Sticker fever unabated

PHUKET: Since its launch five weeks ago, the Phuket Gazette‘s “We Love Phuket” sticker campaign has yielded continuing surprises. Originally budgeted for 8,000 stickers, the project has now printed and placed 14,000.

Though currently out of stock, an additional 6,000 pieces will arrive from the printer this Friday (20 May). Of those, 3,200 have already been booked, so a further 6,000 were ordered from the Gazette‘s printer this morning.

Conceived primarily to raise spirits, the sticker is now also raising money. A totally unexpected demand from abroad, where the item is priced at 50 baht (plus postage and handling), is currently producing 50-60 orders every day. The Gazette is donating eighty percent of the proceeds of these sales to charities monitored and approved by its editorial and reporting teams.

The demand flowing out of a market of many millions of former visitors to Phuket, from places as far flung as Milan, Mindanao, Santa Barbara, Sydney and St Tropez, confirms not only fond memories of Thailand but also a desire to actively spread the word.

The third surprise in the campaign has been the lavish response from local Phuket businesses. Hotels (many of which now hand the stickers to guests upon check-out), airlines, restaurants, golf courses and others have thus far donated a little over 240,000 baht’s worth of prizes.

The prizes, known as Rak Mak! (love a lot!) Awards, are distributed weekly to owners of vehicles identified at random by Gazette reporters as displaying the sticker. The winning vehicle numbers are announced on the front page of the Gazette every Saturday.

Stickers are available for local residents in the Gazette offices. Those wishing to show their support for Phuket from overseas may order the stickers at https://thethaiger.com/welovephuket.asp.

And local businesses interested in supporting the campaign through donation of prizes are invited to contact K. Pam at LovePhuket@PhuketGazette.Net, or by telephone to 076-236555.