1. Social Media's Perception towards the Services of
PTT Public Company Limited (PTT)
Achara Chatchalermpol
School of Liberal Art
Shinawatra International University
57425005-6@st.siu.ac.th
Wuttipong Pongsuwan Ph.D.
School of Liberal Art
Shinawatra International University
Leelavadee Vajropala Ph.D.
School of Liberal Art
Shinawatra International University
1. Abstract
Social media has influenced in our daily life, and it is an essential tool to perceive
information. The perception of information can trigger both positive and negative image
to company easily. Sometimes, a company may be discussed on the internet, which shows
how people criticize or reflects a company. PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), the
national energy company of Thailand, was mainly established to facilitate customers'
activities including enhance investment in Stock Exchange Thailand (SET), and increase
operating income for many shareholders as well as balancing the benefit of all stakeholders.
The information can improve and develop technology advancement, build up companies'
image. However, PTT has not yet researched in social media's perception that has
influenced to the shareholders. Hence, this study focus on social media's attitude towards
PTT.
2. Figure 1 PTT business (PTT website)
2. Introduction
At present, technology driven the world and social media have become more
popular use and become more generate income tools in which any companies advertise
their products to a variety of customers. According to Chi (2011, 46) defined that social
media as marketing tools "to connect with brands and consumer, while offering a social
interaction and social networking." Currently, social media has changed and updated over
time in the various contexts of technology development, which influenced human behavior
in these days whether communication via the internet or search engine to seek any useful
information in daily life, including e-commerce and entertainment activities (Erdogmus,
and Cicek, 2012). Social media allows the organization, business, and public share or
exchange of knowledge, habits, interest, and career that are useful for and provide
convenience. Social media has become marketing tools for business where public able to
share opinions and attitude towards information and related services of any company
(Dincer et al, 2012). The main strategic marketing in the current of many companies
focuses on customer relation management and public relations to promote brands via TVs,
and social media, which initiated brand awareness, and stimulate customers' demand step
by step (Khuong and Tram, 2015). Any person who perceives information via TVs, and
3. social media might be covered advertisement of products. To perceive information
appropriately depend on factor influencing perception, which classified into two types that
are an external factor such as intensively and size, repetition, contrast, and movement.
Internal factor is motive, expectancy, mood, attitude, and interest (Supaporn, 2011). These
perceptions may cause positive and negative consequences.
The employers shall develop the organization to compete in the market and adapt
business accordance customers' need along with adjusting operational system, commercial
transaction, electronics access, exchange of know-how, facilitate trading service via the
internet transaction. Technology development generates value and wealth to business and to
cut off the production cost such as web application that facilitates customers in a
transaction. Nowadays, many people in the world have become more internet user over
40% compared in 1995 was only 1% that was used the internet (International
Telecommunication Union, 2016).
Social media have been influenced in communication and lifestyle. It can access
more people in the world, which easily and conveniently used and it shows how business
communicate to customer (B to C), a new project investment of the company, or a new
promotion campaign of products to attract investor's decision making quickly.
From Figure 2, social media has influenced in business in careers, investor
relations, corporate social responsibility and media, sequentially (Thangnirandorn, 2016).
Figure 2 The influence of social media in business area (Thangnirandorn, 2016)
4. As can be seen in the news currently, adjusted to propose news increasingly on
social media due to the business trend who built up economic growth becomes increasingly
more used social media as a contact to the customers (Tugrul, 2014). Social media devices
provided useful information, public participation, and organizational knowledge exchange
complies with any persons in company bear on company's images, reputation, brand
loyalty, and so on. Therefore, social media's perception affects to PTT. As PTT is both
state enterprise and listed company in SET, They have adopted social media for internal
and external use such as management, communication, public relations, marketing,
customer services etc. They also established the company to provide technology for all
ICT named PTT ICT Solutions to serve all ICT technology for PTT group. They spend 3%
of annual profit for the technology development including communication technology.
Many kinds of social media are applied for customers in both hard side and soft side like
advertising and building corporate image to ensure that their stock is secure, their products
are green with high quality, their services answer customer’s need. It is an essential
because accurate of information important to the social structure and society becausase its
processes can change social relation and technology development (Dincer et al, 2012).
3. Literature Review
3.1 Perception Process
Perception is a communication method that how to perceive information
accidentally, or intentionally, or direct experience or indirect one to analyze and interpret
information and evaluated information that receives from selective information. George &
Michael (1993) claimed that perception procedure composed of four categories as
following;
1. Selective exposure is a method of customers want to receive information
or not. For example, customers may read or look at the advertisement before making
decision process. Which advertisement is not their interest, they ignore it. Therefore, the
customer just open only for their want to receive.
2. Selective attention is a method of focus on information while ignoring
others stimulator.
