#business case study

[discluded]

MileApo and the rise of Thai soft power

Mile and Apo talking about the Thai period film at the Vogue Thailand Gala on 2022/9/21

I've been meaning to sit down and write about this for a while now, ever since I saw the pattern of Mile and Apo injecting it into their talking points about the 2023 historical film, but it's taken some an effort to actually lay it out. Hopefully the time I sat with it will make the it a more insightful, rich reading experience.

Disclaimers:

(1) I have no formal experience in international relations aside from reading and watching the news, but my strong point is research. Folks with a more formal backgrounds in policsci or IR are welcome to add their input!

(2) Comments about policies or political actions of nations, whether positive, neutral or negative, are not meant to reflect on private individuals of the nationality, even those with a notable amount of social-cultural capital. Private individuals, despite their positions of social influence, most often have little to no individual influence on a policy level**.

So without further ado:

What is soft power? (aka soft power for dummies)

Joseph Nye, a then-Harvard professor, coined the term soft power in the 1980s/early 90s. He described it as:

“A country’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviors of various actors in the international arena (states, corporations, communities, publics etc.) through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion.”

In his book Bound to Lead, Nye established that three prongs of a country's soft power were its culture, its political values, and its policies. Here are two different graphics that further break down what those look like when evaluating soft power in practice.

If you feel like all the above is still vague to the point of unparsable in an applied context, I spent the majority of the time researching how to demystify the term especially in the way MileApo discuss it, and found this great explainer:

A strong nation brand and positive soft power perceptions allow a nation to promote itself as a place for people to visit, invest in, and build a reputation for their quality of goods and services. [...] it is often overlooked that a strong nation brand and soft power can deliver better outcomes at home. Primarily it encourages domestic tourism, the consumption of domestic goods and services (rather than imports). Less tangibly it also just makes people feel better about their country.

Expressed in this context, soft power can be understood as the act of building trust in the cultural products of a nation domestically -- some more abstract in the form of art (music, film) and culture, some more concrete like products including fashion and beauty -- in a manner to appeal to its own citizens while also broadening the appeal of cultural goods abroad in a which can drive international tourism, trade, and commerce.

In other words: yes, our collective desire to actually taste Farmhouse bread.

The Thai government and the push for soft power

While my interest in this topic was originally piqued by MileApo's comments, soft power policy has to originate at the government level. Note again that Nye's definition of soft power is centered around "a country’s ability to influence", therefore soft power policy must always formally be expressed nationally.

Around the time MileApo consistently began promoting soft power in alignment with the period film, I noticed a slew of references in Bangkok Post, one of the reputable English online publications based in Thailand.

Back tracking through some of the articles as a reflection of national conversation, since 2020, there has been a consistent theme in terms of what the government is attempting and how well it's going (or not going):

On Thailand's soft power and positioning in the world, Feb 2020:

According to Kitti Prasirtsuk of Thammasat University, who has carried out extensive research into Thailand's branding and repositioning in the age of interconnectedness and social media, Thailand and its culture, values and foreign policy have charisma and high persuasive power which can attract admiration and cooperation. But the Thai people and bureaucrats must change their mindset and perceptions and appreciate their country in real terms first before they take up new challenges.

Within Asean, Thailand is behind Singapore as No.1 [among SE Asian soft power rankings]. The report stated that Thailand has the potential to rise into the top 30 in the world, if the country can strike the right political balance between the rural poor and urban elite. It went on to say that Thailand's weaknesses are problems related to corruption and inequality. It also said that the Thai government is failing to showcase the full potential of Thailand's rich cultural offerings beyond tourism. One more weak link is its poor performance in public diplomacy and digital infrastructure.

(Mile, Apo, and Bible all attended Thammasat University, which is considered one of the premiere universities in Thailand. Apo later transferred and graduated from a different university.)

On Milli, a Thai rapper who performed at Coachella in Spring 2022:

The presence of the 19-year-old rapper Milli at the Coachella Music Festival in the United States has reinvigorated Thailand's soft power ambitions -- an area the Thai government has not fully explored nor exploited. Milli, whose real name is Danupha Khanatheerakul, is the first solo Thai artist to perform at Coachella, a music festival that draws tens of thousands of fans annually.

