JEH United’s banned commercial: An apology to stir the minds and create debate in Thailand
The Positive Network was formed in the aftermath of the recent riots and political turmoil in Thailand. It comprises a group of Thai advertising and marketing veterans who created this commercial to make Thai’s unite as a nation and think about the circumstances that lead to the unrest. The commercial, created by JEH United Bangkok, has had wide viewing on the internet and on Cable TV, however the Board of Censors in Thailand banned it from free to air TV when it was first released. CB Asia has now managed to source the commercial with English subtitles.
In an interview with Thai newspaper The Nation, Jureeporn Thaidumrong, the founder and ECD of JEH United Bangkok, explained how the “Sorry Thailand” project came about.
“I never thought I shared any responsibility for the conflict. I do an honest job, I always pay my taxes,” she is quoted. “The burning of the city on May 19 and 20 was a wake up call. I asked myself what happened to our country. How did it get it far? Only then did I see just how many problems have been plaguing this country for so long. If it hadn’t happened, then Positive Network would not have been born and I would never have had run a campaign like ‘Apologise Thailand’. I would just have continued writing advertising copy to sell things. I never cared what the protesters were doing.”
Thaidumrong explains further: “We just posed questions. We were not blaming anyone in particular. The key message for the campaign was we want to apologise to Thailand. But just one person cannot do that. Furthermore, we must fix the problems, not just say, ‘I’m sorry’.”
“I’m happy to see people debating. Now they talk to each other and pose questions that will lead to wisdom and the answers.
“The debate as to whether the commercial in its present form should be allowed to air is different from the non-creative arguments. Some say it hurts people while others say we should accept the truth. But in the end they are debating for the same goal, which is never to allow violent conflicts to happen again in our country,” says Thaidumrong.
“The trouble is so much of the division over the past five years has to do with the individual’s interests and well-being. That’s something we need to recognise.”
3 Comments
Nothing remotely controversial about this spot. Nothing extraordinarily creative either. It plods along to a predictable ending with uninspiring music.
The opening Supers, though, are nicely done to wow award judges.
12.49PM if you know anyone working in the Thai industry I think you will find that the motives behind this film were much more than award wins.
12.49 you disappoint me….this ad was definitely not done to win an award….it would be deeply embarrassing to enter this to begin with…. and, if it won, to have it air on award night so everyone can again be reminded of thailand’s ugly side….once more.
Thats why the thai government probably didnt allow it to be shown…embarrassment…plus you never know how the majority of the country’s poor would interpret it.
But that leads me to what I found fascinating about it. The creators of this ad are the very bangkok based intelligentsia and elite who the warring red shirts have a beef with. I wonder if they’d give a toss about it given where it came from.