A Cusmar presenter with the company’s new Wake Up Energising Towel by Jasper.

The launch is timed to take advantage of the huge holiday traffic this weekend as people travel upcountry to spend the long Songkran holiday in the provinces. Demand for refreshing towels and tissues is expected to leap 50 per cent over the next week.

Cusmar plans to give away more than 150,000 of its new refreshing towels to car drivers and individual travellers today and tomorrow as a consumer trial and to create awareness among target buyers.

The product is named Wake Up Energising Towel by Jasper and is the result of the company's strategy of "thinking outside of the box" aimed at making Cusmar products stand out from others in the market.

"Our fashionable refreshing towel will serve up-market, new-generation customers who are tasteful and health-conscious," said assistant managing director Udomluck Iamyen.

The company has teamed up with the Don't Drive Drunk Foundation in a social campaign called "Sending Love Home" that encourages caution among drivers and travellers during Songkran and highlights avoidance of drink-driving.

Massive give-aways of refreshing towels will take place at Mor Chit 2 Bus Station and many highway checkpoints, including in Bang Yai district of Nonthaburi and Tambon Tab Kwang in Saraburi, as well as at the Highway Department in Ayutthaya's Sena district.

"We've set a very aggressive target of selling almost 3.5 million Jasper fashionable refreshing towels this year and capturing an 11-per-cent market share," Udomluck said.

She said the market for refreshing towels enjoyed growth of 10-15 per cent last year.

"The roll-out of fashionable refreshing towels will help strengthen our flagship brand - Jasper - by opening a new product segment in the market," she said, adding that the towels featured new product patterns and packaging, reflecting a trendy and modern design.

"Our target customers are 'new generation' people from C+ to B class, aged 25-45, who enjoy a modern lifestyle that includes travelling and entertainment. They're health- and safety-conscious, tasteful and enjoy a good social status," Udomluck said.

"For the first year, we'll focus on creating awareness of the Wake Up Energising Towels by Jasper brand and promoting our position as the 'top-of-the-mind brand' among Thai consumers."

The company plans to spend almost 20 per cent of sales revenues on advertising and promotions. Wake Up Energising Towels by Jasper will be sold through 1,500 petrol stations around the country.

Demand for refreshing towels in Thailand is expected to drive the value of the market to Bt450 million this year, from Bt350 million last year.

Cusmar expects to record Bt150 million in sales this year and a 38-per-cent market share. The company achieved Bt115 million in sales last year, controlling 33 per cent of the local market for refreshing towels.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation