Author(s): Chineephen Malisuwan, Paweena Jeharrong
The purposes of this study are 1) to study factors stimulating business development, 2) to examine marketing communication, 3) to analyze the relationship between relevant factors in business development and marketing communication, and 4) to explore platforms for marketing communication of OTOP entrepreneurs in the three southernmost provinces. This study is evolved around quantitative and qualitative research. As for quantitative exploration, it takes a total sample of 205 OTOP entrepreneurs. It also applies various research tools, consisting of questionnaires and data analyses by statistics, frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and multiple regression analysis. Whereas qualitative research considers 21 key contributors. In the selection of the sample, the purposive sampling method is used together with an application of group interview and descriptive data analysis. As for the results, it reveals the following conclusions: 1) An OTOP promotion wisdom is presented as a contributing factor for the business development of the OTOP entrepreneurs in the three southern border provinces, 2) A marketing communication, product demonstration, personal selling, and product exhibition are given the most attention, respectively, by OTOP entrepreneurs in the area, 3) An OTOP network promotion, OTOP promotion wisdom, and logistics are the factors connecting to marketing communication of the OTOP entrepreneurs at a significance level of 0.05, and 4) Marketing communication methods of the OTOP entrepreneurs in the areas rely on the advertisement, personal selling, and event marketing by integrating the identity of the three southern border provinces through business matching with foreign countries or different regions.