The Thai don't have a team in the World Cup, but it doesn't stop them from being interested, on the contrary. Betting on the World Cup is strictly forbidden (Thais do love betting money) but it doesn't stop them. It can go from a twenty bath (around 0,5€ ) bet between siblings to very big sums of money (so much that they are reports of girlfriends being driven to the sex industry to pay-off partners debts, or so says the Bangkok Post).
But my point is that the World cup is the summer's big event, and Pepsi went all the way with a rather vigorous (if classical) media plan and a commercial specially made for Thailand (for those who don't remember the international one is here, you will recognize the music).
So, to sum up: on the morning, when I am waiting for the BTS (the skytrain), the whole station is lined with the brand's World Cup identity and even if I don't watch it, I can hear the commercial playing on the background (there are screens in the station.)
Once I am in the BTS, even if I don't watch it, I can hear it playing from time to time (there are screens in the trains too.)
When I finally arrive in my building, I take the 19 story high ride in the elevator and there… Yes! You guessed right : still the Pepsi ad playing (there are screens in the elevators too, how crazy is that? )
And the worst thing is, I have never drank so much Pepsi in my life (I don't take side in the Coca/Pepsi war, I'm just an innocent bysander…)
But to be honest, it's not only because the advertising. The weather plays a big role, forcing you to drink often if you don't want to end like a withered plum , and from what I have seen so far, Coke's distribution is far from being to par with Pepsi's…
In Thailand, the score is 1 to 0 for Pepsi.
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