DEVELOPMENT OF PLA RA BONG PRODUCT STRATEGIES WITH CULTURAL CAPITAL IN NONG PHANTA SUBDISTRICT, SO PHISAI DISTRICT, BUENG KAN PROVINCE

Abstract

     Development of Pla Ra Bong Product Strategies with Cultural Capital in Nong Phanta Subdistrict, So Phisai District, Bueng Kan Province, aimed to study 1) investigate cultural capital within the community, 2) survey community products, 3) examine the marketing situation of Pla Ra Bong products within the community, and 4) formulate strategies for developing Pla Ra Bong products based on community cultural capital in Nong Phanta Subdistrict, So Phisai District, Bueng Kan Province. The study involved a total sample of 450 participants. The first group consisted of 50 key informants selected through purposive sampling to investigate community cultural capital, survey community products, and formulate development strategies for Pla Ra Bong products based on community cultural capital. The second group comprised 400 respondents selected through accidental sampling to examine the marketing and sales situation of Pla Ra Bong products within the community.The research instruments included: (1) a structured interview on cultural capital; (2) a community product survey form; (3) a questionnaire on the marketing and sales situation of products from the consumers’ perspective; and (4) a structured interview designed to analyze the product environment. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and content analysis.                                                                                                   The research findings revealed that: 1) The study of community cultural capital indicated the existence of several forms of cultural capital, including linguistic cultural capital, cultural capital related to traditions, rituals, and important Buddhist religious days, cultural capital concerning savory food consumption, cultural capital related to dessert consumption, cultural capital associated with traditional clothing, and occupational cultural capital. 2) The survey of community products identified 22 active occupational and community enterprise groups. Examples included a woven bamboo sticky rice container group, a sericulture group, a mushroom cultivation group, and a Pla Ra Bong occupational group. 3) The marketing situation of Pla Ra Bong products within the community showed that the majority of respondents were female, aged between 40–50 years, engaged in agricultural occupations, and earned an average monthly income of 5,000–10,000 baht. Most consumers purchased the products for household consumption. Overall, consumers’ opinions toward Pla Ra Bong products were at a moderate level (  = 2.50, S.D. = .636). 4) The strategies for developing Pla Ra Bong products included product strategies, packaging strategies, place/distribution channel strategies, and pricing strategies.