[Milli's prescence at Coachella] was able to advance Thailand's soft power [in ways previously stalled]. It is not that the government is clueless about "soft power". For decades, governments have focused on presenting Thailand's soft power to the world. However, that iteration of "soft power" mainly consisted of Thai customs and traditions such as food, costume, classical dance, Buddhism rituals and the wai. These aspects of our cultural heritage, despite being charming to foreign tourists, are not sufficient to catapult Thailand's into a stronger position in the global market. Thai cultural heritage has failed to catch up in the digital age…

Milli's song also includes ideas relevant to international audiences. One of her songs openly discusses sexual consent. Being relevant is one of the keys to increasing the nation's presence among diverse populations. The cultural impact made by a young girl like Milli should make the government rethink its cultural promotion strategy. More support is needed for progressive Thai artists and innovators.

An opinion rebuttable on Milli's performance and the government's blundering of reaching for soft power while not meeting basic domestic requirements:

One of the minister's advisers belted out a long speech that did not seem to address how Thailand will become a "soft power" but used the term multiple times. One can't help but wonder if the ministry knows what it is doing, or what the so-called "soft power" it is espousing is about.

Milli's self-taunting line "I don't ride an elephant" may sound a bit old but her rapping about how "the country is good, people are good, our food is good but the government is bood," seems to have struck a chord. "Bood" means rotten in Thai. It is thus understandable if the government was not too coherent when discussing anything about the phenomenon that Milli created. Indeed, [Thailand's Prime Minister] Gen Prayut should feel awkward discussing the "soft power" of Milli and mango sticky rice when he filed a defamation charge against the teen rapper himself back in June last year.

Talented as Milli is, and extraordinary her achievements both locally and at one of the world's most famous music festivals have been, the teenage rapper really has nothing to do with so-called "soft power" which government figures are talking about. Her success is largely individual. Milli created a sensation and a craze. For Thailand's "soft power" to be built, let alone recognised globally, it takes more than one successful artist…

The whole product must be good if it is to exert influence. As experts argued, it takes a wide range of qualities for a country to say it has "soft power". These include the quality of its political institutions, education, digital development, innovation, cultural appeal, strength in arts or business brands. That is why it is odd for everyone to talk about Thailand's "soft power" now when we don't seem to have ticked any of the basic requirements.

On Bangkok International Fashion Week (BIFW):

BIFW2022 has been [a] major and continuing mission to promote and drive Thai fashion to international levels. The event strategically aligns with the government’s strategy to empower Thai fashion industry as fashion is one of the most influential soft power that stimulate economic growth.

Note that multiple actors in BOC walked BIFW2022 in September, as well as multiple actors from other Thai BL shows that aired in 2022.

On the increasing popularity of Thai BL:

Thai BL is now popular across Southeast and East Asia[, and] has been gaining traction in Japan, the home of BL, since 2020. Posters of famous khu jin were put up in a train station. Magazines that cover Thai drama, including BL, are rolled out for the Japanese audience. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a Twitter account that uses BL to engage Japanese consumers. They are conducting research on these issues in the context of soft power.

Yes you read that correctly. No joke, BL as a facet of Thai soft power is so prevalent now that the government is literally tracking its popularity and Twitter conversation around the topic.

So what does this all mean?

Thailand is a country within Asia and internationally that has a lot of appeal as a tourism destination. However, with many competitor alternatives in both entertainment (particularly film and music) and beauty/fashion, which are major drivers soft power within Asia and internationally, and domestic dissidence of policy and politicians due to social conditions, Thai cultural power is not as prominent as it could be and also suffers at the international level.

While there is appeal of specific Thai cultural products internationally (such as Milli at Coachella or in the case of Kinnporsche the Series) the government has failed to activate these prominent media products as part of a cohesive soft power strategy.

However, the government does seem aware of the potential, specifically in the realm of BL. Thailand has always maintained an image of being LGBTQ-friendly among all the Asian countries, and may now be looking to push LGBTQ-aligned media (BL and GL dramas) specifically as part of its soft power strategy to increase pop culture and media appeal.

MileApo on Soft Power

Part of the reason my ears perked up at MileApo's consistent talking point of soft power is again, because even without a polisci background, I'm aware that soft power is expressed at the country policy level. Thus when both of them started specifically using the term to discuss the film in pre-production phase, it got my brain gears turning.

