Google, Colgate and LG were ranked the top three brands in the Indian market, according to a recent survey held by Market Xcel, a Delhi-based research organization. To find out the top brands in India, Market Xcel collaborated with Nikkei BP to conduct the study in the country, on the lines of Brand Japan.
The Market Xcel 2016 survey was part of ‘Brand Asia 2016’, a larger initiative to ascertain top brands in Asia, held by Nikkei, a Japanese consulting and research group. In the India related survey, domestic brands, Airtel (rank 5), Amul (rank 6) and Big Bazaar (rank 9), featured in the top ten brand list.
Over 2,800 Indians, half of them women, participated in the survey and ranked their favourite brands on the basis of friendliness, convenience, individuality and innovation.
In the 2015 survey, retail companies like Colgate, Britannia and Big Bazaar were among the most trusted brands in India. This year’s findings showed that the top brands are mix of technology, retail, automobiles and fast moving consumer goods as brands like Volksvagen (rank 7) and Sony (rank 8) made it to the top ten.
Google, though placed at the top of the list, was a surprising entry. The internet giant which did not even feature in the top twenty last year, made a steep jump of 21 places from last year. This could be indicative of the increase in internet penetration in rural areas as the number of web users in India has increased considerably over the last few years, Market Xcel observed.
Airtel was easily the most preferred telecom brand in the country, overtaking Vodafone, which occupied the fifth spot last year. The Delhi-based telecommunication company has been making the news for providing 4G connections and opening up its entire mobile network details through an online portal. The “we are open” mantra, aimed at engaging millennials who have been seen as catalysts for consumption, and improving user experience, may have helped Airtel strengthen its market value.
The symbol of the country’s white revolution, Amul was placed at number 6. With its tagline ‘the taste of India’, Amul, another Indian name in the list, has managed to stay relevant even after 65 years of its inception. Deeply rooted in the freedom movement, the society was started by milk producers to stop exploitation by middlemen.
With one of the longest running ad campaigns, Amul’s mascot, created by Sylvester DaCunha in 1967, is still used by the company to make statements about historic Indian events, ranging from Narendra Modi’s rise to power to PV Sindhu’s historic win at the Rio Olympic.
Big Bazaar occupies the ninth spot of India’s top ten hypermarkets. With 200 stores present across India, the brand has a strong appeal for the urban middle-class. Some of the other brands featured in the top 20 list includes Zee TV (Rank 16), Star TV (19) and Parle (20).
Using multiple brand images and different versions of questionnaires, the survey is a comprehensive exercise that studied consumer perception of 80 global brands and 40 local brands from 14 distinct categories. Responses were obtained from 2880 consumers living in 12 different cities in the 4 zones of the country.
