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Quo Vadis
Vol 4 No 1 By: Chang Noi In this issue of Quo Vadis I have decided to take a look at branding and marketing. My vessels for this will be diver training agencies and beer. Topics which are frequently discussed in that other favourite venue of diving professionals. I of course refer to the diver observation platform more commonly known as "The bar".
Now here in Thailand without question the preferred choice of the diving professional on the beer front is CHANG and on the dive side of things PADI seems to have the edge. So the questions that need answering is why? Is it merely a case of who got here first won the war? Well, on the diving side it seems that NAUI were the first outside agency to make an impact, nearly all Thais that are over 50 and dive seem to have this card. There are quite a few elderly Thai instructors who also use NAUI as their training agency. As for CHANG, they are a relative newcomer on the scene of "yellow honey". Singha beer has been around for over 50 years but in the last few years has gradually lost out to CHANG in popularity. Is it perhaps a question of price and value for money? CHANG beer is hugely popular and keenly priced and has a good clean taste that belies its potency. I have given this beer (lager) considerable road testing and for a while it was my first choice; however it does pack a morning after feeling that leaves you clearly regretting the "one for the road strategy". Although more expensive I have switched to TIGER beer as I find it more palatable and much less obtrusive the following morning. PADI has a reputation of being the most expensive agency and also the most popular. In fact many a seasoned pro will say that if it wasn't for PADI we wouldn't be able to earn a living from scuba diving. Grudging respect is I suppose what they imply. Not that it matters because it isn't true in that if PADI were absent another agency would be in its place. So when you consider the two products you have on the one hand a beer that tastes good and is competitive in price and a training agency that manages to charge the most and is the preferred choice among professionals and the diving public. Is the answer to be found in marketing and branding? CHANG is a great name for a Thai beer given the professed infatuation of Thais with this gentlest of creatures (once trained that is). The use of the most popular Thai folk singer (Pomgit satang-yok-mak) to make TV commercials was inspirational and ensured CHANG would remain popular. PADI also has a very aggressive marketing policy. They attend practically all dive shows taking lots of floor space and maintain a high profile with their distinctive corporate livery. They also advertise in magazines on a large scale. In essence they are a well-oiled, lean, mean money-making machine with the intelligence to bring in outside agencies who write their materials and ensure quality through worldwide consultation.
 In conclusion
Marketing and branding are the keys to both CHANG and PADI for their success. If the competition fails to compete you can hardly blame the market leaders or expect them to take it easy so others can catch up. Mistakes are often made sometimes with dire consequences and sometimes not, for what its worth these are two of my personal favourites. BS-AC (U.K.) was given the opportunity to buy Stoney Cove which is an inland site in the UK and is considered to be a diving Mecca by British divers. The price was a modest 65,000 pounds or so. Instead they chose Ellesmere Port, near Liverpool, famous for the Beatles and songs about the Mersey River. PADI have offices in Bristol, England because someone looked at a map and assumed that as it was the nearest entry point from the USA all their freight would be delivered to this Port. In fact it all goes to Tilbury on the River Thames near London. BS-AC and its members will regret the decision not to buy Stoney Cove for a long time. PADI presumably have purchased a fleet of trucks one of which delivers to a shiny PADI 5-Star centre located ….. yes that's right at Stoney cove. |