Mile talking about the film on 2022/9/24 at the D7 Grand Opening (vid/txt)

"Nong Po will act with Hia Mile -- please look forward to this movie next year, please look forward to that a lot. We want to expand Thai culture and soft power..." Apo on the Thai period movie at the KPWT Send off on 2022/9/11

Mile Phakphum's speech on Mother's Day in Kalasin, 2022/8/5

Here's what we do know. Apo's dance training for the film is with a teacher affiliated with the academy that also produces dancers who specifically entertain the royal court.

And here is what they individually said in the Vogue Thailand print interview (completed in late August 2022, published October 2022)

And I would be remiss and dishonest to not point out that Mile's family is prominent in Thailand and his mother is part of the Queen's inner circle. Keep in mind that Thailand is a constitutional monarchy where the monarch has limited powers in practice (think: Japan or UK), and Thailand has a history of cyclical political instability that does not displace the monarchy. So believe him when he says he has limited power compared to Kinn. He travels on a private citizen's passport like all the rest of the cast. (Though my eyes start watering when I'm thinking about baby chaebol CEO Mile and destiny.*)

That being said, what these connections likely did get the production team was access to cultural resources such as the dance expert and most likely credentialed historians to consult on the period film. I would surprised if there aren't ministers' offices who are in the loop about film's production in a way they would not pay to other film or show production teams. I'm sure we will find out more about the interesting and important people involved in the production process around the time the film is released.

Another aspect that stood out to me is the fact that Mile and Apo, neither of whom have policy backgrounds, started iterating the discussion point of soft power in a way you don't see Milli, or Mew Suppassit (who let's not forget was also a RSIFF invitee and the first Thai artist to break into the Billboard World Song Chart), talk about it. Mew actually has talked about soft power a couple of times, but only in the context that he is part of a cultural wave that can increase Thailand's influence globally and never specifically in relation to a project he is promoting. That speaks a lot to the team behind the scenes involved in the writing and consulting (and marketing) process of the 2023 historical film.

The timeline of when these comments popped up is also interesting. While they do coincide with the release of the trailer post KPWT Bangkok, most likely what's happening during this time period is that BOC and more specifically Mile is shopping for sponsors to the project.

Think about Mile speaking about Thailand soft power to an audience of mostly older businesspeople at the mother's day event -- what would the purpose be except an ask for partnership on a project that he is on, which can become a vehicle for Thai products both domestically and globally? Look at the timing of the announcement of the Srichand partnership (end of August), and how successfully that broken the brand into the lucrative Chinese market, moving millions of THB worth of product for a brand that had struggled to get any traction previously. While Srichand's focus is currently on China, working with a Thai beauty brand for a film where the trailer highlighted many historical makeup elements is an actually ideal brand partnership and project alignment.

(Sadly for us, I don't think the film will be the second longest bread commercial in existence. But based on the Farmhouse CEO's comments, I would be unsurprised if they signed on to support the film project too. Ancient Thai bread I guess *jazz hands*)

In Conclusion

MileApo's soft power talking point was an intentional move specifically to shop the film project around for sponsors. The Srichand partnership proved MA-as-a-brand's ability to move product in a lucrative, hard-to-crack foreign market, though Srichand (and Giffarine) as brands aren't necessarily able to stand in the market independently as of yet. Their past brand partnerships' success simultaneously showed how lucrative it is to book MA for a product domestically. I'm sure we'll see a slew of new interesting sponsors and brand partnerships this year. This is only the beginning of MA's power as a cultural brand domestically and internationally.

Mile and Apo have also expressed their pride in the past in being cultural ambassadors of Thailand, both at the RSIFF and when speaking about engaging tourists who are visiting Thailand. Their praise of Thai products (for example, the artistry of Thai silk in the Vogue Th Gala interview) and their active choice to work with mostly Thai brands speaks to their values as businessmen who genuinely want to uplift Thailand's influence in the global market.

That being said, the Thai cultural ministry cannot rely on a single cultural emissary to advance its soft power agenda globally, and as of right now, despite ...some attempts, a cohesive government strategy around soft power does not exist.

MileApo have demostrated their brand has strong impact, and that they can influence purchase behavior internationally (e.g., KPWT ticket sales, Srichand) in ways many Thai media figures have not been able to as of yet. But they are not formally tied to the Thai government, nor should the government intervene and attempt to direct artistic expression.

Culture is one aspect of soft power, and political/humanitarian expression is another major component that advances an international soft power agenda. There are already articles discussing Thailand's problems of political corruption and self/journalistic censorship due to political conditions that prevent full freedom of expression. But that's the government's problem to address that. There is a lot of unharvested potential in multiple realms.

This essay is not about that though. I'm just a fan.

Can it be December 2023 yet 🥺

Additional notes that don't fit into the essay under the cut:

(1) There was a lot of fandom hand-wringing in August and September about Apo publicly having working dinners with Pond over the film project. Let's not forget Mile is someone who cares deeply about the art he makes, and he and Apo both have said multiple times they talk almost nightly about their artistic intent. If Mile talks to Apo and Apo was talking to Pond, why would Mile, a person who cares deeply about art, not be talking to Pond in pre-production? Obviously the answer is a division of labor in the relationship: Mile was working on funding which is just as important, and Mile also needs to sleep and rest and not work. There wouldn't be anyone else he would trust to convey his artistic intent to the director except for Apo. True power couple behavior right there.

(2) * everyday I go feral over baby chaebol CEO Mile. If someone made a kdrama about a handsome chaebol baby who was a CEO but also an actor and model who met his soulmate in university but it was a missed connection and then the soulmate went on to become a famous actor/model who quit because of bullying, but then they met again when the baby chaebol WHO IS STILL A CEO BUT ALSO AN ACTOR met at an audition for a drama... *foams at mouth* I would call this show bizarre, nonsensical and incoherent, and yet HERE WE ARE IN REAL LIFE. The jetsetting supermodel with wealthy CEO part of reality which is now bending around MileApo so they can live their wattpad fanfic life. What the hell am I looking at, I ask myself every day.

(3) ** this statement does not include billionaires like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos whose net worth exceeds those of small and mid-sized countries. Per today's estimate, ~50 people/families have more wealth than 90 of 190 countries. If your net worth can run the economy of half the countries in the world, then your wealth/resources hoarding behavior can control what the media says and influence otherwise free and fair elections.

Once again, Some of you need some contextualization of how comfortably wealthy vs. billionaire resource-hoarding rich looks like.

#mileapo #mile phakphum #apo nattawin #political science #soft power #international relations #thailand #thailand soft power #kinnporsche #mileapo 2023 film #if you like it give it a reblog #i spent so long on this #like twice as long researching as writing #if people don't like this one i'm gonna fr cry #business analysis #business #business case study #vogue thailand gala #vogue thailand #mileapo x vogue #kinnporsche meta #mileapo meta

[ashtonderoy]

The Smokin' 116 Bistro. Dirty Details of Breach of Contract investigation.

Written by Ashton Deroy In an effort to get information related to Bay of Quinte Pride. I began looking into some of the local Businesses that serve them. In doing that I investigated their reviews page. Came across a customer story that makes me think. 116 Bistro might not be the Diversity loving GOOD Business they position themselves to be. Kelsey Stapley ‘Pretty rude owners, bad customer…

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#Advertising #Ashton Deroy #Autism #Bay of Quinte #Belleville Ontario #Breach of Contract #Business case study #Dining #Drag show #EventBrite #Kelsey Stapley #Law #Legal #LGBT #LGBTQ #Loyalist College #Marketing #Ottawa #Pride Parade #Quinte West #Seneca #The Smokin&039; 116 Bistro #Toronto #Tourism

[businessvaarta]

#entreprenuership #business case study #business #business study #teabusinessmarathi #teabusinessplan #teabusinessplanmarathi #Youtube

[cecileroob5]

Business Case Study Slides

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[thegracefulwillow]

head empty just noe

#vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vnc #vnc fanart #noe archiviste #noé archiviste #description in alt text #my art #from the depths of art block i offer this #honestly idk if i'd call it art block or just. I've been hella busy and i've had no head space for creativity #anyway i just realized this is purple AGAIN #i really always default to purple tones #but how could i resist honestly purple is great

[seonghwacore]

be real honest. which member of your favorite group whose personality is actually similar to you? are they your bias or not?

