5 Reasons Why Thai's Love a Digital Life

Hi everyone

12 months ago I used to have to convince some marketers that Thai people were embracing a digital lifestyle.

Not any more. As marketers we are constantly faced with the digital changes in our work and social lives. But there is still the belief that digital is ‘only for the young’, or that ‘most Thais aren’t ready for digital marketing’.

So I’ve provided 5 FACTS below (mostly sourced from the 2009 Asian Digital Marketing Association Handbook) about the digital change that is sweeping Siam and, what the implications of this are for marketers here.

1. ALL Thais Love the Web: There are more than 15 million Internet users, with a penetration rate of 23.7% this year. That’s up from around 20% last year and next year it’s predicted to hit 28%. That means we’re growing by about 20-25 % per year in terms of Internet usage. And it’s not just urban Bangkokians, 2/3 rds come from outside Bangkok and almost 60% of people online earn less than 30,000 Baht/month. Just kids? No, almost 50% of online users are older than 25. That means all mass consumer brands should be considering their digital strategies across the board, not just for young urban Bangkokians.

2. Thais are Embracing the Mobile Web: I have mentioned before that Thais are amongst the highest users in Asia of their mobile phones, at almost 3 hours a day. While much of this is just SMS & chatting on the phone, the real story lies in how Thai users are starting to embrace the mobile Web. Thailand’s mobile Internet population has grown by 116% in the past year, as people start to embrace smart phones and applications and the mobile web. It is still early days but predictions are that more people will be accessing the web from mobile than from any other device within 3 years. And with a mobile penetration rate of 82% and rising, you better have a mobile marketing strategy NOW!

3. Thais Connect with Social Media: While last year’s stats show 10.73 million social media users in 2008, I know for a fact that Facebook increased their members by about 1 million in the last month alone! Social Networking is split mainly between the teens on Hi-5 (Up to 8 million users) and the 20 + crowd, who are increasingly flocking to Facebook. And the trends are that the biggest growth area is actually in the 25+ age categories. Yes, everyone is starting to embrace this movement. And every brand now needs to recognize this is not a fad, but a real social media phenomenon which requires a new approach to marketing across different age groups.

4. Thais are Crazy about Gaming: According to recent research Thais are the #1 (18-29) for online gaming in Asia, at 3 hours per day. In fact, 33% of all users play games online. And the implications for this are beyond kids again. Looking at all the gaming on popular portal sites like Sanook or Pantip, at Hi5 and Facebook, and how game play is starting to become a part of marketing campaigns and web interaction from all ages. Gaming can be a fun way to educate, entertain and yes to sell. Are you making the most of this opportunity?

5. Thais Live to Blog, Create & generally ‘Engage’: Yes Thais are gaming a lot, using email and visiting news sites. But they are also inter-acting and creating in other ways. Look at blogging – 84% of Thai Internet users claim to write or participate in a blog every week. And 18% have used their mobile devices to make a video clip. As the Web becomes the primary communication & creativity tool in our lives, we need to keep up with the sophisticated and interactive elements in our marketing as well.

Of course we can talk about the negatives. The lack of infrastructure, that 3G is not here yet, the income divide. But the fact is many Thais are not waiting for anyone or anything - just getting out there and doing it. Marketers take heed.

Cheers, Rob

Feel free to add comments below, or for further questions or advice contact me at rob.h@th.arcww.com