I haven't spent much time watching Thai television, but sometimes I encounter it all the same. On two occasions I was in a room with the TV on and there were commercials that really stood out to me. On both occasions I could understand what was happening in the commercials, but they left me mystified as to why.
In the first commercial we see a handsome young soldier in his dress uniform alighting from a train in a busy station. He carries a letter and a rose and is scanning faces, searching for someone. His eyes finally settle on a 30-something woman, not bad looking, but on the plain side and a little bigger than your average Thai woman. We get the impression that the soldier is looking for a woman he's been corresponding with romantically for some time but has never seen. The look on his face suggests a small amount of surprise and disappointment, but good-natured acceptance. But then the nice looking lady smiles and says...something in Thai. The handsome soldier looks to the side and walks towards a gorgeous, refined Thai woman and gives her the rose. Apparently the normal looking woman was just a decoy so the knock out could have a few more seconds to finish applying her lipstick? Or maybe the soldier had to go through the protective best friend before he got the go ahead to date the star? I guess I'll never know. I have no idea what this could have been a commercial for.
The next commercial that stuck with me was a little more obvious as to what it was selling, but had the same 'wait, was that offensive' feeling to it. A middle aged Thai businessman stands alone on the edge of a roof, apparently ready to end it all. The fire department arrives and scurries about down below. When they spread the big trampoline/net thing that they use to catch jumpers, it is actually a huge newspaper! The businessman looks down in shock and then interest as the rescue workers turn the pages of the giant newspaper so the man can read the apparently fascinating articles. The end shows the man walking away reading the newspaper, on to a brighter day.
In the US we make a big deal of our commercials, though I don't know anyone who actually watches them outside of the superbowl. I think maybe the language gap removes the in your face 'sell sell sell' feeling of these commercials and makes them so charming to me.
In the first commercial we see a handsome young soldier in his dress uniform alighting from a train in a busy station. He carries a letter and a rose and is scanning faces, searching for someone. His eyes finally settle on a 30-something woman, not bad looking, but on the plain side and a little bigger than your average Thai woman. We get the impression that the soldier is looking for a woman he's been corresponding with romantically for some time but has never seen. The look on his face suggests a small amount of surprise and disappointment, but good-natured acceptance. But then the nice looking lady smiles and says...something in Thai. The handsome soldier looks to the side and walks towards a gorgeous, refined Thai woman and gives her the rose. Apparently the normal looking woman was just a decoy so the knock out could have a few more seconds to finish applying her lipstick? Or maybe the soldier had to go through the protective best friend before he got the go ahead to date the star? I guess I'll never know. I have no idea what this could have been a commercial for.
The next commercial that stuck with me was a little more obvious as to what it was selling, but had the same 'wait, was that offensive' feeling to it. A middle aged Thai businessman stands alone on the edge of a roof, apparently ready to end it all. The fire department arrives and scurries about down below. When they spread the big trampoline/net thing that they use to catch jumpers, it is actually a huge newspaper! The businessman looks down in shock and then interest as the rescue workers turn the pages of the giant newspaper so the man can read the apparently fascinating articles. The end shows the man walking away reading the newspaper, on to a brighter day.
In the US we make a big deal of our commercials, though I don't know anyone who actually watches them outside of the superbowl. I think maybe the language gap removes the in your face 'sell sell sell' feeling of these commercials and makes them so charming to me.
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