#ann.txt #ive been curious about this #esp to atinys but i think people from other fandoms might see and want to share too #in my case my personality is the closest to mingi hongjoong and scoups (with less $$$) #mingi mainly cus of his thinking framework and bluntness constantly talking abt world economy whatsoever 😂 #his “cost-benefit” mindset is strong and its shown? but it doesnt make him cold or careless abt his friends #and you know what else is strong in him? his simpness for yunho. boi doesnt have anything bad abt him he has his name in his head 25/8 #i think if i have my own “yunho” person i'll have nothing in my head but them too #i think if hes just a clerical worker or avg uni student hed do a good job in business or any job/study thats data driven? #hongjoong and coups. assertive yet open to feedbacks. they treat it as opportunity to improve and reach out wider audiences #while attentive to their members their works the top priority. if they can work then why sleep #be the $$$ daddies 🤑 #just in real life yet tricky in games 🤪 but sometimes im also a fool like mingi 🤪🤪🤪 #and nope theyre not my bias but its amazing to know you gentlemen 🤝 #PLUS THEYRE ALL BIG BABIES MAXIMUM OF 5 YEARS OLD #I AM 5

[neversetyoufree]

Looking back through the first couple volumes of VnC, it's wild how much of what Vanitas does in early chapters is nothing but a series of transparent attempts to put himself in control when he feels uncomfortable. You don't notice the first time you read it, or at least I didn't, but he's really quite obvious once you have the knowledge of what subjects he's sensitive about.

I've touched on this before, but I think Vanitas's biggest defense mechanism is theater, specifically playing up his own power/unpredictability in order to make everyone around him uncomfortable. "Vanitas" is a character that he plays, and he weaponizes that character against others when the man behind the act feels threatened.

(Now that we're under the readmore, here's your warning for a VnC-standard amount of discussion of sexual assault).

Even starting in his very first scene in chapter 1, when we've yet to see Vanitas get anywhere close to vulnerable or upset, we get a hint of how he operates. His first attempt to get Noé away from Amelia isn't to physically fight him—it's to play sinister and deliver a vague threat.

He could have gone straight for the knives, or he could have told Noé the truth that Amelia herself was dangerous and urged him to get away. But that's not the person Vanitas is. He doesn't talk things out with honesty, and he doesn't resort straight to violence unless he's really over the edge. He threatens and plays up his dangerous persona to get what he wants.

He even uses the very same line with the security guards later in the chapter, playing sinister again to escape arrest because he might be screwed otherwise.

He's pretty much never authentic pre-catacombs, but moments like this where he dials up the act to achieve something show how in control he is of his own inauthenticity. And he never takes advantage of that control more than when he feels threatened, be that threat physical (like the security guards) or emotional.

When Noé asks him about how he inherited the book of Vanitas in chapter 2, something we now know is a sensitive secret, Vanitas immediately changes the subject. He gets in Noé's space, acting borderline flirtatious (and he often does get flirty as part of his persona), then returns to the topic of Noé being his shield (which is an act in itself, given how he really reacts to being protected).

It takes one poke to the chest and a couple of sentences to switch the conversation from "Noé insists on knowing Vanitas's sensitive past" to "Noé has to deal with the mysterious, overbearing Vanitas's whims," which is just how Vanitas wants it. Playing up his demanding, in your face side buries the threat of an uncomfortable topic.

Then, when Dominique suggests that he worships the blue moon during the bal masqué, we get a much more extreme incarnation of this same behavior. Domi's words threaten to undermine a huge part of the narrative he's built for himself as Vanitas, and they do so by dredging up a truth that he wants desperately to keep buried. He might not worship the blue moon, but he really did love Luna, and being reminded of that throws a big wrench in the narrative of his revenge against them.

He cannot handle having his narrative undermined at this point, and especially not by a reminder of Luna, who is arguably the most sensitive part of his whole tragic backstory. So he freaks out, and freaking out for Vanitas means throwing himself into his false persona as hard as he possibly can. He grows sinister, speaking darkly before breaking into maniacal laughter that startles Dominique and her attendants. Then he hurls his constructed narrative into public view, revealing himself and ensuring that every vampire knows his claim of "wanting revenge."

Nobody's going to forget the human that leapt onto a chandelier in the middle of a ball, revealed himself to be the kin of the blue moon, then swore his vengeance against that very kin, and that means nobody else is going to misunderstand him like Domi and dredge up the truth: that he never really hated Luna.

Going manic and theatrical like this is a defense mechanism, and it's one that ensures not only that Domi stops hassling him, but that, hopefully, he'll never even have to consider worshiping the blue moon ever again. It's a total rejection of an idea that made him uncomfortable, achieved through theater. It also takes a situation that was quite out of his control, his being chained up by Domi, and turns it into a scenario that he engineered, where he is in absolute control of the crowd for at least a few moments.

The best example of all this though, the time when Vanitas combines every form of weaponized persona I've talked about into one awful act, is the scene in which he forces a kiss on Jeanne.

As I mentioned before, Vanitas often plays up his flirtatiousness as part of his persona. He does it with Jeanne quite often, and he does a (usually) subtler version of it with Noé a few times as well. It's a great way to change the subject and make throw people off their game without resorting to threats, and his treatment of Jeanne in chapter 4 is an extreme, but not too surprising incarnation of this same flirty habit.

He might be attracted to Jeanne, but attraction alone is not a reason to force a kiss on an unwilling stranger while ending a fight. Vanitas kissing her was, as much as any other moment I've referenced here, an instinct to protect himself and gain control of a situation that otherwise threatened him.

Winning the fight or not, Vanitas is in a tenuous position in terms of control when dealing with Jeanne. Jeanne is an incredibly strong opponent, and she managed to withstand both a bite from a curse-bearer and a direct stunning hit from the Book. Vanitas has played all of his cards, and his only insurance that she won't murder him immediately is Noé, a man he barely knows, successfully keeping Luca hostage without realizing that's what he's doing. These are not great odds. He's also extremely attracted to Jeanne, and though his initial attraction to her isn't nearly as distressing as his full-on infatuation in mal d'amour, being weak to the sight of her represents yet another loss of control.

Then Jeanne tries to sacrifice herself. She tells Vanitas he can do anything to her he pleases, so long she can protect the child she's devoted herself to watching over, and there is no way on Earth that this moment isn't a trigger for Vanitas, because he once did the exact same thing. He's already in an unsteady situation, and then she reminds him of Misha and his own darkest moments, which means that conversation has to end immediately.

"Please don't hurt him," is the last thing Jeanne says before Vanitas flips suddenly from threats to advances, and his face when he gets close to her is manic.

So when Vanitas gets uncomfortable, what does he do? He changes the subject wildly, suddenly making the whole situation about him and his fickle, unpredictable moods and unreasonable demands. He cranks up the character of the wild, demanding, show-stealing Vanitas to eleven. He kisses Jeanne. And even though it's a cliche line, the fact remains that sexual assault is never really about the sex. It's about power and control. Vanitas does wild things and plays up his persona as a clutch for control when he's uncomfortable, and this is that to an extreme degree. This kiss gives him the power in their interaction.

Plus, the specific bad memories that Jeanne unintentionally triggers for Vanitas are all about bodily autonomy. His own "do what you want to me, just don't hurt the kid" moment was protecting Misha in Moreau's lab, which led to physical violation after violation. It was a complete loss of his agency and autonomy. And his memory of Misha is also deeply tied to whatever happened with Luna's death, and given the possibility of his being made their kin without consent, that memory may also be one of the loss of autonomy.

This scene is Vanitas not just getting triggered, but being reminded of his loss of control and ownership of his body. It makes a twisted kind of sense that the resultant clutch for power and control comes via him forcing his body onto somebody else. He manufactures a situation that is all about bodily autonomy, but he has all of it and the source of danger has none. And he does it all while stealing the show and rerouting the topic as he always does.

Just like so many other actions he takes early in the series, his most reprehensible moment is just another desperate grasp at control. He has to be threatening and showy and unreasonable. He has to be the kind of man that announces himself as savior to a room full of powerful enemies. The kind of man can force himself on a powerful woman like Jeanne. Because if he doesn't drive home the act well enough, somebody might gain access to the horribly vulnerable person underneath.

