With Miss Universe 2005, Natalie Glebova, as its Brand Beauty Ambassador, the Bt20-million campaign, called "Think Positive Think BSC", follows a company claim that female consumers in Thailand have been suppressed by economic and political uncertainty, and this has made their lives stressful.

"With the high level of stress, many women shoppers have decided to halt their spending, because their sentiment has been destroyed," said Chintana Chalermchaikit, ICC International's vice president for cosmetics and perfumes.

Overall first-quarter sales of counter-selling cosmetics grew only 2 per cent year on year, she said.

"We [BSC] achieved sales growth of only 5 per cent in the first quarter, lower than the target of 10 per cent we set at the beginning of the year."

Chintana said Thailand's market for counter-selling cosmetics enjoyed good growth of 10-11 per cent last year to Bt12 billion.

ICC's sales of BSC cosmetics also increased 12 per cent last year and took a 12-per-cent share of the market.

Panisa Mitramon, ICC International's advertising manager for cosmetics and perfumes, said the economic slow-down had affected mostly female consumers in the middle-class segment, which had seen the greatest cuts in spending.

This group of consumers has been burdened with higher expenditures because of oil-price increases and has less confidence in its future.

The new "Think Positive Think BSC" campaign has been launched to encourage local female consumers to think positively and avoid negative thinking in this time of

economic and political uncertainty, because this can lead to a lack of creativity, Chintana said.

"We believe Thai women can be a significant mechanism in moving this society, and if they change their point of view to the positive side, it will lead to improvements to themselves, their organisations, the country and our society," she said.

ICC International has appointed Natalie Glebova as Brand Beauty Ambassador and presenter of the campaign because she is a woman who always thinks positively. "Glebova gave an interview when she was in the final round of the 2005 Miss Universe pageant and said the most challenging thing in her life was thinking positively about each issue," Chintana said.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation