14-08-2025
Association revises digital spending forecast to 5% growth
The Digital Advertising Association Thailand (DAAT) has revised its total spending forecast for this year to 5% growth, valued at 33 billion baht, down from a 10% gain due to ongoing uncertainties and the economic downturn.
The revision marked the second-lowest growth rate in its 13 years of recording data.
Advertisers should capture consumer attention and offer them a good experience to encourage purchases, according to marketers.
"Consumers are still cautious about spending, affecting the growth of the digital channel, though it remains important for marketers,' Arpapat Boonrod, managing director for clients in Thailand at market researcher Kantar, told the "DAAT Day 2025" event on Thursday.
In the first half digital ad spending tallied 15.8 billion baht, while in the second half it is forecast to reach 17.2 billion.
The top five sectors that use digital channels are skincare with digital ad spending worth 5.2 billion baht, representing a growth 21%, up for the third consecutive year.
This was followed by non-alcohol drink products with spending of 3 billion baht, up 17%, while automotive spending declined to 2.5 billion, telecom 2.3 billion baht and daily products 2.2 billion baht.
In the media channel, ad spending on Meta (combined Facebook and Instagram) continued to take the biggest share worth 8.4 billion baht, while TikTok ads expanded 63% to 6.77 billion baht, YouTube 4.3 billion baht, small social platforms 2.1 billion baht, online video 1.9 billion baht, LINE 1.7 billion baht, e-commerce 1.3 billion baht and display 1 billion baht.
In 2025, TikTok is expected to be in second place for the first time, surpassing YouTube. TikTok was third last year.
Paruj Daorai, president of the DAAT, said attention is a valuable commodity given the omnipresence of mobile devices and other distractions.
This constant shifting results in significant time loss and reduced productivity, with individuals spending a considerable portion of their day struggling to refocus.
Mr Paruj said globally people check their mobile phones an average of 58 times per day. Each time a phone is checked, it takes one to 1.5 minutes for them to refocus, causing 1.2 hours of lost focus per day, accumulating to 438 hours or 18 days per year of lost focus.
For office workers, attention shifts happen roughly every three minutes due to distractions, and it takes about 30 minutes to refocus on the original task.
This means that in an eight-hour workday, workers are ineffective for roughly seven hours per day, amounting to 35 hours per week. Combining the time lost from mobile phone checks and attention shifts at work, people collectively lose approximately 93 days, or one-quarter of a year, due to fragmented attention and inability to fully focus.
This loss extends beyond mere time, impacting life opportunities, business opportunities and the value individuals could create.
He said the world needs an "attention economy", as attention drives everything and can be converted into money, business, votes and other forms of value.
The key to captivate people is creating unforgettable moments that resonate even after the screen is off, said Mr Paruj.
Advertisers and businesses should adapt their strategies to not only capture attention but also to create memorable experiences and lasting value for consumers, acknowledging that the biggest competitors are no longer just other businesses but rather the very lifestyle that fragments attention.
Werapong Goo, senior vice-president of corporate strategy of Lineman Wongnai, said the heart of good digital marketing is to get consumer attention effectively, and convert attention into tangible results.