#vanitas is what happens when the most traumatized man in the world weaponizes being a theater kid as his main defense mechanism #the man was literally raised in a troupe of actors #and if everyone is busy focusing on how unpleasant he is #nobody is dwelling on the things he doesn't want them to see #and he can pretend those vulnerable parts don't exist #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vanitas my beloved #vnc vanitas #english major hours #ID in alt text

[charleslebatman]

#f1 #formula 1 #charles leclerc #scuderia ferrari #us gp 2023 #ferrari case deserves to be studied in business strategy at university #i insult in french or english? inspiration is vibrating in french it’s almost amazing

[jazzjlan]

have i showed you guys these two?

they are besties your honor

both are my kirby ocs! i've posted a doodle sheet of sherry before, but not the other new guy

left: sherry, chilly's younger sister, the older friend (6 y/o). sweet, outgoing, cheerful, and very innocent. loves play dates, ice/snow powers not (fully) developed yet, and looks up to her brother. (more information in the first post i made of her!)

right: dylan, dedede's child with my other wip oc landon. the younger friend by two years. very shy, quiet, and anxious, so the opposite of his childhood friend. he's very friendly and cares so much about his family and friends, however, and WILL warm up to you eventually if you're not too scary! often gets called "dedede jr" due to his strong resemblance to his father. he is half birdon, yes! still learning how to fly, though. also, he gets sung a lullaby as a baby, that he hums to himself to calm down when feeling bad. (said lullaby is cradle from the anime! i just need to make up lyrics for them)

they are both childhood friends! technically sherry "adopted" him as his bestie since he was a baby lmao, and also cuz landon and chilly were pretty close. [NOT CONFIRMED] some people look at them and think that it could be a little childhood crush relationship, they'd totally get married and share ringpops someday ngl

#my art #this isn't the most recent art i got #it IS artwork i'm willing to share when my account's dead however #and since that's the case here you go! my blorbos! #i haven't been able to make art (and videos) lately because i've been busy with studies and midterms this week #BUT i'm willing to work on more art afterwards! so stay tuned~ #jazzlan #jlan #jazzlanart #artists on tumblr #fanart #digital art #kirby nintendo #nintendo #kirby #kirby oc #kirby fanart #doodle #kirby ocs #my ocs #oc art #original character #drawing #artwork #king dedede

[nightdye]

⭐

#i loved painting this commission #noe archiviste #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no shuki #laniishii #i love drawing vnc its just that im super busy and have a lot of things on my list sobs #noe and murr #⭐Comms

[ryuk1i]

Finally getting more stuff done for my store! ✨

Tested and printed some stickers today and my art prints also finally came in last week! Good to finally be making some progress :)

#owari no seraph #seraph of the end #tgaa chronicles #tgaa #the great ace attorney #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vanoe #mikayuu #small business #stickers #anime fanart #fanart #art prints #digital art #anime artwork #ryu’s art :)

[discluded]

👀 did Srichand drop Mile?

omg I saw this and went to look and am going to reply REALLY quickly now because if I don't and someone else notices, I wouldn't be surprised if things escalate between the toxic solos

My consultant-type opinion (which is not a fact!) of this is: I think Mile's contract with Srichand ended.

The announcement about MileApo's ambassadorship was released circa August 28, 2022, which would imply, given some things, that it started in September 2022. The last post the Brand Twitter made featuring Mile was October 1, 2023. They retweeted some fan photos of people buying the sunscreen with Mile's picture attached, but that can be taken as engaging with people who liked their products. A 13 month contract is - to be fair - kind of weird, but this might also have to do with the uncertainty of the Man Suang release date. Since Man Suang would be released late August, it would make sense to extend the contract by a month to cover it.

I think three different contracts were signed: one with Apo, one with Mile, and one with BOC in collaboration with Man Suang (a historical Thai movie where Thai makeup would be featured). Bill, who is the Chief Marketing(?) Officer of Srichand still has the Man Suang promo slot on his header that includes Mile.

So you might be wondering, if Mile (and BOC) have a good relationship with Srichand, why might the contract end?

The other possibility turning in my head is that all of them had signed a contract that would cover until the end of 2023 BUT, drumroll, Mile got a significantly more lucrative offer.

And what offer would that be? What other makeup/beauty brand is he now a friend-of that could easily afford to buy out the rest of Mile's contract with another company, and probably Srichand wouldn't begrudge Mile for, since business is business?

Hopefully you guessed it.

