Grab, a leading superapp in Southeast Asia, today hosted the inaugural “GrabAds Trailblazer Awards” in Thailand, recognizing brands and agencies whose campaigns demonstrated bold creativity while delivering tangible business impacts through the Grab ecosystem.

Held for the first time, the event presented awards across 18 categories, honoring 16 industry-leading brands and agencies that have leveraged GrabAds as a strategic channel to connect with consumers in innovative and meaningful ways. Top honors included Maybelline New York as “Trailblazing Brand of the Year,” Wavemaker as “Trailblazing Agency of the Year,” and Lancôme, which received the prestigious “Trailblazing Grand Prix” for its masterclass in immersive marketing.

Grab entered the advertising industry in 2018 with the launch of GrabAds, and has since evolved into a cornerstone of the retail media network in Southeast Asia. Leveraging Grab’s extensive ecosystem, GrabAds enables brands to execute full-funnel advertising with precise targeting powered by rich first-party data and closed-loop measurement from ad exposure to purchase. By seamlessly connecting online engagement with offline experiences, GrabAds offers a comprehensive suite of integrated marketing solutions that allow brands to engage high-value users throughout their daily lives.

Chantsuda Thananitayaudom, Country Head of Grab Thailand, commented, “Today, GrabAds has evolved beyond a digital advertising platform into a creative marketing solution that empowers brands to drive measurable growth and build lasting consumer connections.”

“We hosted the GrabAds Trailblazer Awards for the first time this year to raise the bar for creativity across Thailand’s advertising industry and showcase the full potential of our ecosystem. This year’s winners have moved beyond traditional media, creatively leveraging Grab’s platforms and everyday services to deliver engaging brand experiences — from transforming GrabCar vehicles into sensory fragrance lounges to activating GrabBike fleets to bring brand mascots to the streets. By celebrating these trailblazers, we hope to inspire the industry to push creative boundaries and create campaigns that truly connect with today’s consumers.”

Punnada Leung-Aram, Head of B2B Enterprise at Grab Thailand, added, “The GrabAds Trailblazer Awards 2026 serves as a platform for creative leaders who are setting the new benchmarks for marketing excellence. Our judging criteria were built on six key pillars: Boldness in creative risk-taking, deep Audience-Centricity, and exceptional Craft in Execution. We also assessed seamless Ecosystem Integration that bridges online and offline experiences, alongside measurable Impact and Scalability. This year’s winners have demonstrated outstanding excellence across all these dimensions, serving as powerful case studies for the future of advertising.”

The GrabAds Trailblazer Awards 2026 recognized 16 leading brands across multiple industries in 18 awards categories. The top honors of the ceremony included:

• Trailblazing Brand of the Year: Awarded to Maybelline New York for its Maybelline Super Stay Teddy Tint campaign, which transformed a central city location into an immersive IRL (In Real Life) pop-up store to promote the Teddy Tint lip product. The campaign fully leveraged Grab’s ecosystem by activating GrabCar and GrabBike as moving showrooms through bold car wraps, eye-catching teddy bear–themed helmets, and in-app icons displayed during ride-hailing journeys—resulting in over 24,000 units sold in two weeks.

• Trailblazing Agency of the Year: Awarded to Wavemaker in recognition of its bold creativity and willingness to experiment with new ideas, demonstrated through a series of award-winning campaigns over the past year. Notable work included “Besties Limited” campaign from the iconic Oreo x Coca-Cola collaboration; a GrabBike-enabled sunscreen sampling experience for Garnier UV Cooling; transforming  city streets into a moving beauty runway with a striking GrabCar fleet featuring oversized mascara visuals for Maybelline Firework Mascara; and turning everyday Grab rides into a mobile fragrance showrooms with Lancôme’s Idôle House.

• Trailblazing Grand Prix: The most prestigious honor of GrabAds Trailblazer Awards was presented to Lancôme  for its Discover The Idôle In You campaign.  Reserved for a single campaign that truly redefined  trailblazing creativity, the initiative set a new benchmark for immersive marketing by seamlessly blending online-to-offline activation, multisensory luxury experiences, including scent, sound, and in-car design, and Gen Z cultural relevance into one cohesive execution.  The campaign stands as a blueprint for how prestige brands can fully leverage the Grab ecosystem to translate product storytelling into impactful ideas, exceptional craft, and measurable business impact.

