BANGKOK — Nanyang, a leading shoe manufacturer in Thailand, is capitalizing on the popularity of Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo celebrity, by collaborating with the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand under the Royal Patronage, owner of Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Moo Deng’s home.
They are producing a new sandal model called Chang Dao Moo Deng Edition (2024), advertised as “ordinary sandals that make you bounce when you wear them.”
These sandals are available for pre-order from Wednesday, September 25, at 11:00 a.m. until Monday, September 30, at 12:00 p.m., priced at 199 baht per pair. Part of the proceeds will contribute to the “Moo Deng Project for Flood Victims and Animal Welfare” by the Zoological Park Organization.
This isn’t the first time Nanyang, a 70-year-old shoe brand, has used social trends for business promotion. Previously, when elephant pants were trendy, Nanyang, whose logo features an elephant on a star, launched the “Experience Thailand” campaign, promoting the matching of elephant pants with Chang Dao sandals, which received a great response.
“When it started trending, we launched another campaign before Songkran. We used tuk-tuks as Chang Dao ambassadors, giving Chang Dao sandals to tuk-tuk drivers to wear, using the slogan ‘Wear like locals, wear Chang Dao.’ This helped make Chang Dao sandals one of Thailand’s ambassadors,” said Dr. Jakraphol Chanthawimon, Managing Director of Nanyang Marketing Co., Ltd.
He recounted that Nanyang started when a Thai businessman of Chinese descent, Wichai Sosothikul, imported “Nam-Ia” brand canvas shoes from Singapore to sell in Thailand. The name was later changed to “Nan-Yang” in Mandarin Chinese.
In 1953, as Singapore began to change and reduce production, Nanyang started manufacturing shoes themselves. As the business grew, they requested to become manufacturers within Thailand.
From the first day Nanyang shoes entered Thailand until today, everything remains the same, but what has changed is the era, with foreign investors and new technologies. In the past, Nanyang shoes could be worn for sports, school, travel, and work, but as times changed, shoes could no longer be all-around. For example, there’s a need for specialized shoes for running on different terrains.
Competition is another challenge that Nanyang had to adapt to, focusing on the student shoe market. Nanyang canvas shoes have about 80% of their customer base as students. Therefore, to stay in the student market, Nanyang must constantly adapt.
Currently, Nanyang has a 45% market share in 2023, and in 2024, they aim for growth higher than the market average, confident in their unique strategy that not only helps reach new consumers but also builds a continuous customer base for the future.
Nanyang has performed very well financially. Even though the market growth is only average, Nanyang can grow higher than the market and above average. In 2023, their revenue grew by 13.7% with a market share of 45%, up from 43-44%. For 2024, they set a sales growth target of 3-5%.
The Moo Deng trend is expected to be part of what helps Nanyang achieve its goals.
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