BANGKOK, THAILAND – Suntory Beverage & Food (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a major player in the Asian health enrichment market under its flagship BRAND’S trademark, has strategically launched its Songkran Festival 2025 campaign. Centered around the theme “Express your love with BRAND’S, Bring Hearts closer together,” the initiative aims to capitalize on the significant cultural and commercial opportunities of the Thai New Year, positioning its health products as ideal gifts for fostering family connections and well-being, while introducing targeted promotions, a novel merit-making product line, and a key partnership with UOB Bank to drive sales and consumer engagement during this peak spending season.
The Songkran festival, Thailand’s traditional New Year celebration, is not only a period of immense cultural significance marked by family reunions and spiritual practices but also a critical time for the nation’s retail and consumer goods sectors. Recognizing the deep-seated traditions of gifting and expressing care during this period, Suntory Beverage & Food (Thailand) has timed its latest BRAND’S campaign to align perfectly with consumer sentiment and purchasing behaviour leading up to and during the festivities in April 2025.
The campaign’s core message, “Express your love with BRAND’S, Bring Hearts closer together,” directly addresses a nuanced aspect of Thai culture, where overt expressions of affection within families can sometimes be reserved. BRAND’S seeks to bridge this gap, positioning its well-established health products, such as Essence of Chicken and Bird’s Nest, not merely as consumables but as tangible symbols of care, concern, and well-wishing between family members. This strategy taps into the emotional resonance of Songkran, transforming the act of gifting into a more profound expression of connection.
Mr. Napis Sasivimolkul, Marketing Director for BRAND’S Bird’s Nest and BRAND’s Gifting at Suntory Beverage & Food (Thailand) Co., Ltd., articulated the company’s vision for the campaign. “Songkran is a meaningful occasion when families come together to celebrate,” he stated. “We want BRAND’S to symbolize care and help convey good health to our loved ones through the campaign motto, ‘Express your love with BRAND’S, Bring Hearts closer together’. To make this Songkran a festival of joy and significance, we have designed this campaign to appeal to those who enjoy gifting their family members and those who wish to make merit with thoughtful care.”
This dual appeal – targeting both personal family gifting and the tradition of merit-making – is a key strategic element. To stimulate consumer uptake in the competitive festive market, BRAND’S is implementing aggressive sales promotions across major retail channels. The company is offering substantial discounts of up to 15% on a variety of its popular health gift baskets and sets. This price incentive is designed to attract value-conscious consumers looking for premium yet affordable gifts during a period often associated with increased expenditure.
Further sweetening the deal, a gift-with-purchase mechanic has been introduced: customers spending 1,499 baht or more on BRAND’S products will receive a complimentary Wiggle Cooler Bag. This adds tangible value beyond the product itself and serves as an additional incentive to increase basket size. These promotional offers are strategically timed, running from March 26th to April 23rd, 2025, covering the crucial pre-Songkran shopping period and the festival itself. Availability is secured through partnerships with major hypermarket and supermarket chains, including Lotus’s, Big C, The Mall, and Tops, ensuring broad market reach across Thailand. This multi-channel approach is vital for capturing diverse consumer segments who frequent these dominant retail formats.
Perhaps one of the most innovative aspects of the 2025 campaign is the introduction of a dedicated “merit-making pack.” This initiative directly taps into the deeply ingrained Thai Buddhist tradition of offering alms and necessities to monks, particularly during significant festivals like Songkran. Recognizing an opportunity to align its health-focused brand identity with this practice, BRAND’S has developed a specific pack aimed at promoting the well-being of monks. Priced accessibly at 155 baht, this pack demonstrates an understanding of cultural sensitivities and offers a convenient, thoughtful option for those looking to make merit.
Crucially, the merit-making pack is being distributed through the ubiquitous 7-Eleven convenience store network, commencing March 20th, 2025. This channel choice dramatically expands accessibility, reaching consumers nationwide in virtually every locality, complementing the hypermarket strategy for gift baskets. Furthermore, BRAND’S is offering an “Empty Box” merit-making pack promotion, allowing consumers the flexibility to customize their offering by choosing specific BRAND’S Essence of Chicken or BRAND’S Bird’s Nest products to include. This caters to varying preferences and budgets while reinforcing the core message of providing wholesome nutrition. Mr. Napis highlighted this initiative, expressing the company’s belief that it “will foster a more health-conscious approach to merit-making,” subtly guiding consumer choices towards healthier options even within traditional practices.
Beyond traditional retail promotions, BRAND’S is leveraging strategic partnerships to enhance reach and offer exclusive value. A significant collaboration has been forged with UOB Bank (Thailand). This partnership taps into the bank’s extensive credit card customer base, integrating BRAND’S products into the UOB Rewards+ loyalty program, accessible via the popular UOB TMRW mobile application. This digital-first approach aligns with modern consumer behaviour and provides a seamless way for UOB cardholders to redeem their accumulated points for BRAND’S health products and specially curated gift hampers.
The redemption options offer a range of choices at different point thresholds, catering to various levels of engagement within the loyalty program. Examples include:
- BRAND’S Veta Vitamin A Berry Shot (42 ml × 6 bottles) for 1,950 points (retail value 209 baht)
- BRAND’S Essence of Chicken (42 ml × 6 bottles) for 2,200 points (retail value 229 baht)
- BRAND’S Bird’s Nest Xylitol (42 ml × 9 bottles) for 8,700 points (retail value 944 baht)
Larger gift hampers are also available through point redemption:
- HAMPER A: BRAND’S Bird’s Nest Xylitol (42 ml × 10 bottles) for 10,200 points (retail value 1,099 baht)
- HAMPER B: BRAND’S Essence of Chicken and Classic Bird’s Nest (42 ml × 10 bottles) for 7,800 points (retail value 839 baht)
- HAMPER C: BRAND’S Essence of Chicken (42 ml × 10 bottles) for 3,800 points (retail value 409 baht)
This initiative serves multiple strategic purposes: it drives product trial and consumption among a targeted affluent demographic (UOB credit card holders), enhances the perceived value of the UOB Rewards+ program, and positions BRAND’S products as desirable rewards, reinforcing their premium status. It allows customers, as BRAND’S notes, “to gift themselves and their loved ones with good health,” aligning perfectly with the campaign’s overarching theme, albeit subject to UOB’s specific terms and conditions. This type of banking partnership reflects a growing trend in Southeast Asia where FMCG brands collaborate with financial institutions to leverage customer data and loyalty platforms for targeted marketing and sales generation.
The broader economic context for this campaign is significant. Thailand’s economy relies heavily on domestic consumption, particularly during major festive periods. Songkran typically sees a surge in spending on travel, food, gifts, and merit-making activities. By launching a comprehensive campaign with multiple touchpoints – attractive discounts, value-added promotions, innovative culturally relevant products, widespread distribution, and strategic partnerships – BRAND’S is positioning itself to capture a substantial share of this seasonal consumer expenditure within the health and wellness and gifting categories.
The health supplement market in Thailand, and indeed across Asia, continues to demonstrate robust growth, driven by an aging population, increasing health awareness, and rising disposable incomes. BRAND’S, with its long-standing reputation and scientifically backed products, is well-positioned within this trend. Campaigns like this Songkran initiative are crucial not only for short-term sales boosts but also for reinforcing brand loyalty and relevance in a competitive marketplace where both local and international players vie for consumer attention.
In conclusion, Mr. Napis Sasivimolkul reiterated the core philosophy behind the brand’s approach: “BRAND’S is more than just a gift—it’s a heartfelt symbol of care and affection that can be genuinely conveyed.” The company expresses its hope that the Songkran 2025 campaign will encourage meaningful family interactions alongside the adoption of its products. “This Songkran, we hope everyone will take the opportunity to spend meaningful time with their families and share good health through BRAND’S products, whether it’s merit-making packs or thoughtful gift sets for loved ones,” he added.
The campaign represents a well-integrated marketing strategy, blending traditional promotional tactics with cultural sensitivity, product innovation, and modern digital partnerships. Its success will likely be measured not just in sales figures during the campaign period but also in its ability to further solidify BRAND’S position as a leader in the health gifting market and a brand intrinsically linked with care and well-being in the minds of Thai consumers.
Consumers seeking more information about the Songkran 2025 campaign, product details, and ongoing promotions are encouraged to visit the official BRAND’S World Thailand Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BRANDSWorldThailand) or follow the Line Official Account @brandsworld.
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