KOL Management Co, a strategic communications consultancy, aims to generate 200 million baht in revenue next year as social media and online platforms thrive.
Co-founded by actress Araya "Chompoo" Hargate and entrepreneur Ali Ziani, KOL will engage with influencers in creating qualitative and effective content on social media.
The company offers strategic and communications planning to tailor content to target audiences, bringing aboard celebrities, influencers and social media personalities to amplify that message.
Mr Ziani said influencing consumers via media influencers has gradually gained popularity in Thailand, South Korea and China in recent years, showing stronger potential growth for online advertising.
"The market is huge and has shown a high growth rate in South Korea and China, but remains a niche market in Thailand," Mr Ziani said. "We have high hopes that we can keep up with new business trends in Thailand."
Thailand's digital ad spending is expected to top 12.2 billion baht this year, after rising 17% last year to 9.47 billion baht, according to the Digital Advertising Association of Thailand.
Ms Araya said media influencers are capable of creating qualitative and engaging content for social media followers, but sincerity is needed if you want to persuade consumers to buy your products, as they are already aware of the real message behind commercial advertising.
She said that as a long-time actress, she sees a big difference between today's online advertising and the way brands communicated to consumers in the past.
"[The time] before the proliferation of social media and today are different," Ms Araya said. "One thing that brands should do is to stay true to themselves to make consumers believe them."
KOL's portfolio now encompasses more than 20 influencers ready to support the marketing activities of several products.
Ms Araya said social media is more varied than other communication platforms because of the multitude of available channels, which can be chosen to match a particular target group, as more smartphone owners use their devices to search for product information.
The number of smartphone users worldwide is forecast to exceed 5 billion in 2019, up from 2.1 billion in 2016. Smartphone users in Thailand will reach 24.1 million this year, according to www.statista.com.