Hrh Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Monday presided over the opening of the 60th Breeze Vitality Ground at Nam Yuen School in Ubon Ratchathani. Since June, Unilever Thai Trading has delivered almost 60 ‘vitality grounds’ to schools and communities thro

In the present market atmosphere of tough competition and dwindling brand loyalty among customers, Unilever Thai Trading has opted to go beyond the conventional marketing mix of price, place, product and promotion.
It is conducting a social-responsibility campaign, to make a positive impact in communities throughout the country in hopes of creating a long-term bond between Thai consumers and the company’s brands.
As part of the campaign, the company opened its 60th Breeze Vitality Ground this week at Nam Yuen School in Ubon Ratchathani. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the opening ceremony.
The Breeze Vitality Grounds have cost Bt60 million to date and been developed in accordance with Unilever’s mission of “adding vitality to life”, in which it set a target of providing 60 playgrounds for children at schools and communities across the country by the end of the year. This is to encourage children to play and learn freely outside the classroom. “We [Unilever Thai] are doing business not only to meet the requirements of shareholders, but also to have a positive impact on the community, such as in child development,” said chairman Loic Tardy.
He said Unilever’s mission was to add vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that helped people feel good, look good and get more out of life.
“All of our marketing and social-contribution initiatives will fit the purpose of these brands,” Tardy said.
Unilever’s products were once diversified into several areas, such as advertising, chemicals and perfume, but now the product range is focused on nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Although the company has about 400 products worldwide, only 16 are marketed in Thailand.
“Most of our effort goes into complying with local regulations and delivering a positive impact on society and the environment. We have also joined with our distributors and suppliers in many initiatives, such as Total Productivity Maintenance (TPM) and waste-reduction and -recycling projects,” he said.
Sunsanee Supatravanij, vice president for home care, oral care and communications, said Unilever had created a new brand, DNA, by focusing on its connectivity with society.
“Earlier this year, Breeze, one of Unilever’s flagship detergent brands, conducted a research project and found that playing, despite popular beliefs, was the most natural form of learning, one that has proven in part to help children successfully develop their ‘play Q’, or play quotient, which provides the fundamental building blocks of IQ and EQ,” said Sunsanee.
The company’s survey covered 4,000 children in Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam. It found that almost 69 per cent of Thai children spent their time after school hours and on holidays finishing their homework. About 56 per cent of Thai children also spend their free time watching television. This compares with the discovery that about 60 per cent of Japanese and Vietnamese children spend their free time after school hours and on holidays on outdoor activities and sports.
She said the company had made it an immediate objective to convey these findings, along with the potential benefits they may provide, to Thai consumers.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn
The Nation