THE ECONOMIC TIMES NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 01, 2015

Most Trusted Brands 2015 Chronicling a long, strange year when brands gained and lost trust at an unprecedented rate

K 1 3 5 7 9
eeping track of a Lux is scripting a dramatic comeback
brands relation- [6] Surf Excel to the top or a painfully slow crawl
Dove

2 4 6 8 10
Tata Horlicks [7]
ship with its cus-
Salt
[30] [25] Samsung up the trust ladder. ( Read Maa &
tomers i s toug h. Colgate (Consumer Maggi Status: Its Complicated for
[16] Dettol Lifebuoy Durables) Maaza
O n e d ay it s a l l 2014 Rank: [1] [3] [15] some indication.)

13 15 19
[17] [4]

11 17
r o s e s , r a i nb ow s But its not all about calamitous
Britannia Ponds Samsung Pantene Glucon-D
and happy endings; [20] falls. If its good news you are look-

12 14 16 18 20
[11] [22] Mobile Phones [57]
the next its a tragic, vodka-fuelled [17] ing for, Colgate has retained its
Cadbury
Russian novel. Just consider what Airtel Vim Fair & [29] Bournvita position as Indias Most Trusted
[48]
Dairy Milk
happened to Maggi, arguably one of [12] [18] Lovely [50] Brand for four years running. Tata

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
the years biggest corporate stories. Salt has risen to No.2 from 16 last
The controversy over harmful lev- Pepsi Ariel Head & Sunsilk [34] year, and the reasons for its climb
[33] Vodafone [38]
Shoulders
els of lead and MSG in Maggi taste- Closeup [28] [32]
are chron-
THE MUCH
makers got its 2-minutes of fame [21] icled in the
Coca-Cola Good knight Big Bazaar Pepsodent [24]
when it consumed our nation. Just issue. (Read
[26] [42] [52]
TALKED

31 32 33 35 37 39
last year, Maggi was celebrating its Salt Of The
standing in the hearts and minds of Parle [14] Rin [13] Tide [23]
AND WRIT- Earth.) If
TEN ABOUT

34 36 38 40
Indian consumers. LIC you are
The beloved brand that brings up Thums Up SBI [39] Clinic All Out
[69] E-COMMERCE looki ng for
all types of childhood, hostel and [37] Frooti Bata [9] BRANDS ARE bigger leaps
[10] Plus [8] [47]

41 43 45 47 49
t r av e l m e m o -
ries, broke into IF ONES Amul CONSPICU- consider

the Top 5 Most LOOKING

Complan [31] Sprite Sony Titan [60] OUS BY THEIR pc aerer sbra onal

42 44 46 48 50
[44]
[36] (Consumer nd
Trusted Brands FOR AN
Durables) ABSENCE IN Dove and
Idea [174] BSNL [66]
Slice [40] THE TOP 100. t e lc o I d e a .
for the first time
INDIAN Rasna [49] Limca [46] [71]
SURPRISED? Doves strat-

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
i n 2 014, a lbeit
pl a c e d at t h e BRANDS Mirinda [55] Moov [35] Godrej No 1 eg y to keep
Kurkure
lower end. In the RELA- [77]
[19]
Pears [78] it real has worked and consumers
2015 edition of TIONSHIP faith in the brand has propelled it
Fanta Johnson & LG (Consumer
Brand Equitys STATUS, Vaseline from No.30 last year to No.4. Idea,
[62] Johnson [75] [70] 7UP [54] Durables) [53]

63 64 65 66 67 68 69
Mo s t T r u s t e d LOOK NO

61
on the other hand, has travelled a
Brands survey, massive 131 spots to inch closer to
FURTHER Eno [113] Tata Tea [51] Zandu
Cinthol

