Strings Attached
Overcoming the curse of Chinese regulators and copycats taught three
Thai entrepreneurs the secret of going global with their designs

Deja Wetchapipat August 2008

      The friends were devastated, but they knew that to beat the copycats, they had to act fast. They first called for a press conference in Chiang Mai to explain the situation, and followed that up with a meeting with the Chinese Consulate-General. Unfortunately, they didn't get a lot of help through these official channels.

      After much brainstorming, they came up with another line of action. First, they improved the quality of their dolls and made sure they injected innovative ideas into their product lines regularly. They produced a line of seasonal dolls in such large numbers that there was just no room for copycats. On top of that, they made limited edition designs, ensuring the exclusivity of their products. They also occasionally lowered prices to compete with manufacturers of the fake products.

      Tanayot still feels the sting from the China fiasco: ''I told myself that doing business in China is a waste. It was like we just handed them our idea for them to copy.''

  Despite these difficulties, the three classmates are proud of their success. Their handicraft is highly praised for its beauty, uniqueness and high quality. They're also happy to be setting a good example for other young Thais. In fact, they're regarded as role models in their community; they've overcome multiple obstacles to receive blessings from their voodoo dolls.

      The trio renamed their dolls Saan_ha, which means ''selection'' in Thai. The name reflected their desire to design something new and unusual to keep their clients happy. They were also looking to sell their dolls in Bangkok.

      The trio went much further than that. When a Taiwanese businessman who chanced upon their stall put in an order for 1000 dolls, they realised they had the potential to go international. They roped in family members to help them fulfil the order, and they researched how best to export their products.

      To date, they've sold one million Saan_ha dolls, which are distributed to more than ten countries worldwide, with the US and England as the major markets. They also employ 100 workers who are able to produce 100,000 dolls a month.

      Unfortunately, the demand from the overseas market has fallen from the peak of 80,000 to between 30,000 and 50,000 now. Taweechai blames this sharp dip on the problems they faced in China. Sales of the dolls declined sharply after news broke that some students had used them to put a curse on their teachers. As a result, the Chinese police raided several shops where the dolls were on sale. The authorities deemed the dolls to be the product of black magic and hence banned it from the country.

      ''I heard that not very long after the ban on our products, a number of factories were established in China to produce similar voodoo dolls,'' Taweechai says. ''The company's name was quite similar to Saan_ha and they also copied many of our models. The Chinese exporters even cut their prices to compete with us.''

      The friends were devastated, but they knew that to beat the copycats, they had to act fast. They first called for a press conference in Chiang Mai to explain the situation, and followed that up with a meeting with the Chinese Consulate-General. Unfortunately, they didn't get a lot of help through these official channels.

      After much brainstorming, they came up with another line of action. First, they improved the quality of their dolls and made sure they injected innovative ideas into their product lines regularly. They produced a line of seasonal dolls in such large numbers that there was just no room for copycats. On top of that, they made limited edition designs, ensuring the exclusivity of their products. They also occasionally lowered prices to compete with manufacturers of the fake products.

      Tanayot still feels the sting from the China fiasco: ''I told myself that doing business in China is a waste. It was like we just handed them our idea for them to copy.''

      Despite these difficulties, the three classmates are proud of their success. Their handicraft is highly praised for its beauty, uniqueness and high quality. They're also happy to be setting a good example for other young Thais. In fact, they're regarded as role models in their community; they've overcome multiple obstacles to receive blessings from their voodoo dolls.

Why did you name your company Saan_ha?
      Taweechai: Saan_ha has two different pronunciations in Thai with different meanings. The first pronunciation means 'selection', while the second means 'very funny'. We initially wanted to go with the first meaning in the trade registration, but that was already taken. So we decided to go with the second meaning for the company name, but the first meaning for the products. Saan_ha works for us because it represents our principle of selecting quality products for our clients.

Why do you think the voodoo doll is generally perceived as a horrifying object?
      Tanayot: On the contrary, our voodoo dolls are considered auspicious in many countries. A Chinese woman used a doll called ''Piggy'' to help her lose weight. The ''Richy Man'' dolls are also very popular among shopkeepers. Many teenagers opt for ''In Love'' dolls because they believe the dolls can help them find romance, and office workers believe the ''Career'' dolls can help them succeed at work. The way I see it, it doesn't matter if the voodoo doll is considered a curse or a blessing because we use it to represent the skill of turning a string into a doll.

Tell us about the people who make the dolls.
      Kanya: They are women villagers in three locations: the Chaiprakarn, Mae Rim and Doi Saket districts of Chiang Mai. It takes time to become a skilled worker; some villagers have to spend months before they qualify. The three of us used to teach them ourselves, but we've since passed the task on to our relatives who also act as quality controllers.

Do you still adhere to the concept of one doll from one string?
      Kanya: No. In the beginning, each of our dolls was made from a single string. When the designs started becoming complicated, more than one string was needed. We've also changed from gunny rope to cotton, which is smoother and cleaner looking.

Did you expect to have such great success with these dolls?
      Tanayot: Not at all. At the beginning, we just wanted to earn some money to support our thesis projects. The business turned out to be a showcase of the country. On top of that, our business is an important source of income for a few hundred families.