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The Department of Marketing, Chulalongkorn Business School, Chulalongkorn University (CU), will host the announcement and awards ceremony for “The Most Powerful Brands of Thailand 2026” on Nov 10 at the Chulalongkorn University Auditorium.
The ceremony will be presided over by Prof Dr Wilert Puriwat, President of Chulalongkorn University, who will present awards to executives representing Thailand’s most powerful brands across 30 product and service categories.
The event will also unveil research findings under the theme “AI Marketing Attacks: How Thai Consumers Make Decisions”, examining the relationship between consumers’ AI literacy and the factors influencing brand choice, trust and engagement, amid the rapid growth of Generative AI, which is transforming the marketing landscape and consumer behaviour.
The Most Powerful Brands of Thailand is a biennial research initiative conducted by the Department of Marketing since 2012. The 2026 edition marks the programme’s eighth award presentation. The initiative aims to assess brand strength while exploring the factors that influence consumer awareness, purchasing decisions and brand loyalty. Its findings are intended to advance marketing knowledge and provide practical brand-building insights for businesses.
This year's research surveyed 24,000 Thai consumers aged 18 to 69 who independently make purchasing decisions and use products and services. The survey covered Bangkok and its surrounding areas, as well as 13 major provinces across all regions of Thailand, evaluating brands across 30 product and service categories. The study also expanded its scope to include AI Literacy, Mindful Consumption and brand sustainability perceptions, providing deeper insights into the factors shaping brand strength as AI increasingly influences how consumers search for information, compare alternatives and make purchasing decisions.
Prof Dr Wilert Puriwat, President of Chulalongkorn University, said the initiative reflects the university's role in connecting academic knowledge and research with national development.
“Generative AI enables consumers to access and verify information more quickly. At the same time, it makes brand quality, transparency and credibility increasingly important. A strong brand is therefore not merely an organisational asset; it is also a driving force for economic growth and a source of confidence in the country,” he said.
Consumers with higher AI literacy tend to place greater importance on verifiable quality, mindful consumption and brand sustainability. In comparison, word-of-mouth recommendations, popularity and novelty tend to carry less weight among this group than among consumers with lower AI literacy. However, price and value for money remain fundamental considerations across all consumer groups.
These findings highlight a significant shift in brand building in the Generative AI era. While brand awareness and popularity remain important, businesses may need to place greater emphasis on attributes that consumers can readily compare and verify. These include product and service quality, information transparency, consistent customer experiences, and genuine social and environmental responsibility demonstrated through business practices.
The Most Powerful Brands of Thailand 2026 initiative aims to elevate the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) towards BI (Brand Intelligence), powered by CI (Chula Intelligence). By integrating consumer data, marketing knowledge and an understanding of Thai society, the initiative seeks to help businesses identify the underlying factors behind brand strength and apply research insights to develop well-informed marketing strategies.
