Video jockey admits Instagram 'selfie' was beer promotion

Video jockey admits Instagram 'selfie' was beer promotion

Virithipa 'VJ Woonsen' Pakdeeprasong (left) and Nonthaporn 'Ying Yae' Theerawattanasook, (right) appear to testify to police over the Instagram Chang beer scandal on Oct 11, 2015. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Virithipa 'VJ Woonsen' Pakdeeprasong (left) and Nonthaporn 'Ying Yae' Theerawattanasook, (right) appear to testify to police over the Instagram Chang beer scandal on Oct 11, 2015. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Virithipa "VJ Woonsen" Pakdeeprasong has admitted she had been asked to promote Chang Beer when she posted a picture of herself with a bottle of the brew on her Instagram account, according to a senior health official.

Ms Virithipa, accompanied by her lawyer, met officials on Wednesday evening to give information about the alleged social media campaign, Saman Futrakul, director of the Office of the Alcohol Control Committee under the Disease Control Department, said on Thursday.

The well-known video jockey admitted she had been promoting the beer, not the drinking water of the same brand as earlier claimed, said Dr Saman. The post showed she had intentionally acted for a commercial purpose, he added.

‘’Khun Woonsen (her nickname) cooperated and gave useful information about this case. She posted (a picture of herself holding a bottle of the beer) after being contacted to do so. She was not acting playfully and her post was aimed at promoting beer, not drinking water. It is clearly shown that this was done for a commercial purpose and such posts are likely to be organised,’’ said Dr Saman.

Ms Virithipa was willing to cooperate fully with the Public Health Ministry to launch a campaign against drinking alcohol, he said.

Earlier, Ms Virithipa, who is also a  TV host and actress, and Nonthaporn "Ying Yae" Theerawattanasook admitted they posted pictures of themselves with bottles of Chang Beer on their Instagram accounts.

The pair, however, denied being paid by the brewing firm, claiming they only wanted to help a close friend promote the product.  Police did not disclose their friend's name.

An investigation was launched after the pair and 22 other celebrities were found to have posted photos of themselves holding bottles of Chang Beer around the same time on Instagram. All carried similar messages encouraging people to drink the beer. Their actions raised suspicions in some quarters of tacit advertising aimed at social media users.

While the brewery denies encouraging the celebrities to push its products, anti-alcohol campaigners  see the coincidence as a subtle social media campaign, using celebrities posting selfies with bottles of the beer.

Singer and actor Pakorn "Dome" Lam was among the 24 celebrities.

Seven of them, including Waranchaya "VJ Ja" Chindarakwong and Virithipa, also appeared on Chang's website to promote the beer's new bottle colour.

The ministry insisted that the celebrities who posted photographs of themselves holding Chang beer bottles on social media have clearly violated the alcohol control law. 

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