At the “Stepping into the Future Worth Talking About” event, We Are Social Thailand highlighted an essential shift in how brands engage with modern audiences. As traditional reach becomes increasingly complex to navigate, the agency introduced the “Intimacy Economy,” emphasizing that the future of branding lies in fostering genuine, authentic connections that go beyond simple visibility.
The event highlighted that in the coming years, sports, gaming, and music will no longer function merely as entertainment channels but will evolve into ‘Economic Engines’ capable of driving massive value on their own. The only way forward for brands is to build an “Intimacy Economy”—a strategy driven by deep, DNA-level connection within each community.
The event featured industry titans including Garena, PepsiCo, Marshall (ASH Asia International), and leaders from the Soft Power sector. They shared insights that go beyond traditional marketing, focusing on co-creating and driving brands to grow alongside their communities.
Patthawee Apiwatcharoensin, Associate Director – Strategy at We Are Social Thailand, stated, “We stopped talking about ‘Reach’ a long time ago. Views that no one remembers have no value.”
The challenge today is how brands can integrate into a community’s DNA without being intrusive. We Are Social introduced The Cultural Power Loop: four strategic moves to master the new game, proven through real-world results rather than just theory.
- Presence: Stop being a commercial break and start being the moment. Garnier Men became a ‘Rescue Airdrop’ in the game Free Fire, resulting in 12 million item claims—this is a presence that people actually ‘want.’
- Proof: Building trust and proving the brand is the ‘real deal’ through direct value and experiences. SharkNinja utilized Social Selling to capture 95% SOV and boosted sales via Live Streaming in just 5 months.
- Power: Allowing the community to run the show on their own terms, regardless of the platform (e.g., Gaming communities on Discord). Marshall Livehouse provided a space for the music community to express themselves, creating a force where people don’t just see the brand—they ‘play’ along with it.
- Participation: Driving power through involvement by turning ‘viewers’ into ‘players.’ Leveraging Fandom energy as a catalyst for advocacy and sustained media presence. L’Oreal created a Virtual Space connecting Beauty with Music and Art, driving Purchase Intent up to 83%.
The event also featured a session on “Decoding the Business of Passion,” with brief strategic insights from the four guest brands:
- PepsiCo drives growth through a “mind and muscle” connection, where data (the mind) identifies where to play, while people (the muscle) define how to play in cultures. Moving beyond “fads” and consumption, the brand focuses on “continuity and patience” to build memory structures through “participation and co-creation” in the consumer’s everyday life.
- The gaming economy relies on the mutual dependence between “Payers” and “Free Users.” While many payers invest in identity and status, that emotional values only hold value within a vibrant community of free users who contribute with their time and attention. Both groups should be treated with equal importance, as they are the collective heartbeat of the social experience. Garena’s strategy focuses on building and “empowering the community.” When fans feel they are building something personal based on their passion, their relationship with the brand shifts—they stop being just customers and become active “partners” and vital co-creators of our ecosystem.
- Soft Power must be a “total operating system” and a “power engine” rather than a one-off merchandise campaign. This infrastructure provides a platform for entrepreneurs to scale via national standards. In this model, “authenticity is the shield” because global consumers specifically seek the unique value of “Thailand as Thai”.
- Marshall powers the music culture by being a “vital community leader” that supports the industry “backstage” where it isn’t always seen. The brand transcends technical function to become a “social status” symbol bought simply because “it has to be Marshall”. It serves as the ultimate emotional “bridge” between the music consumers love and their personal moments.
In closing, Patt Nitikarn, Managing Director of We Are Social Thailand, remarked: “You cannot create meaning in people’s hearts with a short 30-day campaign. You need an ‘Engine’ that moves alongside people to create sustainable growth.” The Cultural Content Engine model serves as the solution, integrating AI-driven intelligence, always-on content production, and social selling systems to transform intimacy into measurable business growth.
Read the full Think Forward Report 2026 at https://wearesocial.com/th/blog/2026/01/think-forward-2026/