From fan reports, the Guerlain store in Bangkok had sold out of the perfume scent Mile endorsed the most, and likely moved other product from fans who didn't like the scent but wanted to support him by buying another perfume. Mile endorsed the L'Art & La Matière, where 100mL is between $285-380 USD. These brands do not drop their prices for the Asian market*, and even conservatively estimating that he sold like 100 bottles of 100mL perfume and no other residuals like the Guerlain lip stick or the 200mL sizes, that's about ~$33k USD in product. Comparatively, for the first Srichand live they did, MA moved about $112k USD in product, which we can only attribute half the value of to Mile... $62k. Howevr, that took selling ~8000 units of makeup, (4000 attributed to Mile here, let's just say.)

If selling 200 units (~$66k USD) of product grosses more than selling 4000 units of product ($62k), I think both Guerlain and Srichand can see eye to eye on the value each would get from buying out the rest of Mile's contract. (Another way to add up to ~$65k+, 100 units of 100mL perfume at the $285-380 range, 150 units of perfume at the $110 range, 100 units of meteorites - Guerlain's best selling highlighter, 200 units of their $40 lipstick that Mile promoted - 550 units vs. 4000 units of product to make the same amount of money)

If anything, the weird 13 month length was likely negotiated to accommodate the release of Man Suang with MileApo marketing push to move product associated with their joint ambassadorship AND the release of the movie (their last Srichand live was Sept 19). It would be weird if Mile's face appeared on the movie makeup stuff but he wasn't appearing in the lives.

I think Mile still likely has a friendly relationship with Srichand as a company, it's just that business is business, and I'm sure whatever happened, if it was an extension or a contract buy-out Srichand likely got more than a sweet deal out of the relationship they had.

again, just my opinion. I could be wrong. But I doubt it was any sort of bad-blood reason that Mile got dropped for. The business case speaks for itself.

*luxury brands actually often have a luxury brand price increase in Asian markets. US brands are usually the most affordable in the US, and European brands most affordable in Europe due to import taxes the companies have to pay to ship product.

** also the other possibility is that they're focused on promoting the translucent powder now, which Apo is attached to but Mile is not...

#mile x guerlain #mile phakphum #srichand x mileapo #srichand #business case study #man suang #man suang promo

[lunaria--annua]

I just have to survive the next 4 weeks and I can make art again and reblog with nice tags and interact with people hhhhrrrrgggggghhh

#harmonica sounds #waking up on a weekend at 06:00 so I can start my day as early as possible and study study study #Surviving highschool to the best of my ability 👍 #also in case friends message me in the coming weeks. I might not reply because I am literally so busy #see you until the middle of May

[portuguesedisaster]

The business bachelor side of me is so fucking interested on a case on whatever the fuck is going on on Watcher HQ, It's not even funny

#like i've been checking the tag for watcher here on tumbrl and apparently no one will be subscribing #and now I'm curious to the numbers. What were their statistics? where does the data come from? how much sink costs do they think will have #These types of cases are the reason I got interested in studying business in the first case and I swear I would love to be a fly on the wal #Or a program on their accountants' laptop #i'm studying statistics and i just... ugh I WANNA KNOW #the watcher #watcher entertainment #I'm also a fan but I'm now talking on the professional side soooo #I'm sorry mutuals who have nothing to do with the Watcher :)

[born-to-lose]

God I miss this bar, I wanna go back so bad

#but first i'll acclimatize to the kindergarten where i'm starting my internship tomorrow #and then when they don't have a big event where it will be packed i'll visit them to see if they missed me and because of the withdrawal #once i start school in september (for three years) i'll have enough to do so i won't be able to work there anyway #same with this internship. but maybe afterwards in summer i could offer to work again or at least come in on busy days #we'll see what i'll do in summers while studying but i'll probably go for some student job or summer camps or something like that #idk about the time after those three years but depending on where and how much i work then i could pick up bartending again #apparently other people who have worked there took a break for school/main job and then came back #if not i can still go there way more frequently or try dj-ing like some other regulars #this kindergarten seems great but they're moving to another place in the county next year which is really shitty to get to from where i live #both with public transport and by car :// which is why i'm saying depending on where i work in three years #some kindergartens/schools etc are only hiring part time so in that case i would probably work some hours at the bar but if full time not #mel talks

[maranello]

l’equipe interview has me on the floor.

#i’ll be back in 6 business days. #maranello.txt #charles leclerc case study #save #interview #2022 #monaco gp 2022 #‘​he made us all dream’…….and now you make me dream too charles. #god.