Respondents were asked questions on five parameters, based on which various brands were ranked in this year’s 4Ps B&M India’s 100 Most Valuable Brands ranking. The parameters and leading brands across respective parameters are…
Parameter #1: Brand Awareness
The champions in this category are India’s legacy brands – TATA and SBI
Overall leaders of the year, TATA and SBI, shared the #1 spot in terms of brand awareness. They don’t seem to be losing touch with the times, despite not being names that you would associate with innovation or technology! While Airtel and TOI scored high in the recall game due to their promotional activities, Samsung and Microsoft simply made themselves a wished for products for the Indian masses due to their reinvigorated product lines(like the Galaxy S3, S4 and Note II in the case of Samsung and the Windows 8 in the case of Microsoft). Reliance Communications scored high due to its mass appeal
Parameter #2: Brand Image & Perception
Again, despite a near of flood of foreign brands, India’s strong duo – SBI and Tata are joint #1
The brand image and perception ratings reveal that pumping money and showbiz might not work for new entrants, who are finding it difficult to make a lasting impression in the consumers’ mind. Respondents across categories favour the iconic brands that have been there for ages or are the first movers in their respective industries. TATA, SBI, Maruti, Microsoft, Airtel, for instance, stand above all others, featuring in top 10. This parameter’s results also gives a signal that consumers are seeing more merits in existing players than plumping for the newer entrants who might promise the sky.
Parameter #3: Brand Loyalty
Finally a new face – Airtel it is!
With businesses madly into the race of ‘innovate or die’, today’s wired-to-the-teeth consumers have a mind boggling number of options to choose from. On top of that, they are more than ever informed, knowledgeable and demanding. In such a scenario, acquiring and retaining loyal customers is a herculean task. However, the top brands such as TATA, SBI, Airtel and Maruti, like 2012, continue to enjoy high levels of loyalty. Airtel did well to rise to the No.1 slot, sharing the spot with TATA.
Parameter #4: Brand Performance
Years of trustworthy performance across industries – Tata’s secret
Although companies spend a good amount of time in creating campaigns to increase visiblity and awareness about their brands, brand performance gets the least importance. On this critical parameter, TATA successfully retained its top position. The surprise of the year is Samsung, which has gloriously jumped to rank two in the brand performance category, with its scores edging up to match that of SBI and Airtel. Samsung’s success is attributed to its improved product offerings and hitting communication strategy.
Parameter #5: Brand Association
When 8-of-10 top brands are Indian!
Airtel lost the pole position, with its recall suffering a setback probably due to Vodofone’s Zoozoos and Idea’s “honey-bunny” campaigns. Maruti, despite issues at the factory level, rose to become the joint no.1 alongside SBI. TATA only missed out on a neat 5 on 5 on top with a score of 4.98, alongside Times of India. M&M and ICICI Bank broke into the top 10. Point to be noted: 8 of these top 10 brands are Indian-born!