5. 3. Selective comprehension is consumer selective method any information
and interprets base on their attitude, believe, motive, and self-experience. Sometimes, it
may cause misunderstand and inconsistent accordance sender's means.
4. Selective retention is a perception of advertisement or information that
heard, seen, or read through the process of interpretation or comprehension. The consumer
will remember only specific or outstanding base on only their interest.
Figure 3 Perception Process by George & Michael (1993:128 )
3.2 The Perception Image of Brand and Service
Brand perception is a perception of brand quality or products. Brand perception of
the consumer can measure from consumers' attitude towards the brand. How consumer
perceive marketing via brand, which it thoughts related to (CRM: Customer Relationship
Management) towards consumers' perception. It found that brand equity measurement as
an important method for brands to measure how brands are believing and influence in the
market share. Therefore, there are an attempts to research and develop in brand
measurement in many ways. In this study mention about marketing measure or consumer
relation measure by dividing into two methods measurements; Consumer perception
measurement and consumer behavior measurement.
Customer perception measurement is when customers satisfied with a business or
products, which perceive an overall good perception of that business or products. When
consumers' perceptions are good, they will continue purchasing goods from this company.
These customers also will avoid spreading disappointing experiences to others. Consumer
perceptions are based on feelings. A customer perception measurement is an important tool
used by companies that express how well the companies are satisfying customers.
Selective
Comprehension
Selective
Attention
Selective
Retention
Selective
Exposure
6. Customer behavior is an essential key to any business. Knowing what the customer
wants and how the customer interacts with product designs and marketing. There are many
ways, which can measure consumer behavior base on what area you are interested.
Normally, conducting market research will allow business to get to know the customers,
which mean that business takes customer into account before making business decisions.
Resulted in profits on the firm and businesses.
Figure 4 Perception of PTT social media (PTT website )
Hence, the company necessarily set out goals in conducting marketing activities to
create value and improve knowledge and skill to maintain customer and attract new
customer. The method to maintain customers is known as Functional method – maintain
perception and expectation of brand quality and related services. Perceived sacrifices – is a
sacrifice of goods and services to occur short-term or long-term perception such as readers
don't receive information in communication channel.
3.3 Social Media of PTT Company Limited
Social media has influenced in daily life whether Facebook or Twitter. Meanwhile,
PTT has researched and developed the innovations, which value added of goods and
services under the PTT's brand that may use for communication such as Web site, E-mail,
and other applications.
Customers Positive and
Negative
7. Figure 5 PTT social media (PTT website )
Therefore, the public attitude towards PTT, which has a few information. It
necessary to research and take into action in information services.
4. Conclusion
PTT customers perceive the good image of PTT through their social media. Most of
them are satisfied by the one stop service in PTT gas stations, the quality of petroleum
products and the additional services in the gas station, respectively. Moreover, they feel
proud of being Thai energy company. The 1st ranking social media for information is PTT
website. People get to know PTT from the website very well and learn how import PTT
has done for the country and society. The 1nd ranking for marketing promotion is PTT Blue
card and the 2nd is Café Amazon application. The 1st ranking for popular entertainment is
Godji line sticker. As for other applications are not much well known such as Facebook,
Twitter, Line etc. which are about PTT news that is the same as other media. Finally, they
feel that PTT has too many social media spread around and uninteresting. There should be
8. only a few but impact to the need of customers. People sometimes confuse about the
controversial between the energy issue which NGO said about PTT and try to find the
answer. But information PTT provide is too technical. They should simplify it for public.
About the issue, PTT should make more use of social media.
The study of customers' awareness and consciousness about company's service
provider reflects how customer attitude towards the company whether positive or negative.
Providing of company's information is necessary for services such as business operation,
and management system which sometimes company communicates to customer and
public's perception may cause misunderstanding or confusion. Public information shall be
two-way communication, which public able to respond and share the opinion of products or
related services. Customer's interpretation of information would lead to the trust in brand or
brand loyalty in consuming products and related services. This research attempts to
improve ongoing of public relation or public information system of goods and services in
PTT to serve customer's convenience.
5. Reference
Chi, H. (2011). “Interactive Digital Advertising VS. Virtual Brand Community:
Exploratory Study of User Motivation and Social Media Marketing Responses in Taiwan.”
Journal of Interactive Advertising, p. 44-61.
Dincer, C., Dincer, B.(2012). Social Media Use, Perceptions and Implication.
Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi, İİBF Dergisi.
Erdogmus, E., Irem and Cicek, M. (2012). The Impact of Social Media Marketing
on Brand Loyalty; Social and Behavioral Sciences. 8th International Strategic Management
Conference, p.1353 – 1360.
George & Michael. (1993). Handbook of Communication and Aging Research. 2nd
ed. [ebook] New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, p. 163. Available at:
