I’ve found it amusing lately that so much content of Thai idols comes in the form of brand events. Particularly in the case of DMD actors, I feel that I see them more at brand events than I ever do on screen. It made me think, what is the actual job of these actors, when they only get one or two roles a year in a series.
The entertainment industry heavily relies on brands for sponsorship, to bring in money. I’m sure you’ve seen some really out of place product placements in a series, like KFC, Dutch Milk, or Oishii Honey Lemon green tea—those are brands who are sponsoring the show, helping to fund the production. In fact, events like the GMMTV Magic Vibes Maximized, or DMD The Rise Continues, in which dozens of pilot trailers are shown to introduce the shows that will air the following year, are not just for fans’ interest. They are to attract the attention of brands who will be interested in sponsoring, and helping to fund the making of these series, in return for a few product placements throughout the show. So unfortunately, although product placements can be annoying, they are necessary for the production of series.
But what about brand events? What is their purpose?
Well, these events fulfil two purposes: they promote products through the popularity of actors, and promote actors and pairings through an actual in-person event that fans can attend, and spread videos of online. In this way, both the brand and the actors themselves mutually benefit from the event, and the social media hype that results from it.
These events allow newer actors to gain popularity before they appear in dramas, building anticipation for their roles, even as side characters, or a secondary couple in a series. In the case of really new actors, like Domundi’s Gen6 actors, it helps them gain attention and makes people speculate about possible ghostships that may arise. In the case of TheeWave, for example, attending events allowed them to promote their pairing even though their characters in Duang With You barely interact on-screen. They managed to create hype for their pairing, even as a ghostship, and eventually made it official, landing supporting roles in the upcoming series 20 Lists. So these events can be really effective in their promotion.
Ultimately, there are so many actors in the industry, it’s impossible for them to land more than two or three roles a year, so these kind of events are necessary to maintain their popularity, and stay relevant when they don’t have a series airing. This is unfortunately just a fact of the industry, as these series take so long to produce.
So where does this leave the actors themselves? What is their actual job? Especially when it comes to actors like Domundi’s Gen6, a lot of these actors haven’t actually landed a role yet, so can they actually be called actors yet? If all they do so far is attend events and promote products, aren’t they just influencers and brand ambassadors?
I think it’s slightly more nuanced than that. Ultimately these actors will land roles in series, so while at the moment they are just representatives of their companies, they will become actors and idols, and promote as such. K-pop idols often take on roles as brand ambassadors and may only have one or two comebacks a year (or even none if they have members in the military), but to say that they are just brand ambassadors, not idols would be incorrect. In the same way, to say that because actors take on so many brand deals instead of taking roles in series, they are no longer actors, just influencers, is also incorrect.
To me, this just seems like a fact of the industry. To get a decent budget for the production of a series, you need sponsors. That means yes, there will be product placements in the series, because the series wouldn’t even exist without the support of sponsors. This also means that the actors themselves will have to promote the brands that are sponsoring the series at events, but they themselves will get promotion from going to these events, and having their moments possibly go viral on social media. That is just how the industry works. Without the support of brands, the industry just couldn’t function in the way that it does.
So, all in all, what is the job of these actors, acting or influencing?
Ultimately, I would say it is to bring in money. Their job is to bring in money for their company, whether that’s DMD, GMMTV or some random indie production house. Because yes, while there is immense value in good storytelling, if the drama doesn’t bring in income, then that time and money that was invested in it is wasted. This is why debut series for new pairings typically end up being of a much higher standard than series for well-established pairings. Popular pairings can get away with having lower quality because people will watch their series regardless of the quality. Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist was a perfect example of a series with a new pairing that didn’t take off because there wasn’t enough hype around the series and the pairing.
Thai actors’ jobs obviously involve acting, yes, but it also involves everything else, like promoting themselves regularly on social media, with or without their partner, and attending events. Both production companies and brands rely on these idols popularity to bring in money, and if they can’t do that, they won’t land acting jobs, because it’s not worth wasting a role on them when a more popular actor will bring in more buzz and money. This is why, unfortunately, some pairings just can’t get main roles in series, even after being an established side pairing for several years. It’s not to do with being fair or unfair—the entertainment industry works like a business. If they’re not going to bring in money, it’s not worth it unfortunately.
So they’re actors, but they’re not just actors. They’re idols, and influencers, and brand ambassadors, and singers, because all of that combined is what makes the business model work.
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