Nano Search's executive vice president Phusit Phensiri said 58 per cent of respondents said they had made no decisions to buy consumer items. Twenty-three per cent said they might be convinced by an advertisement to buy something while the remaining 19 per cent were totally influenced by advertisements.

Meanwhile, Coke and Pepsi were the most favourite campaigns among respondents. About 19 per cent said they liked Pepsi featuring a lucky draw for gold coins with football player graphics and 18 per cent voted for Coke's "We All Speak Football".

Singha's campaign, which asks people to forecast the results of football matches, was voted for by 12 per cent of those polled. Another 10 per cent voted for Coke's bringing young Thai football players to Germany.

Coke was also found to be the most popular beverage brand among Thais with 17.9 per cent, followed by Chang Beer with 15.5 per cent. Another 15.5 per cent said they would buy Orchid milk. Wai Wai instant noodles were the most popular among 11.9 per cent of respondents while 10.7 per cent said they would buy Birdy ready-to-drink coffee.

Surprisingly, there was little interest in World Cup souvenirs. Only 25 per cent said they would buy them.

Major television manufacturers spent huge sums to drum up sales, but only 16 per cent of the respondents said they would buy higher quality televisions for the tourney. Some also prefer to watch the games at public places like restaurants or beer gardens with other football fans.

The most popular product that Thais will buy during the World Cup are energy drinks, with a vote of 35.5 per cent, followed by food supplements with 35 per cent.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation