Boosting the Thai economy with soft power assets

From cat patterned pants to crab printed trousers and sumptuously designed ice cream imitating mackerel, Thailand’s provinces are going all out to promote the country’s creative economy.

They are using creativity and their cultural elements as soft power tools to create economic value that brings in revenue for local residents as they respond to the government’s policies.

Success breeds success

Pants with a cat pattern have become a tool of Nakhon Ratchasima’s soft power. The product quickly captured the hearts of social media users, particularly cat lovers, after going viral online. This underlines the huge popularity of elephant harem trousers, which are very popular among foreign tourists visiting Thailand.

Last month, the MaMuYaa Korat event at Suranaree Monument Square was packed with locals and visitors queuing up for cat patterned trousers after the news of the product sale broke. Many netizens expressed appreciation for the creative design. Others said they wanted a pair while one brave soul attempted to buy 32 pairs of them for herself, her friends and family but was disappointed to find that the ‘purr-fect’ trousers were limited to one pair per person.

News outlets reported that these trousers were doing very well, with the first bunch of 2,000 pairs swiftly sold out after the launch. Orders continue to soar.

The so-called cat trousers are part of the Korat Monogram design competition organised by the Thai Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the provincial administration to promote competitiveness in sectors such as business, tourism and sports.

The competition highlights the need to combine the unique history of the city, and elements of Korat culture and identity into design work. The winning designs have been used in both products and services to increase the economic value.

The Korat cat is the provincial animal. It comes in just one colour – a beautiful blue with silver-tipped fur that gives it a shimmery look.  The cat has heart-shaped head and large green eyes and achieved regionwide fame after being chosen as the mascot for 24^th SEA Games in 2007 held in Nakhon Ratchasima.

For its part, the northeastern province of Maha Sarakam has come up with the idea of crab patterned trousers. The product praises the province’s rare and renowned mealy crab (Thaipotamon Chulabhorn), which is only found in Dunlumpan Forest. The crab design represent the province’s dedication to promoting its homegrown resources in a creative and innovative way.

Phitsanulok plans to roll out fighting rooster print pants to celebrate the next Chinese New Year. The design idea was floated by a team of lecturers from Naresuan University’s Faculty of Architecture, Art and Design to honour King Nareasuan the Great and cockfighting, which is regarded as part of Thai culture.

When the king was young, he went to Burma and took along a fighting rooster he acquired from Phitsanulok’s Ban Tae to go up against the fighting rooster belonging to Phra Maha Uparat, the successor to the Burmese King in Hongsawadee.

King Naresuan’s rooster won the fight. It became known as the best-bred rooster of the time and was later referred to “the yellow feathers with white-tailed rooster of the nobles”.

The idea of the animal-themed trousers stems from the success of the so-called elephant pants that are popular amongst young foreign tourists who wish to visit famous temples and the Grand Palace in Bangkok where visitors need to dress modestly before being allowed entry.

The trousers were made famous by the 2000 film, The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Superstar Jackson Wang and Korean artists have also worn these pants, making their fans want to mimic the way they dress.

The elephant pants are now no longer just something for foreign tourists but have become one of the hottest fashions for foreigners in many countries including Japan and South Korea. Young Thais love them both for the patterns that are unique and beautiful and the light and comfortable fabric. It’s truly a symbol of a relaxed lifestyle.

Samut Songkhram, which is noted for its short mackerel or aka platoo Mae Klong, has created ice cream that imitates the iconic fish. The frozen dessert was the highlight of the annual Mae Klong Mackerel Festival held in the province a few weeks ago.

The photo of the ice cream was posted on the festival’s Facebook page and drew thousands of likes and shares.

Soft power tool – a springboard for economic growth

Soft power has become a buzz word around Thailand. The term gained popularity among Thais when Thai K-pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban commented on her favourite snacks. Thai rapper Danupha “Milli” Khanatheerakul stunned the audience at the Coachella music festival by eating the sumptuous Thai dessert of mango and sticky rice on the stage.

The phenomenon made a lot of people want to sample the dishes, pushing up demand and helping boost the local economy as the local vendors saw a surge in orders for the food. That illustrates the success of a soft power tool where a hard sell isn’t necessary to get buyers to purchase a product.

Thailand has a policy for the promotion of the country’s creative economy and soft power. The Prayut Chan-o-Cha Administration placed great emphasis on soft power by formulating certain policies to support the country’s creative industries. The policy intends to promote Thailand’s cultural resources as categorized into 5Fs: food, film, fashion, fighting (Thai martial arts Muay Thai) and festivals.

The former premier also encouraged the state agencies to work closely with private producers and artists to stimulate the use of soft power tools to reap optimal economic benefits.

The Srettha Thavisin Administration has also moved quickly to promote ‘soft power’ to spur the economy. It has set up the National Soft Power Strategy Committee to administer projects under the government’s soft power vision. The newly established committee is chaired by the premier himself with Paetongtarn “Ung-Ing” Shinawatra appointed as deputy chairwomen of the committee.

The government has also come up with the One Family One Soft Power Policy to ensure that the country’s rich culture receives more global recognition.

It has proposed 5.1 billion baht to be set aside to fund initiatives in 11 industries, namely tourism, festivals, sports, cuisine, film, music, arts, books, gaming, design and fashion.

The government hopes that this move will generate an estimated 4 trillion baht, create 20 million jobs and raise household income.

By Thai PBS World Feature Desk