How Thai real estate companies are harnessing celebrity power
In Thailand’s competitive real estate market, where differences are minimal, finding a distinct marketing strategy is crucial and one powerful medium that has recently emerged is using celebrity “presenters”.
Historically, real estate companies have not relied on celebrities to present their brands, until the business world screeched to a halt after the arrival of Covid-19. Then real-estate companies began looking for new, unique ways to hold consumers’ attention and decided to start using popular faces to present their brands, especially through billboard advertising.
Wittawat Rungruengpol, a Thammasat University lecturer on property business, said real-estate marketing primarily revolves around project promotion, followed by corporate branding.
This approach has been traditionally used by big property developers like Sansiri, SC Asset and Origin.
Most property companies shifted their focus to online platforms, social media, billboards and even brochures after television commercials proved to be ineffective.
Besides, similarities between housing projects present a huge challenge when it comes to grabbing the attention of potential homebuyers. To combat this, real-estate sales strategists are now increasingly embracing celebrities.
“Using celebrities is a good way to rekindle a brand’s image and leave a lasting impression on consumers,” Wittawat said.
“A well-known face does not just boost the brand’s visibility on social media via feeds or clips on platforms like TikTok, but they also attract more views, clicks and visits to the brand’s landing page. This establishes a stronger connection, generates greater interest and boosts overall brand engagement.”
Plus, popular celebrities serve as trendsetters, effectively boosting brand awareness online by sharing experiences. Their advocacy, in turn, inspires likes, shares, comments and the tagging of friends, which breaks through the visibility barriers of brand pages.
Organic content shared by celebrities’ fan clubs further enhances communication and garners even more attention.
“Prime examples are successful celebrities like Billkin and PP who bring with them a passionate fan base,” he said.
He was referring to Thai actor, and singer Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratanakul and actor, model and singer Krit “PP” Amnuaydechkorn.
However, he said, though celebrities boost the brand’s visibility and give it an opportunity to reach a wider audience, they do not necessarily have a direct impact on sales.
Still, he added, they do play a key role in giving the brand better exposure, making it easier for customers to discover it and its offerings, and ultimately boosting its effectiveness.