In addition, awards were presented in several other categories, including:

• Immersive Brand Experience Trailblazer Category – For campaigns that turn everyday touchpoints into immersive brand experiences that captivate and convert.
  • Gold Award: Maybelline, Maybelline Super Stay Teddy Tint  Campaign
  • Black Award: Lancôme, Discover The Idôle In You Campaign
  • Black Award: Maybelline, Maybelline Firework Mascara Campaign
• Collaboration Champion Trailblazer Category – For bold campaigns that united brands, amplified synergy, and showed the power of partnership done right. 
  • Gold Award: Oreo x Coca-Cola
  • Black Award: KFC x Butter Bear
  • Black Award: Pepsi x KFC Group Order
• Trial Activation Mastery Trailblazer Category – For campaigns that merged sampling, digital, and on-ground to turn trial into a seamless, scalable growth engine.
  • Gold Award: Garnier, Garnier Super UV Cooling Campaign
  • Black Award: Lancôme, Discover The Idôle In You Campaign
• Visual Impact Trailblazer Category – For bold, eye-catching creative that grabs attention and shapes brand perception through powerful visual storytelling.
  • Gold Award: Maybelline, Maybelline Firework Mascara Campaign
  • Black Award: Garnier, Garnier Super UV Cooling Campaign
  • Black Award: Pepsi, You Can’t Hide Great Taste Campaign
• Fandom Activation Trailblazer Category – For campaigns that smartly tap into fandoms, converting passion into purchase and fans into brand advocates.
  • Gold Award: Fanta, Wanta Fanta Campaign
  • Black Award: Pepsi x KFC Group Order
  • Black Award: McDonald’s, McFriedChicken Fans Fest Campaign
• Cultural Resonance Trailblazer Category – For work that authentically connects with culture, where relevance beats reach and local moments drive big impact.
  • Gold Award: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola FOODMARKS Campaign
  • Black Award: Pepsi x KFC Group Order
  • Black Award: King Power, King Power Rangnam’s Songkran Festival Campaign
• Gen Z Engagement Trailblazer Category – For campaigns that mobilize Gen Z with cultural fluency, mixing content, commerce, and challenges to drive youth action.
  • Gold Award: Pepsi, You Can’t Hide Great Taste Campaign
  • Black Award: Fanta, Wanta Fanta Campaign
  • Black Award: Coca-Cola, Share a Coke Campaign
• Audience Insights Trailblazer Category – For data-led campaigns that go deep on audience understanding, turning insight into sharp strategy and smarter impact.
  • Gold Award: McDonald’s
  • Black Award: Thailand Privilege Card
• Seasonal Impact Trailblazer Category – For campaigns that didn’t just join the season but owned it, driving standout impact when it mattered most.
  • Gold Award: KFC, KFC Slash Special Deal Campaign
  • Black Award: Café Amazon, Café Amazon Year-End Surprise Campaign
  • Black Award: Wall’s, Valentine’s Day SweetHeart Ice Cream Campaign
• O2O Immersion Trailblazer Category – For campaigns that merged online and offline, delivering sensorial, seamless brand journeys that leave a lasting mark.
  • Gold Award: Lancôme, Discover The Idôle In You Campaign
  • Black Award: Maybelline, Maybelline Super Stay Teddy Tint Campaign
• Collectibles Conqueror Trailblazer Category – For campaigns that made collecting irresistible, using exclusivity and design to turn purchases into repeat behavior.
  • Gold Award: Café Amazon, Café Amazon Year-End Surprise Campaign
  • Black Award: KFC x Butter Bear
  • Black Award: McDonald’s, A Minecraft Movie Meal Campaign
• Transport-Driven Commerce Trailblazer Category – For campaigns that turned rides into results, creatively using transport incentives to convert journeys into purchases.
  • Gold Award: SC Asset, Visit New Homes with Free Grab Rides Campaign
• Early Mastery Trailblazer Category – For new advertisers (1st–3rd campaigns) who quickly mastered GrabAds with bold instincts and strategic speed.
  • Gold Award: Lancôme
• Small But Mighty Trailblazer Category – For small brands that used smart strategies to punch above their weight and make big impact.
  • Gold Award: Elbasha Turkish & Lebanese Restaurant
• Rising Agency Of The Year Category – For an emerging advertising agency recognized for bold thinking, decisive execution, and the delivery of outstanding creative work admired by the industry.
  • Gold Award: Publicis

Discover more about the award-winning campaigns at grabadstrailblazerawards.com/thailand