Thai “Disconnect to Connect” DTAC Ad Moves Chinese Netizens

This Thai television commercial was first uploaded to Youku about 3 months ago but has recently been spreading on popular Chinese social network RenRen. The two most popular copies on popular Chinese video sharing website Youku (1 & 2) have nearly 2.5 million views accumulated. A copy on Tudou, another popular Chinese video sharing website, has around 750k views.

On Youku:

Thai advertisement: When you are busy playing with your mobile phone, remember the people beside you

When we become addicted to using the internet and mobile phones to interact, we neglect our loved ones and friends beside us. Thailand’s DTAC telecommunications company released a “Disconnect to Connect” advertisement campaign, telling us to cherish the people beside us. (Is this the so called corporate social responsibility?)

A copy on YouTube:

The copy on YouTube was uploaded in early 2010 October and spread on Facebook where it quickly accumulated about 1 million views. After nearly 4 months, it now has ~1.5 million views total on YouTube.

Comments from Youku (1 & 2):

gongweisi:

What is the background music? Who knows?! It sounds very nice!

Oh and also, Thai girls are really pretty~~~

巫毒傀儡娃娃: (responding to above)

Moksha －Caspian

Ambiguities:

Why are Thai commercials always so touching to us, whereas our domestic Naobaijin, Gold Partner [Chinese brand commercials] only give me acid refux and ball aches?

bbtin:

A lot of times we don’t know that what we should most cherish are the things right beside us…

woyaoniang:

Thailand’s advertisements are all very creative, so much better than our’s in China.

锁不住的诱惑:

Using the computer and cell phone everyday, we’ve almost already forgotten how to interact with others.

m00nc:

The mobile phone is the most evil and greatest invention.

Cc比巴卜oO:

Should throw away the computer too.

张花瓣:

Ever since I got a computer, I haven’t seen a sunrise.

分开。坐:

NND, the child suddenly appearing scared me!! Like a scary film!!

凌飞羽:

This is precisely what Thailand is good at, people suddenly disappearing and suddenly appearing like ghosts, and after making nearly half a century of horror films, this is easy…

艾小蒲: (responding to 分开。坐)

Me too!!! [That part] also startled me!!!

richardhzdsf:

Thai commercials really are very creative, Chinese should learn from them more! One day we too must create such a piece of work.

mygodmele:

Sigh, advertisements in our country lack a certain warmth.
This is the difference.

zitun:

This commercial is really good. Around me, for example my cousin, every time I see her, her mobile phone never leaves her hand, always busily sending text messages to others. I really don’t know what she’s thinking, sigh…╮(╯▽╰)╭

七色de彩虹:

Extremely commend/praise, this commercial is so inspired. This company is so good.

rainow:

Yeah, why are all the great commercials I see always from Thailand, are the Heavenly Kingdom‘s advertising people all sitting around doing nothing?

沫梓洋:

That Pantene commercial was also pretty good.

じ追憶惘然ゾ:

Can one not ding this?

jiangthor:

Would there be such creative commercials in the Heavenly Kingdom????

七宝的部屋:

If CCTV could broadcast such a thing, brother [referring to self] would stop calling you CCAV.

广心水吉:

What’s happening lately? A decade ago, Japanese films were all admired by us. Several years ago, Korean dramas became incredibly popular here. Now recently, Thailand’s public service advertisements are all very moving and profound. Where are the works of excellence by Chinese people?

韜tamer: (responding to above)

Well, can you say they weren’t well made?

livelyfish2003:

I actually cried~

zyzsdbz:

I will probably never live to see China Telecom have a public service advertisement like this.

stigma: (responding to 广心水吉)

There are, it’s just that you don’t notice/pay attention to them.

waycast: (responding to stigma)

Well said!

qianlu1470: (responding to 广心水吉)

Only [advertisements] like Naobaijin are suitable for the Chinese marketplace.

What do you think? Do you like this television commercial? Are there no Chinese commercials like this? Or do we just forget them? Not notice them?

If you have not yet seen it yet, don’t forget to see our post featuring the famous Thai Pantene commercial.

Disconnect to connect? That’s terrible advice. Personals @ chinaSMACK.