Business plan game show | Bangkok Post: learning

About business

A popular TV show combines business education with entertainment for a mass TV audience.

Business plan competitions are popular in business schools in Thailand and throughout the world (See Wikipedia List).

For years, the Bangkok Post has featured articles on business plans and entrepreneurs (See archives #1 and #2).

The photo above is of game show commentators grilling dust mite busters.

Click button to listen to SME Game Show and rightclick to download

TELEVISION: Minding their own businesses, SME GAME SHOW HITS THE RIGHT MARKET by Kanokporn Chanasongkram

Checking out CD stalls in Bangkok, Tepparit Wongwanichwattana was like a plain-clothes detective asking for copies of SME Tee Tak (literally, "solving SME problems"). He was curious about who would be selling pirated CDs of the TV programme and who on Earth would be buying them.

Workpoint Entertainment took the case to the DSI , who normally go after music and movie CDs. The demand, however, demonstrated that the game show had an audience and Tepparit, its creative director, was on the right track in creating adult edutainment.

"We questioned who would want to watch a TV show about marketing and how many people have an interest in small and medium enterprises?" he said. "At first we aimed at a niche market of business students and entrepreneurs. From the first episode, SME Tee Tak was the talk of the town and it gradually attracted a wider audience who may want to start up their own business.

Celebrating its first anniversary next month, the game show has featured restaurateurs and entrepreneurs in other businesses such as online dating, cooking schools, wedding studios and worm fertilisers. The entrepreneurs are grilled by a panel of experts, and if their marketing strategies and business solutions prove practical they take home a trophy and 100,000 baht.

"It may not matter whether they win the cash prize or not. What's more valuable is the knowledge and expert advice they get from the commentators, and we find that the entrepreneurs follow the advice for further business success," said Tepparit. "One of the most impressive cases, Jae Jong, has seen unbelievable sales of her rice and fried pork that can reach 100,000 baht per day. After being on the show, she started building a brand and social network on Facebook and TV as well as corporate social responsibility by supplying rice and fried pork to last year's flood victims."

Tepparit owes the TV show's success to the interesting entrepreneurs and businesses, the witty commentators as well as the show's superb host Phanya Nirunkul (Workpoint Entertainment's CEO). The 29-year-old creative director is also behind the success of Lharn Phoo Koo E-Joo, which was an International Emmy 2009 nominee in the children and young people category.

While boasting prowess in producing edutainment, he doesn't have a marketing background. His family ran a traditional grocery store and that was all he knew about running a business and so in the beginning he was quite nervous about doing the TV show.

I had to self-study about marketing but the cases on SME Tee Tak give you a better idea than reading books on how to successfully build a business. A business idea often comes from a question, like 'How do you clean your mattress?' he said. "Many people may have never cleaned their mattress, while not recognising that they may be sleeping with an army of dust mites. We found a mattress cleaning business that incredibly makes 1 million baht a month. TV viewers want to know how they can make so much money, and that's why we're enjoying good ratings.

This Friday, SME Tee Tak will feature a mattress cleaning service business.

Creative director, Tepparit Wongwanichwattana, SME Tee Tak airs on Channel 5 every Friday night at 10:30pm. For past episodes, visit http://www.smeteetak.com

(Source: Bangkok Post, TELEVISION, Minding their own businesses, SME GAME SHOW HITS THE RIGHT MARKET, 17/01/2011, Kanokporn Chanasongkram, link)

business plan - a detailed statement of an idea for making money (business idea) and steps to be taken to start and operate the business (See Wikipedia)
business plan competition - an event in which many students present their business ideas and plans, judges decide which are the ones most likely to succeed, most business schools have such a competition,  , also called Moot Corp Competition (See video on how to win)

game show - a television or radio program in which contestants compete for awards (See Wikipedia)
commentators - people who give their expert opinion on some issue or problem
grill - asking someone a lot of questions, especially for a long time
dust mite - very small insects that cause allegies and asthma that like to live in "warm, fluffy furniture and materials" so they are "most likely to be found on beds, couches, carpets, toys and curtains" (See Wikipedia)
dust mite busters - a vacuum cleaner-like machine for getting rid of dust mites

minding own business - only taking an interest in your own affairs, not those of other people, that are not related to your own life

stalls - large tables or small shops with an open front from which goods are sold in a public place แผงขายของ
plain - very simple in style, without a lot of decoration เรียบง่าย
plain-clothes detective - a policeman who is wearing the clothes of ordinary person (to make it easier to investigate crimes) 
pirated - illegally copied ละเมิดลิขสิทธิ์
who on Earth would .... - who would do that (very surprised)
literally - the most basic, clear and obvious meaning

feature - to include someone or something as an important part ทำให้เด่น
mattress - the thick soft material that you put on the base of a bed to make it more comfortable ที่นอน

