President Hiroaki Noh said the Namacha brand had gained a certain level of awareness through mass-media advertising and that it was time to implement a second step by conducting marketing activities using the Namacha panda to draw attention.

He said the mascot was introduced in Japan in 2003 and had not only received good feedback there, but had also led to other merchandising business.

To introduce the mascot in Thailand, the company plans to arrange events in areas such as Victory Monument, featuring a panda teacher and four panda students walking around the city. Other events and campaigns will follow, including in-store promotions and purchase premiums.

Noh said the activities will continue throughout next month and that if the Namacha Panda received good feedback here, it might lead to more merchandising business using the mascot.

At present Namacha green tea comes in just two flavours: original and low sweet. It has gained only a small share of the Bt5-billion green-tea market in Thailand.

Noh admitted that entering Thailand when the market was already regarded as mature and had very strong players like Oishi was a big challenge for Siam Kirin.

Last year, it achieved Bt150 million in sales.

Siam Kirin was established last year by a joint venture involving local company Osotspa and Kirin Beverage of Japan.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation