *not* America and doesn’t need to be saturated with advertising, particularly an obnoxious eyesore like that!
Yep we can only hope they’ll get rid of them. I’m surprised they don’t add big blaring loudspeakers to them. The one bonus is that they are currently just in Bkk and since Bkk is like a different world compared with the rest of Thailand there’s a good chance they won’t be a countrywide phenomena.
Most of my in-laws have Nokia cell phones. They don’t have regular jobs, but they have cell phones! Text messaging is dirt cheap “in network” and costs one peso per message unless they get unlimited text messaging for X number of days, in which event it’s even cheaper. One peso is a little over 2 cents (in US dollars) right now.