Bt200m for Thailand Got Talent

Unilever Thailand yesterday announced that it was spending Bt200 million on sponsoring the second season of the “Thailand’s Got Talent” competition, for which regional qualification kicks off on October 15.
The sponsorship, which is part of Unilever’s brand-centric strategy and marks the company’s 80th anniversary in the Kingdom, follows up the phenomenal success of “Thailand’s Got Talent Season I”, which achieved the country’s highest television ratings ever for a family entertainment programme, at 9.7.
Wannipa Bhakdibutra, vice president for personal care at Unilever Thai Trading, yesterday said the company’s Rexona brand would be the major sponsor for this season’s programme, which is based on the theme “Daring Is Winning” to encourage contestants to have the courage to think, do, and show off their talent.
“Rexona is our medium-size brand of deodorant and our aim is to make it the No 1 deodorant brand in the Thai market,” Wannipa said.
She said that by being a major sponsor of the show’s first season, Rexona had enjoyed a significant increase in terms of local awareness, especially among the more than 10 million television viewers of the programme.
“Thailand’s Got Talent Season II” will offer prizes and cash worth a total of Bt12 million. Teams that qualify for the semi-finals, as well as the eventual winner, will receive even greater rewards this season.
Unilever Thai Trading is once again collaborating with Workpoint for the production, and the show will be broadcast on Channel 3 from March 4 to May 27 next year. However, the competition begins its regional selection events for talent on October 15.
“We are entering the 80th anniversary of doing business in Thailand, and such sponsorship helps promote our corporate vision – ‘Better Future Every Day’ – to be recognised by the general public in more concrete ways. The sponsorship will build a connection between our brand and consumers at every touch point,” Wannipa said.
Thailand is one of the leading markets for Unilever for initiating such advertiser-funded programming activities, she added.
The company also sponsors the “Vietnam Idol” competition, which has entered its third season.
“As we are entering Unilever’s [ninth] decade of doing business in Thailand, we are committed to bringing joy and fun to Thai consumers once again with a globally renowned entertainment programme in the form of ‘Thailand’s Got Talent’,” said Bauke Rouwers, chairman of Unilever Thailand. “It reflects our focus on consumer-centric communications that bring our brands closely in touch with Thai people and become part of their daily lives.
“This programme will help to reflect their true self and dreams, encouraging them to develop their potential to the level needed for a national competition,” he added.