Thai editorial: Anti-alcohol lobby must up its game

[webfact]

EDITORIAL
Anti-alcohol lobby must up its game
The Nation

If beer-touting celebrities on Instagram truly have such an impact, fresh tactics are needed

BANGKOK: -- The public outcry over celebrities posting their photos online flaunting beer brands should instruct the authorities to stop playing cat and mouse with alcohol advertisers.

Stymied by restrictions among the mainstream media channels, the marketers are now using more indirect means - and saving a bundle. Costly TV ads, radio spots and billboards are no longer required when all they need is a photo shared on the social networks or a casual mention by a show-business star with millions of fans.

Those seeking to halt the promotion of alcohol must now tread the thin line between personal freedom of speech and public behaviour. Like taxation, current curbs on advertising appear to be inadequate to staunch the public's thirst for booze.

The more indirect advertising that's become prevalent in recent years can in fact seem overwhelming at times. Despite a virtually comprehensive ban in the mainstream media, there are other ways to promote a brand, and they're on view every day. They take the form of event sponsorships, strategic "product placement" in films and photos and tie-in advertising. The most recent affront to the anti-alcohol lobby took the form of photos posted on Instagram by actor Pakorn "Dome" Lam and six other celebrities, all holding bottles of beer.

Anti-drinking groups want these popular stars penalised for contravening Section 32 of the Alcohol Control Act, which prohibits the advertising of booze, including the display of brand names or logos.

Others argue that the law applies only to the mainstream media, not the social media. The distinction might seem easily resoluble, except that there is indeed a tricky grey area, since text and images uploaded to Instagram and other platforms could be considered personal comment and thus a matter of freedom of speech.

It's been suggested that the celebrities should change their network privacy settings to keep their comments out of sight of the general public. This hardly seems practical, however, given the stars' reliance on massive online followings, and nothing could stop them from accepting every fan as a "friend", granting full access to their thoughts and their beer photos. And who is to say, anyway, whether a celebrity is actually endorsing the alcohol in the picture (or alcohol use in general), or merely sharing a moment from his envied lifestyle?

It matters not at all to those who dread the sheer scale of influence attached to public figures. These are people who can transform public attitudes and expectations about alcohol consumption with the briefest of posts on the social media.

If celebrities alone could be blamed for the increasing alcohol consumption among youth that's been documented in surveys, then perhaps they could be collectively persuaded to behave more responsibly. Unfortunately, young people are exposed to the "fact" of alcohol wherever they go and wherever they look - a football match, a concert, a movie, even the music videos on YouTube.

Clearly the authorities and anti-drinking groups need to rethink their strategies. Kids no longer sit in front of the TV but are instead hunched over gadgets plugged into the social networks. That's where they should be encountering the message that booze could ruin their lives, hopefully presented at least as creatively and persuasively as the alcohol adverts. Top-tier celebrities should be brought onboard to assure youngsters that alcohol just isn't all that cool.

Obviously laws will have to be revamped to rein in indirect advertising, but, since patrolling the social media and monitoring the stars is impossible, the authorities will have to appeal to citizens' ethics and sense of responsibility.

At this stage of the "war on alcohol", the effort should be "eye for an eye", matching every clever, amusing, compelling advertising push by the brewers and distillers with an identical counter-offensive.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Anti-alcohol-lobby-must-up-its-game-30270812.html


-- The Nation 2015-10-14

[jaywalker]

"At this stage of the "war on alcohol", the effort should be "eye for an eye", matching every clever, amusing, compelling advertising push by the brewers and distillers with an identical counter-offensive."

I have NEVER seen any government anywhere do anything as "clever" as the way the entertainment (private) industry is able to do.

Edited October 14, 2015 by jaywalker

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Somehow, I don't think this one is all that difficult, as the thumb sucking editorial above would seem to suggest.

It goes like this:

-- If some star wants to post a photo to social media of them drinking and does so entirely on their own -- without any commercial or business inducement -- the government has no business regulating that.

-- But if any of the brewing companies or their various related business entities (PR firms, bottlers, etc etc) sponsor 3rd parties such as celebrities through payments or any other benefits to do things in social media to promote their brands/drinking, then that's alcohol advertising, and supposedly is banned under the current Thai law. And the authorities would have the right to go after those displaying the advertising (the celebrities) as well as whomever induced them to do so.

