Lisa from Blackpink’s Chivas Regal adverts cause a stir in Thailand, where sharing them on social media could land you in jail
- K-pop superstar Lisa’s new role as ambassador for the whisky brand has caused controversy in her home country of Thailand, which bans alcohol advertising
- Thailand’s Alcohol Control Committee has been assigned to investigate anyone who has posted or shared images of Lisa’s new advertisement campaign
Blackpink fans in Thailand, beware. If you’ve seen images of Lisa’s latest advertising campaign for whisky brand Chivas Regal and wanted to repost them (or God forbid, you already did), think again. It may cost you close to US$15,000 and land you in jail for a year.
Lisa recently signed as Chivas Regal’s first female ambassador in Asia. The partnership has been met with fanfare but also a fair amount of controversy, owing to Lisa’s Thai background and Thailand’s ban on all forms of alcohol advertising.
Under section 32 of Thailand’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (2008), alcoholic beverages must not be advertised in a way that promotes their consumption. Under this act, posting or reposting images of alcoholic beverages online can result in a fine of up to 500,000 baht (US$14,900) and/or up to one year in prison. As a result, sharing Lisa’s Chivas Regal adverts in Thailand is considered to be illegal.
“Should she live in Thailand right now, Lisa won’t be able to accept [the Chivas Regal role] as its presenter,” says beer activist turned politician Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, of Thailand’s Move Forward Party.
According to local media outlets, Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, which falls under the Ministry of Public Health, has assigned the Alcohol Control Committee (OACC) to investigate any offenders who have posted or shared images of Lisa’s advertisements.