Workpoint Entertainment - "a Thailand-based company engaged in the production of television programs. The Company operates in six businesses: television programs, publication, animation and computer graphic, movies, concert and plays, and event marketing. Through the four free television channels: 3, 5, 7 and 9, the Company provides 18 television programs, including quiz shows, game shows, sitcoms, variety shows, kids game shows and cultural shows" (See Google Finance).
demand - the desire or need for goods or services
audience - the people who watch an event happen ผู้ชม

creative - creating and developing new original ideas, especially in art or literature
creative director - "a position often found within the graphic design, film, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries... entails overseeing all aspects of product design, responsible for the quality of the final creative work" (See Wikipedia)
on the right track - doing the right thing (in order to achieve goals)
edutainment - fun entertainment that is also serious education

marketing - the biness processes "involved in promoting and selling and distributing a product or service, the process by which companies determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development" (See Wikipedia and Google Definitions)
niche - a small specialized area
entrepreneurs - business people เจ้าของกิจการ
enterprises - companies
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - companies with revenue, assets, or employees below a certain level, in Thailand 200 million in assets is the limit (See Wikipedia)

episode - one of the single parts into which a story is divided, especially when it is broadcast on the television or radio ตอน
the talk of the town - the subject or topic that everyone is talking about (for a period of time)

anniversary - a date when you celebrate something that happened in a previous year that is important to you วันครบรอบ
featured - included someone or something as an important part มีบทบาทสำคัญใน

restaurateurs  - people who own, run and manage restaurants
online dating - "a dating system which allows individuals, couples and groups to make contact and communicate with each other over the Internet, usually with the objective of developing a personal romantic or sexual relationship. Online dating services usually provide unmoderated matchmaking over the Internet, through the use of personal computers or cell phones. Online dating services generally require a prospective member to provide personal information, before they can search the service provider's database for other individuals using criteria they set, such as age range, gender and location. Most sites allow members to upload photos of themselves and browse the photos of others" (See Wikipedia)
wedding studios - a place for weddings (a business that provides all needed services for a wedding, often sold as a package)

fertilisers - chemicals or natural substances that help plants grow, food for plants (See Wikpedia)
worm - earthworm, worms that move along under the earth breaking the earth up and making the soil better to grow plants in  (See Wikipedia)
worm fertilisers - compost created by worms that is used as a form of fertlizer
compost - "plant matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting a year or more" (See Wikipedia)

grill - to ask a person many difficult questions over a long period of time
panel - a group of people brought together to discuss, investigate, and give advice on a problem and try to solve the problem
strategies - long-term plans to achieve goals and achieve success in competition กลยุทธ
practical - useful for real people in real situations ที่ขึ้นอยู่กับความเป็นจริง
trophy - a large silver cup or similar object given as a prize to the winner of a competition ถ้วยรางวัล

it matters - it is important
it may not matter - it may not be important, it is possible that it is not important
cash - money เงินสด
cash prize - winning money (instead of some good or product that has already been purchased)
valuable - worth a lot (for example, the help some project succeed or help make money) มีค่า
commentators - see above
impressive - something that people admire because it is very good, very large or shows great skill ซึ่งน่าประทับใจ
brand - a type of product made by a particular company ตรา, ยี่ห้อ
network - a large system of connected parts, organisations, people, etc. เครือข่าย

social network - facebook and other similar websites, "an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities. A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Although online community services are sometimes considered as a social network service. In a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks" (See Wikipedia)
Facebook - the most popular and most used social network website (See Wikipedia)
responsibility - having to take care of some task as part of your job

corporate social responsibility (CSR) - when companies have as their goal more than just the usual increasing shareholder value and include other goals such as "a commitment to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of our workforce and their families as well as the local community at large" (See Wikipedia and Google Definitions)
victims - people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident, natural disaster, crime, etc.
grilling - see above
dust mite - see above
dust mite busters - see above 

wit (noun) - the ability to use words in a smart and clever to amuse people and make them laugh คำพูดหรือข้อเขียนที่แสดงเชาวน์ปัญญา
witty (adjective)

superb - of the highest quality ยอดเยีี่ยม
host - a person who introduces guests and performers, especially on television or radio พิธีกร, ผู้จัดรายการ

International Emmy 2009 - a set of awards given each year to "the best television programs produced, and initially aired, outside the U.S. There are fourteen program categories for the International Emmy Awards: Arts Programming; Best Performance by an Actor; Best Performance by an Actress; Children & Young People; Comedy; Current Affairs; Documentary; Drama Series; Interactive Channel; Interactive Program; Interactive TV Service; News; Non-Scripted Entertainment; Telenovela; and TV Movie/Mini-Series" (See Wikipedia)
nominee - someone who has been formally proposed for something such as a job or an award 
category - a group of people or things that have similar qualities หมวดหมู่ ประเภท

boasting - telling other people how great you are (usually saying you are greater than you actually are)
prowess - great ability in doing some task
background - when a person has experience and knowledge in some area of work
marketing background - having experience and knowledge of company marketing activities  
traditional - things (clothes, music, customs, etc.) that have been part of a country or society for a long time
nervous - worried, have an uneasy unhappy feeling (of possible failure, that something might go wrong)

recognising - not knowing (that a certain situation exists)
army - a large group of people or things กลุ่มคน, ฝูงชน
incredibly - in a way that is difficult to believe อย่างไม่น่าเชื่อ
ratings - numbers that compare how good a company is doing compared to others
episodes - an event or short period of time when something unusual happens

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