Lalisa "Lisa" Manobal, the globally renowned Thai K-pop star, is in top spot for the 2024 Thailand's most powerful soft power poll, followed by the baby pygmy hippo "Moo Deng" and the Butter Bear mascot, or "Nong Mee Noei". Sanit Siriwisitkul, chief of the North Bangkok Poll Centre, said the poll on this year's soft power overview was conducted among 1,500 participants between Dec 24 and 28. Of those, 25.
4% voted Lisa the most influential soft power figure of the year, followed by Moo Deng, the celebrity hippo at Khao Kieow Zoo, with 15.2% of the votes and Butter Bear, the mascot of a bakery shop of the same name, with 12.7% of the votes.
The fourth and fifth spots went to singer Danupa "Milli" Kanatheerakul (10.3%) and Muay Thai boxer Buakhao Bunchamek (8.5%).
In June, Lisa released a music video Rockstar, filmed in the vibrant, bustling nighttime food street of Yaowarat, Bangkok's iconic Chinatown. It became this year's sensation while spotlighting Thailand's soft power. Mr Sanit also reported that 30.
5% of participants saw Songkran as the most influential festival for soft power promotion, followed by Loy Krathong (18.3%), New Year's Day (14%), the Wai Khru Muay Thai ceremony (9.5%) and long-tail boat races (7.
7%). When asked to vote for the most successful soft power themes, participants voted for tourism, festivals and culture (24.7%), Thai fashion and clothes (20.
3%), Thai food (15.2%), sports such as Muay Thai (15.2%), and traditional Thai medicine and traditional Thai.