From what I gather from reading the prior news reports on this, it wasn't merely a strange coincidence that this group of celebrities suddenly started posting photos of them drinking or displaying a particular beer brand. Yet I only saw the police talking about the celebrities, not those who arranged for them to mount the promotional campaign.

[jonclark]

Instead of all this beating of the chest and blaming advertising, celebrities, the internet for the alleged all pervasive rise of the demon alcohol being behind all of societies woes. Give people the education and tools they need to decide for themselves if they want to drink or not.

Giving people a crappy education which sadly in the majority of cases leads to a poor lifestyle and then wondering why they make poor choices is a no-brainer.

Ban all alcohol advertising, branding, and celebrity endorsements on TV, internet etc. Push alcohol underground, away from the mainstream - do ya really think that, that is going to make alcohol less cool or more cool to the young?

Stop trying to deflect from the real reason people drink - the world over - They decide they want to and they enjoy it, even if that does mean getting blind drunk and acting like an idiot for some.

The only way to change their behaviour is through education. Half a dozen young ladies holding placards displaying their displeasure ain't gonna dissuade anyone from having a bottle of JW Black on a Friday night.

[Praematura]

I'm be first to say that some form of alcohol prohibition is coming along under this pm with some form of a morality police. The pm lives in a bubble of how Thailand was great before it was corrupted by the West.

[jaltsc]

"Like taxation, current curbs on advertising appear to be inadequate to staunch the public's thirst for booze."

This type of advertising has no affect on the public's thirst for alcohol. They are already hooked. The main goal of this advertising is to steer the hooked consumer with disposable income towards their particular brand. Those who don't have much money will stick with the cheapest rot gut available.

[american12bthai]

THai celeb will do anything for recognition or money... anything. wanna sleep with a maxim girl? theres a hotel for that? Thaksin has paid of several thai celeb for their "mouth" action. "where are you?" "here i am" they will even take advertising jobs for normal people... like from hotdog companies and attempt to look glamorous. Im sorry, there is no single glamorous way to have a wiener next to your face.

Alcohol is a contribution to whats messing up thai culture. Instead of saving or using the money in a way that builds themselves or the country they would rather spend 300 baht on drinking over investing in their future. 1 drink at a club here is about the same i would pay for in an EXPENSIVE club in NYC. Does that make sense? The mob controls one popular brand of alcohol here in thailand and aanother family monopolized the other beverage imports industry. this is what happen when you allow corruption and your family to take control of business they never earned. money is now more important than all the children in this counrtty. the HISOs DO NO NOT CONTROL THE COUNTRY.

[DM07]

Public outcry?

A hand full of people, who can't see other people enjoy themselves, is hardly an "outcry"!

[ronthai]

War on drugs in the USA, how is that going?

Thailand, War on booze, look just make alcohol illegal and all pesky farangs will go home. All working girls and guys go back to the rice fields. Hé, that might even solve some of the drugs problems in Thailand.

And you won't have to worry about Thailand image any more, ever time something happens on a daily base.

Well, I just gave the general the solution for Thai Happiness.

OK, Cambodia, get ready here we come. Just learn from Thailand how NOT to do it.

[eliotness]

If the government wants real civil disorder, forget beer, focus on Lao Khow (or however it's spelt). Can you imagine the riots if that was "restricted"!!!

[gemguy]

Hmmmm...Alcohol rears its ugly head again.

While one sector of the government, supported by the public, tries to curb the consumption of alcohol other government sectors are indifferent to the consumption of alcohol and any of its social ramifications because of their tax revenue dependency resultant of wide spread alcohol consumption and the significant amounts of money involved.

What to do, what to do????...While the world over everyone knows Prohibition does not work....so..... lets not go down that rocky road again.

Cheers

Edited October 14, 2015 by gemguy

[h90]

Public outcry?

A hand full of people, who can't see other people enjoy themselves, is hardly an "outcry"!

a hand full of hypocrite

[tomyummer]

I assume this only applies to Thais on the internet?

[maoro2013]

Furthermore, the ban is for celebrities, as mentioned in a previous post, which opens up another problem, defining 'celebrity'. There must be a huge grey area there. Surely if there is a rule it should apply equally to everyone.