Netizens unimpressed by govt plan to spend Bt7 million on Line stickers

By WASAMON AUDJARINT, 
ASINA PORNWASIN 
THE NATION 

 

Examples of the government-released "12 Values of Virtue" Line stickers in 2014

 

THE government is launching a new set of Line stickers, at a cost of Bt7 million for production and distribution, despite the controversy that dogged its “12 values of virtues” sticker launched in 2014.

 

The stickers will be available free of charge for the millions of Line application users across the country.

 

The project, which is run by the Government Spokesman Bureau, will last for a year in the Line “universe”. The bureau will spend Bt4.32 million to create a 12-month Line official account airing 25 messages per month and Line official home airing 60 messages per month. Another Bt2.25 million will be spent for an even shorter period on the market. The cost covers the distribution of eight Line sticker characters designed by the bureau, for 30-day free downloads. The stickers have a 90-day lifespan.

 

The total cost, with VAT included, top Bt7.029 million, according to the Bureau’s procurement papers. The figures are based on the market prices provided by Line Co (Thailand) Ltd.

 

The public-relations project became widely talked about with many people recounting their negative impression of the junta’s 2014 version of Line stickers promoting its “12 values of virtues”. 

 

Participants in social media discussions suggested it cost millions of baht to create an official PR account and a full set of sponsored stickers with Line. But they also asked whether Bt7 million of taxpayers’ money should be spent on such a project.

 

“Line users in Thailand are still considerably minor compared with the whole [global] population. Last time, Bt7 million was spent on creating stickers to promote intangible values. Seriously, for what?” wrote one commenter.

 

Government Spokesperson Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd dodged having any involvement in the project yesterday. “It is included in an annual project by civil servants at the bureau.

 

As a political appointee, I’m not involved in that,” Sansern told The Nation. The Bureau’s director, Natthriya Thaweevong, reiterated that the project was not for political purposes.

 

“This project should be maintained despite future changes of government,” she said. “Thailand houses the world’s second-largest Line user community, so we plan to equip this application to respond to our audiences’ communication behaviour.”

 

The project is only at the conceptual stage with no action yet taken. “But we hope to create Line stickers that reflect our mandate to provide information to the public,” the director said. IT experts also doubted the project would be worth the investment, especially if the government wishes to lure people to their Line official accounts by offering free stickers.

 

“Users will just block the official account from sending them PR messages once they get those stickers,” said Poomjit Sirawongprasert, president of the Thai Hosting Service Providers Club. “And why is the government focusing only on Line and not other applications like Facebook?”

 

According to We Are Social digital agency and Hootsuite social media dashboard, Thailand has 51 million active social-media users and 46 million users accessing via mobile devices. 

 

Facebook remained the most popular social media platform, accounting for 75 per cent of all users, surpassing the 68 per cent using Line.

Arthit Suriyawongkul, coordinator of Thai Netizen Network, said that the official Line account is worth paying for if it can deliver useful information to people.

 

“But it will be otherwise if they’re only used to spread propaganda that people find annoying,” Arthit said. “And an official account requires annual payments to be sustained also.”

 

Nuttaputch Wongreanthong, a digital marketing expert, agreed that accessibility and types of information to be conveyed via the government’s Line channels need to be taken into account to evaluate project worthiness.

 

“This is no different from how every government buys ads from traditional media to reach out to audiences,” he said. “Given Line’s popularity, it’s no surprise the government came to choose this channel. The question is whether the channel can really respond to its active PR approach.

 

A large number of followers don’t always justify the cost.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30343088

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-13

 

 

<deleted> is a line sticker ?

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

<deleted> is a line sticker ?

A little picture you put on your text message when you send the text via Line. Line is a free messaging and call App.

Normal Line sticker..

 

 

Government Line sticker

 

 

it's fun reading full blown conversations in stickers by adults on the BTS

love you sticker, happy sticker, angry sticker, gushing sticker, frustrated sticker, <deleted> you sticker

"Download our stickers so we have a access to your phone"

More propaganda 

You think there might be a sticker that's about mooring a ship, that begins with the letter "W"....?

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Netizens unimpressed by govt plan to spend Bt7 million on Line stickers

Sure the taxpayers would be even more unimpressed if they knew, that the "government" have earmarked 400 million baht to co produce another soap about the 'good old days'....

Desperate measures by Prayut trying to be hip and garner some popularity with the commoners, especially with elections looming...

I offer sticker to government only 2 million baht

.  

See, happy man. Please send my money!

Next project - 8 million baht budget will bring a new highpitched squeaky voice to announcements in public areas and television.

1 hour ago, Happy enough said:

it's fun reading full blown conversations in stickers by adults on the BTS

love you sticker, happy sticker, angry sticker, gushing sticker, frustrated sticker, <deleted> you sticker

Yes: talk about dumbing down and a return to infancy (mind you, many Thais have not advanced beyond that picture-book stage yet - certainly not our intellectually stunning leaders!).

4 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Yes: talk about dumbing down and a return to infancy (mind you, many Thais have not advanced beyond that picture-book stage yet - certainly not our intellectually stunning leaders!).

well, i shouldn't take the piss too much as i often use them myself. buying new ones using tokens is where i draw the line 555

18 minutes ago, Anak Nakal said:

I offer sticker to government only 2 million baht

.  

See, happy man. Please send my money!

That means 5 million Baht less for certain pockets. I don't think that would go down well...

I wonder if they will have a sticker of a cuddly little brown bear wearing an army tee shirt slapping a cute little pregnant white rabbit for not using her indicators?

 

Yes - I know my way around "line stickers". How else do you communicate with a twelve year old daughter?

4 minutes ago, JAG said:

I wonder if they will have a sticker of a cuddly little brown bear wearing an army tee shirt slapping a cute little pregnant white rabbit for not using her indicators?

 

Yes - I know my way around "line stickers". How else do you communicate with a twelve year old daughter?

or a 40 year old wife!

May I suggest this sticker!

14 minutes ago, JAG said:

I wonder if they will have a sticker of a cuddly little brown bear wearing an army tee shirt slapping a cute little pregnant white rabbit for not using her indicators?

 

Yes - I know my way around "line stickers". How else do you communicate with a twelve year old daughter?

i even bought a t-shirt with brown beating the shit out of cony. saw it and couldn't resist. luckily it was too small so gave it to one of my nephews

Maybe something like this would convey a more relevant message!

 

Everyone knows the sticker cost only 7k and where the rest went.

Ur <deleted> jokn?

 

Poor, education, hospital, retired, road fatalities, pollution, over population, abortion, child abuse, unfair military, backwards government, lack of electric vehicles and facilities, drinking water, corruption, unsolved murders, no police force at all, etc, etc... Could go on all day..... But, these <deleted> line stickers anyone can make and use is priority over real issues. 

Where the hell did that cost come from?

5 hours ago, webfact said:

the junta’s 2014 version of Line stickers promoting its “12 values of virtues”. 

Which coincidentally cost the Thai government Bt 7 million.

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2014/12/22/1419235215/

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The project is only at the conceptual stage with no action yet taken. “But we hope to create Line stickers that reflect our mandate to provide information to the public,”

Curiously there's no mention of who is developing the "conceptual" designs and will provide the app software for download.

However, given the history of similar projects by software company Info Media Innovation, they might be involved in the new 12 values stickers:

• developed “Kamnan Sticker” to support the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee
• developed Army stickers with the aim of supporting the National Council for Peace and Order and the idea of giving happiness to Thais and the country

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Army-Sticker-New-app-that-supports-junta-30239423.html

 

2 hours ago, merlin2002 said:

Desperate measures by Prayut trying to be hip and garner some popularity with the commoners, especially with elections looming...

Forgot a word? "especially with illusions of elections looming...

Shame they don't spend 7 million on road safety adverts on TV !

4 hours ago, Happy enough said:

well, i shouldn't take the piss too much as i often use them myself. buying new ones using tokens is where i draw the line 555

Nobody can really take the pi55 too much, most people have whole conversations using emoji or stickers nowadays...you can forgive the government for using s medium that everyone is familiar with to get their message across.

 

Paying 7 million, however, that's another matter completely!

The Thai police already have their own.

 

More fitting.

 

How about putting up 24 wristwatch stickers, one for each hour of the day?