Soft power spices up Thai food sales
Soft power demonstrated by Thai and foreign influencers has helped boost orders for various Thai foods this year, on-demand delivery platform provider Line Man said on Friday.
Citing results of surveys conducted among Thai consumers nationwide, it said soft power helped boost sales for restaurant operators, farmers and food ingredient manufacturers.
"Just remarks or pictures on social media by influencers can go viral among netizens overnight," Line Man said.
For instance, Line Man said orders for mango sticky rice had exceeded 320,000 sets within three months, thanks to Thai rapper Danupha "Milli" Khanatheerakul's gesture of consuming the dish at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California in April.
Commanding the stage in a skimpy red outfit, Milli took a break from her twerk-heavy dance routine to grab a bowl and take a mouthful in an effective show of soft power.
"Total orders for mango sticky rice during the period accounted for 150 tonnes of mangoes and 60 tonnes of sticky rice," Line Man said.
Line Man also said that orders for Roti Sai Mai (Islamic-style crepes with Thai-style cotton candy) had risen by three times within a week, thanks to BlackPink's Thai member Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban's post on Instagram in July.
Meanwhile, orders for durian rose to 41,000 pieces between July 21 and August 21, thanks to a remark by K-pop phenomenon Jackson Wang of South Korea's boyband GOT7 that he likes this fruit, it added.
During an exclusive interview with EFM94 Thai radio station in July, Wang said he likes durian, adding that he is ready to eat durians every day during his stay in Thailand.
Separately, Line Man said orders for Khao Soi (Northern Thai curry noodles) had exceeded 316,000 bowls within three months after it was named the best soup in the world by TasteAtlas.com in August.
"Meanwhile, more than 1.85 pieces of Khanom Babin (coconut pancake) were ordered between January 1 to November 15 this year, thanks to food bloggers and netizens' reviews," it said.
Line Man said more than 6.8 million dishes of Som Tam (Thai-style papaya salad) were ordered between January 1 to November 28 this year.
It added that other Isaan dishes, such as Laab Moo (minced pork salad) and grilled pork neck, saw increased sales as well.
"It showed Isaan foods' role in strengthening relationship among families and friends," Line Man added.
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