Issue 25

The new executive director of the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce is determined to make his chamber more responsive to its members’ requirements.

With so many chambers of commerce in Bangkok, it would appear a thankless task to make one chamber stand out from the rest. However, this is precisely what Carsten Jens Carlstedt decided to take on last November when he assumed the role of executive director for the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Founded in June 1992, DanCham was the first Danish chamber of commerce in Southeast Asia. Now the chamber has 104 corporate members, including global brewing multinational Carlsberg, but according to Carlstedt the majority are Danish SMEs involved in banking, hotels and restaurants, as well as a number of professionals, such as lawyers. There are also 25 individual members. However, at the beginning of 2014, the chamber had 125 corporate members.

Carlstedt accepts that re-building the chamber’s membership base is a “challenge.” But the former handball coach, who came to Thailand initially as country manager for Danish organisation PERIAMMA, which supports parents in Surin province so that their children do not have to work on the streets is clearly not someone to shirk a challenge.

“Mostly we support Danish companies working in Thailand,” he says. “But in the future we might also help Thai companies to get in contact with producers in Denmark or other European companies. But our main purpose is to support and develop networking between Thai and Danish companies in Thailand.”

With a small membership-base compared with other chambers, Carlstedt places a high importance on inter-chamber cooperation. “The first half of the year we are holding a lot of common events together with the Nordic countries, but on top of that we are also working together with the big chambers such as Germany, France and Italy,” he says. “It’s a kind of give and take.”

However, Carlstedt believes the key part of his role is to go out and find out what his members want from the chamber. “We would like to promote the companies more and to listen to them more, and maybe get the companies to sponsor some events, and profile them on the homepage,” he says. The latter is a key part of his strategy for transforming the chamber.

Carlstedt wants to use the chamber’s website more, including producing monthly newsletters. “Every month we will promote two or three companies and make a profile of them to support their marketing,” he says.

Membership of the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce is open to anyone who has a Danish connection. It organises 20 events each year including networking meetings and breakfast meetings including key speakers on specialist issues. At the next breakfast on April 21, there will be a seminar on cyber security. The largest social gatherings are at Easter and Christmas, when around 200 guests gather in the gardens of the Danish Embassy.

For more information, visit: http://www.dancham.or.th

Words by Mark Bibby Jackson

Issue 23

Thai silk's reputation for high quality weaving techniques and patterns is well established, but the industry needs to change in order to match consumer's needs and the world fashion market.

While the conventional weaving patterns and techniques of Thai silk are valuable to Thai culture, the Modern Thai Silk project aims to promote contemporary Thai silk to serve the demands of the fashion world.

“Fashion designers love silk, but they need materials that suit the consumer’s needs and lifestyles,” says Dr. Chanchai Sirikasemlert, Director of the Thailand Textile Institute's Technology Promotion Department. “Traditional Thai silk has a limited range of colours and textures, but designers need to follow fashion trends and people’s lifestyle.”

Over the past year, the department has carried out research and development across the industry, from silkworm raising, thread reeling and yarn spinning to design, dyeing, printing and marketing. This revealed that Thai silk can be classified into four characteristics – lustre, uneven, textured and fluid, according to Sirikasemlert.

“This year we have developed the yarns and fabrics to have more characteristics,” he says. “For example, stretchy like spandex, light and thin as chiffon, twisted with linen to make it more ventilated, mixed with hemp to help protect UV or even having collagen to nourish the skin. It is more functional and suitable for daily use.”

Samples had been on display at the world's top fabrics fair Premiere Vision 2015 in Paris. Fashion brands and designers were there to examine materials from more than 700 weavers around the world and to buy what suits their needs best.

Thailand exported US$16.95 million of silk products in 2014, an increase of 8.53% compared with the same period the previous year. Key markets included the US, Germany, the UK, Japan and Hong Kong.

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Issue 24

 

 

A Thai brand of exotic leather handbags is competing with high-end international brands to prove that Thailand can match the quality, materials and craftsmanship found in other parts of the world.

Exotic leather is a big business. In 2013, the value of Thai leather goods exports reached US$1.7 billion, with the majority coming from exotic leather goods. So it is only natural that several exotic leather farmers are developing their own brands to supply both Thai and international markets.

“Our company, Silver C Exotic Leather, solely manufactures exotic leather handbags, made from skins of crocodiles, snakes, ostriches, or even rabbit fur,” says Patcharapimol Youngprapakorn, founder of the S’uvimol brand.

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Issue 22

 

 

Thai creative companies are developing a global reputation for excellence, nowhere is this more so than with the much lauded CJ Worx.

Arriving at the office of CJ WORX you might feel you’ve entered a hip new restaurant bar. But naturally one of Thailand’s most celebrated digital integrated advertising companies would have an office that completely stupefies all who enter, causing instant conversation and dialogue. This is how they reach their clients’ targets so why wouldn’t their working space exude such creativity?

“Creative content that can trigger conversation is our goal. Even if you spend millions to reach people, it doesn’t always result in people visiting your website or buying your product,” says Jinn Powprapai, managing director and partner of CJ WORX.

CJ WORX is at the centre of many of Thailand’s viral campaigns, such as using videos to tell clients’ stories in digital format. WOMON: Word of Mouth Online Network is a network used to spread videos. The group also includes full service media agency Spore, which takes care of search, blogging, banners, and digital PR. International clients include Unilever, Nissan, Samsonite, Coca-Cola, Air Asia and Direct Asia, to name a few.

The company claims it is the most awarded digital agency in Thailand. One of its most successful campaigns was for the women’s lingerie brand, Wacoal. ‘My Beautiful Woman’ featured viral videos of local women telling their stories. The campaign won plaudits at both the Adman awards 2014 and Asia Awards 2014.

“It’s our creative, our strategy and approach,” says company partner Saharath Sawadatikon of the company’s successful formula. “We have this rule. For every campaign we have what we call Optimization: 1, 7 and 30. One day after a campaign launch we monitor the campaign and make any adjustments. After seven days we look into all the data and adjust the campaign again. After 30 days when the campaign is finished we look at what we have to change in the future. Each campaign is dramatically better than the last. That’s how we’ve grown so fast.”

According to Powprapai, online marketing has changed a lot over the past five years, consequently CJ WORX has to constantly evolve itself. “I always tell my staff: Don’t be afraid to try new stuff. Don’t follow your competitor. Be the leader of the industry. Even if you fail you learn from it. There are always new things to try. Since we are creative, that’s what we like and it keeps our fire going.”

Powprapai claims that the number of Thais who access internet via their mobile (44.6 million) is greater than the numbers who access it from a personal computer (30 million). This is a trend he only sees continuing.

“Social and mobile usage is going to grow even more. Mobile commerce will double its digits every year,” he says. “Many foreign companies are seeing the potential for growth and coming to invest in e-commerce here. In Thailand we have a different way of buying things online because only 10% of people use credit cards. Many local businesses sell their products through Line or Instagram. There will be many changes coming soon.”

Words by: Yvonne Liang