Outdoor trend of Thai Consumer - Media Outdoor Lifestyle December 2010

1. ONMEDIA December 2010 Newsletter
The
Outdoor
Lifestyle

2. Future Watch: The Outdoor Lifestyle
Have you ever noticed that there are an increasing numbers
of Thai magazines specializing in traveling and dining. Also a
lot of Thai newspaper and tabloid invented a section
contributing to Traveling and Dining. More people go to the
public parks for outdoor exercise and activities.
Why is that? Because health, wellbeing and the body
beautiful have been moving to the very centre of consumers’
attention.
Growing numbers of consumers across the world are now
able to enjoy paid holidays and a well-cartered for old age.
And for many, this serves as an opportunity to get out and
enjoy nature, or at least physical activity.
Source: Euromonitor International, 2010

3. Global consumer expenditure on tourism
and leisure and recreation: 2004-2009
Source: Euromonitor International from trade source/OECD/national statistics

4. Future Directions
Old and fit – A generation on the move
The over- 50s have discovered the joys of physical
activity. Never has a generation benefited from such
good nutrition, such outstanding educational
opportunities and such wealth as the baby boomers
and they are determined to guard their health by all
means necessary. And they have money to spend. For
example they invest in good outdoor clothing; in Europe
now there is hardly a walker without the inevitable pair
of Nordic walking sticks for enhancing exercise.
The Allure of gardening On yer bikes
While gardening has always been a prerogative of
ladies of a certain age, it is now becoming eco-fashionable.
‘Lohas’ consumers (green
consumers living lifestyles of health and
sustainability) love to garden, grow their own
vegetables and blog about it. Gardening can be
just for fun and, I would say, fashionable now as
you may see a lot of vertical garden of Emporium
and Siam Paragon.
Trail and mountain biking is turning into
a tourist industry, with endless numbers
of consumers of all ages from 6 to 60
crossing the Alps by bikes. And with the
increasing number of cycle commuters,
urban bike stations are popping up in
many parts of the world. In Bangkok
there is a company called Amazing
Bangkok Cyclist (ABC), which promote
Bangkok sight seeing biking tour and
someone probably see people with
foldable bikes in BTS

5. Future Directions (cont’)
Splendor on the grass: Outdoor eating
Outdoor does not have to equal
It is one of the enduring mysteries how England, of all
countries, has become the mother of the great picnic
tradition. Other than picnic, cooking food on a
barbecue is a more domestic cultural habit that has
caught on everywhere in the world where people eat.
Though those are not quite popular in Thailand, but we
seem to enjoy eating in outdoor type of restaurant and
coffee shop. Those type of restaurants with gardening/
outdoor setting popped up like mushroom in Thailand.
No need to stay indoors to be a nerd sport…but it usually does
Now that with the Blackberry, the iPod and notebooks,
even TV receivers, electronic media can be mobile, there
is no need ever to be at home any more. We all have no
doubt about that. However, there is a little homework
left to do for Apple. In the chat forum macrumours.com,
one contributor describes the iPad as having “one major
flaw in that it is totally useless in direct sunlight…”
Trendwatching.com sees the powerful tandem of
mass urbanization and mass experiences resulting in
“an orgy of real world activities and happenings that
are all about mingling; from countless cultural and
not so cultural events, concerts, festivals, and
seminars, to a burgeoning and truly global
bar/dining/party scene. Hundred of pop festivals
(think Music/Jazz festivals in Thailand) all over the
world are getting young people to sleep in tents and
snack in the grass. However, never has sport been
more accessible to the general public, both
passively through the media and actively in terms of
participatory sports. Sport has become a unifying
factor for consumer locally, nationally, and globally.

6. Point to Marketers
New business openings
•Consumers love to live the outdoor lifestyle, given half
a chance. Market for outdoor comfort to be explored –
from furniture and gadgets to clothes.
•Sport has now become one of the most effective
channels through which brands can extend their global
reach and become visible to millions of viewers. One a
level closer to the consumer, sports brands are the
badges of youth culture, while older consumers are
more attached to quality and are aware of price rather
than a brand image.
•Outdoor and leisurewear have long become a style
statement especially for young people. Meanwhile, it is
becoming increasingly acceptable for older people to
dress down in leisurewear too, thus demographics
worldwide are supporting the leisure fashion industry.
•Competition is strong, it is important to innovate and
be closer to your consumer group by following the
myriad comments in media like consumer blogs,
Facebook and Twitter. Be aware of changes in attitudes
to nature; see what they read by checking non-fiction
book rankings.
The new context
•There is now growing public concern about nature in
jeopardy. TV programs like the 2006 BBC series “Planet
Earth” are public favorites. A distribution arm of the
Disney Corporation dedicated to nature documentaries,
Disneynature, released its second film, “Oceans,” on
April the 22nd, Earth Day (the first, “Earth” was also
released on Earth Day, last year).
•All over the globe, consumers seem to want to get
closer to nature. They are also discovering that messing
about outdoors can be fun. As Mark Twain put it:
“Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover.”

7. ONMEDIA Media market snapshot

8. Facilitate an outdoor lifestyle with the new
and upcoming format, Digital Magazine
The US’s Digital Magazine April issue says what lies
beneath this phenomenon are
• Generation shift in technology
Magazine Format: Preference by Age
Source: The Survival Of Magazines In The Digital Age, Feb 2010
• Proliferation of mobile devices
It’s so
popular
because
.Content is tailored to be short & precise
.Gimmick on interactive functions
.Attractive photos and VDOs
Source: Prachachart Turakij, 28 Nov 2010

9. The future has just begun!
Most digital magazines today are simply
digital replicas of print magazines.
However, interactive digital magazines
in the future will be entirely different.
They are…
1. designed to compete for the attention
of online readers, not print readers
2. designed for easy interaction between
readers and the magazine, not just for
one-way content delivery
3. contained ads that readers can interact
with
Source: The Case for Advertising in Interactive Digital Magazines, April 2010

10. What happened here in Thailand?
With the official launch of the iPad in Thailand comes at least a dozen Thai
magazines coming out with e-versions. The apps themselves are free to download.
But then there is a shop where you can buy individual magazines or subscribe.
Below just for example…

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