Nation Brand Strategies: National Identity, Architecture and Cultural Heritage Value A case study of the Thai Pavilion at the World Expos

Abstract

This thesis discusses the historical design and branding strategy of the Thai Pavilion at World Expos.

The goal is to review how architecture, culture and tradition contributed to Thailand’s nation branding strategy, which has continually used the Thai Pavilion (sala Thai) as the main feature of presentation at the World Expos. The traditional Thai sala is well suited for various reason. Firstly, it’s the national symbol for architecture. Secondly, it has a typical Thai history as a traditional meeting place, and they have their origins in the water-based and agricultural history of Thailand. Thirdly, salas are easily accepted as typical Thai, since they have found their way in all levels of society: they can be found on riversides, at farm fields, at temples and there are royal salas as well. Furthermore, salas are unique and recognizable and have stood the test of time, even if their functionality has changed, since there are many more meeting places nowadays. Additionally, salas have been donated by Thai governments and the Royal family as a symbol of friendship. Finally, they reflect the Thai social life over time, as a place of rest, kindness and participation. Even the adaptation of salas over time can be considered as a typical element of Thai architecture.

The thesis discusses the historic factors, which contributed to the choices made for these representations at the World Expos. Some historical factors are the world wars, which impacted all World Expo designs as the main goal became to share cultural heritage, rather than technological advances. Designs of pavilions were also impacted by the shift to nation branding. Another change which impacted designs over time was the political situation in Thailand, for example around the start of the 20th century when nationalism became quite important, and a driving force for participation in World Fairs for Thailand. Other moments in history, which were important were decisions by the Kings Rama IV and Rama V to invite foreign architects to lead Thailand’s architectural designs. Similarly, Thai architects studied abroad after the 1930s, thus losing some ability to develop their own style. Also, during the 1940s, the authoritarian governments which were in place at the time did not allow much freedom in designs in order to fit their policy of national unity.

The thesis also reviews if this branding strategy can be considered successful, and what alternatives for branding Thailand exist. It reviews Thailand’s brand strengths, unique elements and national image.

Thailand several elements, which contribute to a strong brand. These include a long history, a unique language, identifiable traditional architecture, an uncommon dominant religion, beautiful landscapes, unique food, art and other cultural heritage. Positive brand images exist also for accommodation, and spas, muay Thai sport, the kindness of its citizens and a good public healthcare system. The main negatives are turbulent politics and a modern architecture, which is difficult to define. Furthermore, locally, there might be shortages of utilities and infrastructure.

To provide a required background the thesis gives an overview of general branding strategy, architectural heritage conservation and cultural heritage. As part of this overview, this thesis reviews the roles of authenticity, uniqueness and sense of place and explains how these factors can impact a place brand image. It discusses the significance of having a unique identity in the globalized world, discusses how to preserve the right balance between authenticity and conservation and it also reviews if and how existing ICOMOS charters can be integrated into branding models to support the nation brand strategy.

The thesis discusses the finding that authenticity is hard to define. This can then also lead to different perceptions as to what is authentic. Authenticity of objects or places is desired for cultural tourism, but in some cases unique and enjoyable experiences are all that is needed for success. The perception of authenticity is also partly a function of the visitors’ characteristics, which can be different between local and international visitors. Any branding strategy must take this into consideration. Additionally, branding strategies have to take into consideration the sensory experiences, which will lead to a unique sense of place. Thailand’s brand has strong elements impacting all five senses. For example, unique objects, or buildings, taste and smells of street food, sounds associated with temples, beaches, cities, etc. Therefor Thailand’s brand is well suited for sensory branding strategies. Tourism based upon cultural heritage is often successful, since culture is both unique and mostly authentic element of a place. To address potential harmful effects of tourism, charters exist which aim to help. The charters reviewed, recognize the positive and acceptable nature of cultural tourism, but they attempt to limit the negative side effects, for example, a potential fundamental change to the layout of the places. One of the most applicable charters to the cultural heritage preservation is the Burra Charter (ICOMOS Australia, 2013), which also includes some evaluation criteria, which can also help in decision making for brand strategies.

This thesis furthermore discusses the possible gaps between architectural design, cultural heritage conservation and nation branding. Additionally, gaps exist between local brands and national brands as well as local interests and national interests. Furthermore, changes in architectural representation can change the sense of place: sensory experiences of visitors can be modified when new architectural designs are added to old designs. Such designs as a stand-alone might each be attractive in their own way. But, changing sensory experiences can have an impact on the nation brand image formed by visitors, which can lead to a gap. Other potential gaps are discussed in the thesis as well, including controlled vs uncontrolled communications. In other words messages from government officials or tourism organizations versus messages via social media can be different and lead to a gap. Furthermore, branding strategies which are targeting different visitors, such as locals and internationals will be sending different branding messages to different people. This could lead to gaps, if these different messages do not fit within the overall national brand. As long as they highlight different elements of the same brand, the gap may not occur. Yet another gap can occur when branding strategies target visitors benefiting some industries, but it might work negatively for other industries. For example, for tourism you might display images of traditional architecture, but for modern industries this may appear as not advanced or modern enough. There is also a potential for a gap if the original way of life and the current way of life are not the same. (King, 2017, p. 261) Additionally, there could be a gap if the expectations of the staff, owners, investors or locals don’t match the expectations of the visitors (Fache, 2000). Cultural differences are common between different countries and must be bridged by interpretation. Incorrect or poor interpretation can then lead to gaps (Staiff and Bushell, 2003).

One of the discussions amongst modern architects and branding experts is whether the Thai Pavilion at the World Expos would be better suited with a more modern design or a traditional design. When asking the question whether a more modern design for pavilions at the World Expos is desirable, not all of the people interviewed agreed. For marketing purposes, traditional culture has been proven to be successful and should be used, as it is unique, easily identifiable and considered traditional. But, others counter-argued that moderns designs can also reflect the Thai culture, even if it is a more modern version. The problem with modern designs is that they are not easily identified or recognized by target visitors as Thai. Most people agree that if the design were to be more modern, then it should at least preserve some traditional elements. One such element could be the gold color, which is often used, as it is both eye-catching and differentiating. If modern buildings would be used, they should maintain some elements which are considered Thai. What makes a building Thai is not easy to define, but most people agree that the symbolic value is the most important, and not the physical elements that make up traditional Thai architectural buildings. Furthermore, the strength of relationships in the community and the quality of life should be considered in modern architectural design, similar to how these were considered in the past. Historically, it has been acceptable to change the looks of traditional buildings. For example, religious building have changed over time as well Bunnag (1995). The resulting overlap in styles was considered a characteristic of Thai architecture and art history. This is quite different from the Western architecture, where styles were either “in fashion” or not.

Existing brand strategies related to the World Expositions were reviewed and possible adaptions were suggested to come up with a proposal for cultural heritage conservation as a key ingredient to the national brand strategy. The existing strategies over the years have changed somewhat due to the circumstances around the world and politically, but in general, the expos attempt show items, which reflect the way of life of Thai people and the natural beauty, the cultural history and technology. Over time, the items on display have not changed too much in their attempted goals. Items exposes are trying to reflects skill and expertise of Thai people, they show royal, religious and cultural artifacts, items which Thai people would use in their day to day way of life and rich natural products and technology. Additionally, there would be stories depicting the historical heritage.

The design of the pavilion has to be distinctive, but does not have to appeal to architects. Rather it has to appeal to the target audience. Architects realize that designing the pavilion based upon traditional architecture have won awards frequently, and this success has led to relatively few changes in the designs. The strategies used at the World Expos also includes live on-stage performances of Thai arts and culture, which are very popular (Jan, 2022). Additionally, soft power is also used, for example by posting statues of giants at the entrance of the pavilion, and through the use of mascots. Thai pavilions often are amongst the most visited and have won multiple awards, but still many architects desire a more modern design and the successes have held back some more innovative designs. From the interviews (Prakitnontakarn, C., interview, Prakasukarn, T., interview), it became clear there are potential improvements to the procurement process. In part, there are issues due to the different government agencies involved not working together very well due to separate budgets. Similarly, most government agencies and their senior experts are far removed from the young generation. This leads to a lack of collaboration between old and new generations (Prakasukarn, T., interview). Adding more public input would be good too. Currently, the procurement process does not go through public evaluation. This leads to a lack of understanding by the general public. Another possible improvement is to reduce the segmentation of responsibility in the branding process in general. For example, all interviewees agreed that there is little cooperation between National Identity Office, TAT etc. This makes it harder to have a balanced inputs and to hear different viewpoints from different organizations. Therefore, it is harder to come up with new ideas, or to have consistency between the messages sent to the general public. Despite the varying opinions on the design of the pavilion, it is also clear that everyone interviewed understands that a World Expo is mainly a branding event, where it mainly targets foreigner visitors, most of whom are commoners, as well as some businesses.

Furthermore, the thesis discusses how branding strategies may be different when targeting domestic or international visitors. In fact, this was confirmed in interviews with TAT (Kunjara Na Ayudhya, C., interview), which implies branding strategies must be flexible over time and as a function of the target audiences. This is also relevant when evaluating the pavilions at the World Expos, which attempt to sell Thai culture to their visitors. Expectations what the image of “Thainess” is, or what is uniquely Thai, can be different for different visitors.

But in the context of a World Expo, it is important to realize this is not a show for Thai people, but rather branding to the visitors, most of whom come from the country where the World Expo is held. Part of the research was to identify what is “Thainess” and what is uniquely Thai in architecture and its brand. This will require background research on the history of Thai architecture. It was concluded that Thai characteristics of architecture are based upon underlying human characteristics, including creativity and self-help. Thai identity is based upon the way of life, the beliefs, wisdoms, emotions, spirits, respect for nature, cultural heritage, etc. Thainess as it relates to architecture can be considered the constant modifications and adaptations and the clever use of space. It is mainly the symbolic meanings and functions which persist, not the physical elements of buildings.

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