Singha’s Theerathip Mahaguna on conquering the world market

Singha’s full moon party held over the past weekend marked the second year the beer brand descended onto Singapore’s shores for a celebration of music, dance and Singha Mojitos.

“Singha’s Full Moon parties are part of its push into the global arena,” said Mahaguna, whose responsibility spans Singapore, Japan, US, Sweden, France and Australia.

“Seeing the great potential in our product, we decided that we have to grow globally," stated Mahaguna. "To do so, we’re pitching ourselves as an international beer brand that originates from Thailand,” Mahaguna added.

The idea for a Singha Full Moon Party came about when Singha’s marketing team was looking for an icon that was both international but unmistakably Thai.

“Despite their reputation – good or bad – Full Moon Parties are exotic and they have the uniqueness of Thailand. Our version is about the essence of Thailand, good music, a full moon, and booze,” he said.

Part of Singha’s global push involved the rollout of its Transportraits campaign in France, US, and Japan last month. The beer brand has also signed on as the official beer sponsor of Chelsea and Manchester United this year.

Coupled with on the ground and point-of-sale activities, Singha intends to conquer the world market while retaining its strong Thai position.

“Singha is very well established in Thailand. “We’re a 77-year-old brand, and the only beer that received the royal permission to be brewed by King Rama VII,” he said, adding that the brand has become one of the cultural icons of Thailand and is considered part of its national heritage.

Mahaguna says that Singha is is in a different category from other Asian beers like Tsingtao and Tiger, and they compete in a different space. He went on to add, “We know who we’re going to talk to, and we’ll apply a creative concept that works for about two years,” he said.