It is using Thai personalities to advertise its machines for the first time. And it will offer 22 new models for the presenters to pitch.

Some of them offer the latest in air-wash technology.

To make it to No 1 in the local washing-machine segment, it is aiming to step up market share this year two points to 18 per cent with its new models in both top- and front-loading versions.

A dozen will be top loaders and four of the 22 will offer the air-wash function. Introduced to machines a few years ago, it allows clothes to be "deodorised" in machines using ozone instead of water.

Catching homemakers' eyes will be models in "red wine, silver and white". The price tags start around Bt40,000.

Samsung is upping its advertising spending 40 per cent to Bt150 million, according to managing director Arnut Chantrakul.

Miss Thailand 1996 and model-actor Sirinya "Cindy" Winsiri-Burbridge and husband Byron Bishop will hawk the machines in advertisements.

Arnut estimated Thailand would buy a total of 1.2 million washing machines this year for Bt9.2 billion. That is 10-per-cent annual growth by volume. In value, the increase is between 1 per cent and 2 per cent.

Samsung consumer-electronics marketing manager Chanvit Khieonavavongsa said in the first six months of this year the company saw a 5-per-cent rise in unit sales.

Arnut added washing machines would contribute 40 per cent of Samsung's projected Bt4 billion in home-appliance sales this year. Refrigerators and air conditioners are the other big sellers.

Its electronic household products have experienced 30-per-cent sales growth in the period with similar growth tipped for the rest of the year.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation