Thais Fight Over " Thaksin, Fight " Energy Drink

[sriracha john]

Thais fight over "Thaksin, Fight" energy drink

BANGKOK - A new energy drink -- "Thaksin, Fight" -- has led to fisticuffs even before it goes on sale across Thailand next month, the beverage maker said on Thursday.

The drink has been a hit in taste tests with northern Thais who delivered election victories for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001 and 2005 before he was ousted in a bloodless 2006 coup.

But southerners who back the opposition Democrat Party have shunned the sweet-and-sour drink bearing Thaksin's name, which is a literal word for south.

"A customer at a grocery store in the south punched our salesman in the face when he offered a sample to a shopkeeper," drinkmaker Natchapol Supatta told Bangkok's Business Radio.

"The shopowner decided not to store the drink in his fridge".

Thailand is home to the globally-known energy drink "Red Bull", or "Krating Daeng" in Thai, which originally catered to laborers and farmers to help them stay awake.

Natchapol said his drink had nothing to do with politics, but he just wanted to cash in on Thaksin's popularity since his return from exile in February.

Thaksin, who is fighting graft charges, repeatedly insists his political career is over, but few Thais believe him.

- Reuters / 4-10-08

[Tony Clifton]

I can see the lawsuits already with the drink giving everyone diarrhea, the urge to steal and not paying taxes.

Edited April 10, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[Jefferson]

Awesome!!! If I come across it I'll stock up on it.. Great idea!

[sriracha john]

I believe this is the Thaksin Fight bottling plant in Nahkorn Buri...

[dee123]

....who says its crazy to waste your money on an ad agency......"Thaksin fight".....must of took months for them to come up with that!.....a real seller......ha ha ha! .....come on people lets think of a better name......how about "pop" as in populist.....or even better ,really quite original "one two pop".....??

Edited April 10, 2008 by dee123

[sriracha john]

New energy drink: Thaksin... fight! - Matichon, April 11, 2008

Ad for the new Thaksin-themed drink from Sunspark Company. It reads:

Give moral support - Give.. Thaksin Soo [Thaksin, fight]

At the bottom: Don't give moral support more than two bottles per day

- 2bangkok.com

Edited April 13, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Thaksin: genie in a bottle?

Thaksin … Fight! is the latest energy drink on the market. Sun Spark Beverage's general manager Nachpoan Supatana tells Sunday Xpress why they've named it that.

Why did you call it Thaksin … Fight!?

We've visited many shops in the North and the Northeast over the past two months. They say the slowdown in trade has them wondering when Thaksin Shinawatra will come back, and that made us wonder why we didn't launch a product to tap the grass roots, such as taxi-drivers, labourers and farmers.

They're our main target group. I certainly think that sort of person would go for it more than Mark 9, the nickname of Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, or PM Samak Sundaravej.

It had to be something political, did it?

Oh yes! We did have alternatives, such as Udon or Payap Isaan. We thought about having several brands, but decided it would cause too much confusion. Normally we'd avoid politics, but we are marketers, not politicians. It is a marketing gimmick, certainly, but if Thai Rak Thai could be successful by using marketing *gimmicks* in politics, why shouldn't we by using politics in marketing?

Will Thaksin's return benefit your product?

I'll say! The whole point of marketing is how to tap the target groups in as short a time as possible. We think we've done it there: when he returns our brand will be in the public eye.

What sort of feedback have you had?

They love it in the North and the Northeast. We were surprised at it going down so well in Bangkok, though, with it being such a strong base of the Democrats.

I'll admit it's tough going in the South, though we have tried to tell them the drink has nothing to do with politics. *A direct lie as per his above comments.* We do have to sell it in the South, because a lot of Isaan people work there, and I think they'd buy it; the difficulty is getting people to stock it and distribute it there.

What sort of sales are you looking at?

We aim for 3 per cent to 5 per cent of the energy-drink market with a value of 1.4 Billion Baht. We think Thaksin ... Fight! can survive the competition. We'll advertise it on television as a drink that will help develop the country.

- Daily XPress (today)

Edited May 4, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

UPDATE... they've had to stop advertising... as it's getting too close to reality...

Ads for "Thaksin, Fight" energy drink pulled back

BANGKOK - Promoters of a new Thai energy drink called "Thaksin, Fight" have had to scale back their advertising for fear of inciting violence between supporters and opponents of the ousted prime minister.

With daily street rallies against Thaksin Shinawatra clogging up Bangkok's streets, drink-maker Natchapol Supatana said on Tuesday he had decided to cancel television and radio slots for the bitter-sweet beverage.

"We are using his name to ride on his popularity among many Thais, but we don't want to be accused of being a catalyst for worsening social division," Natchapol told Reuters. "We are now opting for direct sales to shops and superstores."

The drink, similar to Thailand's popular "Red Bull" energy drink, has been a hit in taste tests with northern Thais, who handed the telecoms billionaire thumping election victories in 2001 and 2005 before protests triggered his removal in a 2006 coup.

With an avowedly pro-Thaksin administration back in charge after a December election, the anti-government demonstrations have started again -- as have the fears of social discord and even talk another coup.

- Reuters (today)

Edited June 17, 2008 by sriracha john

[Jimjim]

Funny story.

[h90]

UPDATE... they've had to stop advertising... as it's getting too close to reality...

Ads for "Thaksin, Fight" energy drink pulled back

BANGKOK - Promoters of a new Thai energy drink called "Thaksin, Fight" have had to scale back their advertising for fear of inciting violence between supporters and opponents of the ousted prime minister.

With daily street rallies against Thaksin Shinawatra clogging up Bangkok's streets, drink-maker Natchapol Supatana said on Tuesday he had decided to cancel television and radio slots for the bitter-sweet beverage.

"We are using his name to ride on his popularity among many Thais, but we don't want to be accused of being a catalyst for worsening social division," Natchapol told Reuters. "We are now opting for direct sales to shops and superstores."

The drink, similar to Thailand's popular "Red Bull" energy drink, has been a hit in taste tests with northern Thais, who handed the telecoms billionaire thumping election victories in 2001 and 2005 before protests triggered his removal in a 2006 coup.

With an avowedly pro-Thaksin administration back in charge after a December election, the anti-government demonstrations have started again -- as have the fears of social discord and even talk another coup.

- Reuters (today)

Da*mn, just now when I finished my thaksin au pai drink, my pad fight drink and my drink with the biggest margin chamlong fight (contains only pure water)

[sriracha john]

^ that puts the "cola wars" to shame....

[dotcom]

Go Man City. Top of the Premiere League.

[disgruntled]

Yeah! Go Hitler! I mean Thaksin! How about some I love Thaksin panties for the ladies.

[ilyushin]

This for real?

[sriracha john]

This for real?

Yes it is.... yet another "fact is stranger than fiction" in Thailand.