Chivas Regal just unveiled its red-hot brand ambassador, Lalisa “Lisa Blackpink” Manobal. The whisky brand’s one-minute-long video features her success story, and its whole message is meant to inspire people to embark on the very same journey.
“But success means nothing, not one thing, unless we share it,” remarks Lisa near the end of the video. And her message, ironically, holds true for the alcohol laws in Thailand.
With craft beer fans facing THB100,000 fines for crossing the kingdom’s draconian alcohol prohibitions, so too will Thai citizen Lisa Blackpink — enlarged on billboards and plastered all over the internet — face the same charges for advertising alcohol like her fellow citizens? Probably not.
Rest easy, Blinks. Section 32 states that “the provisions of paragraph one and paragraph two shall not apply to any advertisement broadcast from outside of the kingdom.” So, the spirit of the law remains intact, as long as no one in Thailand has access to the internet.
Thailand’s monopolistic beverage brands have been using this legal loophole to continue promoting their products while leaving the local beer community in the lurch.
“Should she live in Thailand right now, Lisa won’t be able to accept Chivas Regal’s role as its presenter,” wrote Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, beer activist-turned-MP of Move Forward Party.
It’s like what Lisa said at the end of Chivas Regal’s ads that success would mean nothing unless we share it. So how long do we have to put up with this?
