CMYK colour plans gigantic screen

Managing director Kiatichai Prukpaiboon said Bt20 million would be spent on an 80-square-metre LED screen on the Loxley Building on Rama IV Road. A further Bt10 million will be spent on development of the company's website for advertising online business.

Sixty per cent of the investment will be a bank loan and the rest will come from the company's cash flow.

"We are expanding our business this year because demand for alternative advertising is growing strongly. Almost all other production costs are rising, especially mass-media prices," he said.

CMYK Colour is also negotiating with the owners of three buildings that it hopes to use for "building wrap" advertising. This has become a popular form of outdoor advertising with a market valued at Bt100 million last year. The market is expected to rise to Bt120 million this year.

At present, the company manages building wrap advertising on seven buildings in the central business district: the Italian-Thai Tower on Phetchaburi Road, Ture Tower on Ratchadaphisek Road, the 253 Building on Asoke-Din Daeng Road, the Chai Building on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, Zuellig House on Silom Road, the Adriatic Palace Hotel on Phetchaburi Road and Tang Hua Pak on Rama IV Road.

If it succeeds in closing deals with the three new buildings, that will drive its total outdoor advertising revenue up to 70 per cent of its target for the year of Bt70 million.

CMYK Colour was established in 2003 with registered capital of Bt2 million, and is owned by Kiatichai. It increased its registered capital to Bt7 million in 2004.

The company recorded revenue of Bt60 million last year - 60 per cent of it from outdoor advertising, included building wrap and billboards, and the rest from the printing business.

Kiatichai said the company would focus on building wrap because demand for this style of advertising is growing at about 15 per cent per year, while billboards now face legal problems after several of them were destroyed by storms.

Bangkok's central business district has 15 buildings clothed in advertising, representing the entire building-wrap market.