Central Pattana leverages fandom and Thai soft power in new nationwide summer campaign

Bangkok, Thailand – Central Pattana has announced a THB600m (USD18.9m) investment to launch its nationwide “Summer Fest 2026: Sound of Summer” campaign, which will run from 13 March to 10 May in Central shopping centres across Thailand. It is developed in collaboration with several partners, including UOB, Krungthai Card, Krungsri Card, Vaseline, and Havaianas Thailand. 

The campaign will feature more than 1,000 events and activities across the company’s retail network, as Thailand continues to strengthen its positioning as a global leisure destination. A pink elephant mascot, called “Nong Summer”, was designed for the campaign. 

According to the company, the initiative is built around two strategic pillars: creative economy and fandom empowerment. The campaign aims to channel Thailand’s cultural and entertainment soft power into economic value while boosting tourism and retail activity nationwide.

“Thailand has strong potential to position itself as a global summer destination as its creative industries continue to gain international momentum and fandom culture across Asia increasingly drives cross-border travel, tourism spending and large-scale cultural experiences,” Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, chief marketing officer for Central Pattana plc, said. 

“Through Summer Fest 2026, we aim to transform these cultural strengths into tangible economic value by connecting entertainment, lifestyle and tourism experiences across our nationwide network of Central shopping centres.”

The campaign also includes a collaboration with entertainment companies Mandee Work and Domundi Entertainment, introducing actors Keng Harit, Namping Napatsakorn, Tle Matimant and FirstOne Wannakorn as “Summer Boy Ambassadors”. Activities include fan meet-and-greets, nationwide roadshows and exclusive merchandise designed to engage regional fandom communities.

Kittipat Champa, chief executive officer of Mandee Work, noted,  “Joining hands with Central Pattana, Thailand’s leading shopping center developer, in the Summer Fest 2026 campaign, is a significant step for Mandee Work as Central Pattana is a national platform with the capability of creating large-scale or global-scale campaigns.”

Beyond entertainment, the festival will incorporate art, sports and lifestyle experiences across Central locations, including installations by Thai illustrators and a pickleball landmark installation at CentralWorld in Bangkok.

The campaign is expected to activate consumer traffic across multiple categories including music, fashion, art, food and lifestyle markets as Central Pattana seeks to further integrate retail, tourism and cultural experiences.