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Patriotism and pixels: billboard firm salutes Thai flag

Patriotism and pixels: billboard firm salutes Thai flag

Bangkok Post6 days ago
Plan B Media has drawn social media praise for displaying the Thai national flag on its 19,775 digital screens nationwide at 8am and 6pm daily, and at an iconic location in Times Square in New York City.
SET-listed Plan B took to Facebook on Wednesday to invite Thais to express their patriotism, allowing the flag to wave across the nation and unite citizens under the hashtags #TruthFromThailand and #ไทยนี้รักสงบแต่ถึงรบไม่ขลาด.
The tricolour flag can also be seen in Times Square, paying tribute to soldiers who fought and died during the recent border conflict with Cambodia.
The campaign was the brainchild of Plan B chief executive Palin Lojanagosin, according to Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former massage parlour tycoon turned politician and now an anti-corruption crusader.
Mr Chuwit praised the businessman's patriotism, noting that a spot on a Times Square LED screen costs the equivalent of 3 million baht monthly. That buys an advertiser one minute per hour to display their message.
He emphasised the importance of communicating truth to the world at a time when regional tensions have been running high, along with misinformation about the causes.
Plan B Media operates Thailand's largest out-of-home media network, with digital screens at key locations from billboards and LED displays on main roads to transport stations and airports.
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