62 70
however, Maggi its rivals Vodafone and Airtel, the
has plummeted THAN
Balm [68]
Godrej [58] latter sitting pretty at 11.
to 95. This poll MOST Vicks Sunfeast [59] Hair Dye[122] Santoor [81] Lays [56] Depending on your point of view,
Fevicol [45]
finding proves TRUSTED
[41]

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 79
its either surprising (or hardly
t h a t i f o n e s BRANDS Garnier [73] Aashirvaad so) that the much talked and writ-
Iodex [87] Taj Mahal Parachute [43]

78 80
looking for an [79] ten about ecommerce brands are
Indian brands relationship status,
Tea conspicuously absent in the Top 100
Hero (two Philips [108]
forget Facebook, look no further Dabur Usha [116] (Consumer Harpic [76] Most Trusted Brands list. A find-
wheelers) [103]
than BEs Most Trusted Brands. [124] Hair Oil Durables) [85] ing that reinforces what we had

81 82 83 85 87 89
Of course, turns out meri Maggi Tata long suspected; consumer loy-
Hamam

90
Boroplus

88
is safe. And now its Swiss mother, alty and trust, takes more

84 86
Whirlpool [83] [102] [143] Docomo
Nestle is going out of its way to win [100] than big sales and bigger
Cadbury (Consumer Godrej [115] Vicco
back consumers trust, especially Ujala [99] Choclairs [NA] Durables) [93]
Appliances Turmeric Perk [92] ad budgets.
that of Indian mothers, who put Maruti [112] Stay tuned for our next is-

91 93 95 97 99
their faith in Maggi every time Videocon sue for more stories analys-
Vivel [107] Nestle Milk Bingo Dabur [NA]
they served up a bowl at snack Nescafe [95] ing why Indias Most Trusted

92 94 96 98
(Consumer (Toothpaste)

100
[111]
time. Only time, or the next Durables) Chocolate [72] [146]
Brands got to where they are
[110]
edition of Most Trusted Maggi LG Mobile Himalaya and how they intend to stay
Wheel [67] [5]
Phones [106]
Brands, will tell if Maggi the course.
IMAGING: SHUBHRA

Most Trusted Brands Inside

Pg2
Salt of the
Pg4
Maggis back
Pg5
Trust in a Time
Pg6-7
Where Do

Methodology 2015 Earth of Mistrust They Stand

But will its core
audience return? By Ogilvys Madhukar Sabnavis Trust By Category
Tata Salt Scores Big

Trust by Trust by Gainers & Size of the

Gender Zone Losers Wallet

M
ost Trusted Brands iden-
tifies brands that have
that most special ingre-
dient: the consumers
trust.
C onduc t e d by Niel s en , Mo s t
Trusted Brands remains among
the largest researches of its kind
in India, with a design sample of
7,200 - distributed across socio-
economic classifications, age,
income and geography.
This year, at the first stage, sales
and media visibility data was anal-
ysed to arrive at a list of brands for
further discussion and shortlisting
for the MTB 2015 consumer survey.
After considerable brainstorming
between Brand Equity and the re-
search team at Nielsen, a few brands
from the list were dropped and new
ones were added. 56 new brands
were added to the list this year - re-
placing brands scoring very low in
previous years ranking. Categories
such as mineral water made way
for more contemporary ones like
e-commerce and services. In total,
373 brands were considered for the
consumer survey this year.
RESPONDENT PROFILE
Chief Wage Earner (CWE) The
person who makes the highest
contribution towards household
upkeep.
COVERAGE
The study was carried out in the
following 12 cities across India.
Zone Pop starta City
classification
North Top 4 Metro Delhi
10L-40L Lucknow
5L-10L Chandigarh
East Top 4 Metro Kolkata
10L-40L Patna
5L-10L Bhubaneswar asked to indicate the familiar-
West Top 4 Metro Mumbai
40L+ Ahmedabad
10L-40L Indore
THINKSTOCK
Housewife (HW) Any married know it quite well
female and unemployed, age 15-60 Stage 2: The respondent evaluated
years all brands that have been rated by
Youth 15-25 years and not CWE/ him/her, 3 or 4 on the familiarity
HW scale stated above. Those who rated
Older - 26-60 years and not CWE/ a brand 1 or 2 on familiarity scale
HW. were not asked to evaluate the brand
The survey was restricted to NCCS (their individual brand trust score is
( New Consumer Classi f ication considered to be 0)
System) AB with a view to focusing Overall rating : The evaluation
on the prime target audience for was done at an overall level for each
most branded products and services. brand by indicating his/her rating
on a 10 point scale where 1 stands
BRANDS & ATTRIBUTES for Extremely poor and the 10 for
All brands were divided into 12 Perfect in every way
different panels; each panel was Respondents were then asked to re-
exposed to a matched set of respon- spond to a battery of four statements
dents in terms of demographic vari- that define brand trust on a 1 to 10
ables of NCCS, age group, gender scale where 1 would mean that the
and respondent category. Each re- statement doesnt apply to the brand
spondent evaluated 31 or 32 brands at all and 10 would mean that the
- each brand was evaluated by 600 statement is completely applicable
respondents. to the brand.
The list of statements used to evalu- Stage 3: The final brand rating is ar-
ate the most trusted brands and the rived at through the following steps:-
attributes they represented.  Step 1: Calculate a
brand trust score for each re-
spondent = [(0.5*Overal l) +
Statements Attributes rep-
(0.5*(Attr1+Attr2+Attr4)/4)]
resented by the
 Step 2 : Multiply the brand
statements score by the familiarity score /
ATTR1: Always maintains a
weight. This were either 3 or 4
high level of qual-
as those rating the brand 1 or 2
ity Quality
on familiarity are directly con-
ATTR2: It is worth the price
sidered to have a brand trust
it commands Value
score of 0
for Money
 Step 3: The total of all the
ATTR3: I would always
brand scores (across re-
recommend this
spondents) is calculat-
brand to my fam-
ily and friends ed and then divided by
Recommendation the total number of re-
ATTR4: This brand meets spondents (including
my needs. those who give brand
Understanding scores of 0) i.e. the aver-
consumer need age is taken on the overall
base of respondents who
were asked about that
brand, i.e. coded 1/2/3/4
BRAND EVALUATION: in familiarity scale. to get
Stage 1: Each respondent was the overall brand score
Thus, the final score for each
ity for each brand on a four-point brand is on a base of all respondents,
scale. The scale range would be: 1 irrespective of their level of famil-
- I have not heard of this brand; 2 - I iarity.

have heard of this brand, but know This final rating for all the brands
South Top 4 Metro Chennai
nothing about it; 3 - I have heard of is directly compared and sorted in
40L+ Bangalore this brand and know a little about descending order to determine the
10L-40L Vijayawada it; 4 - I have heard of this brand and Most Trusted Brands.
 THE ECONOMIC TIMES NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 01, 2015 2

Salt of The Earth

Its moved up the ranks to be second only to the seemingly unassailable Colgate. Heres what Tata
Salt did right to get to No 2, in the BE Most Trusted Brands Ranking 2015 By Amit Bapna
Bunty
Aur
Babli
Men, women and the

I
It was not too long ago that the
eponymous desh ka namak,
has been enhanced in lockstep across
segments by deploying smaller SKUs (1/2
different brands they
Tata Salt, was in the midst of a kg and 100g) to drive distribution reach choose to trust
controversy: when two radio in lower pop strata towns, as they offer an
spots were termed scams at affordable entry option for new users who
the Goafest Abby 2013. What current go in for local or regional brands. Male Female
was surprising is the agencys In a country like India, which is more
perfidy was outed by none other than the like a continent, it is essential to treat 1 Dettol 1 Colgate
client Tata Salt showing the advertising key states/regions as
industry that it took its rather lofty tag- distinct markets, with
2 Dove 2 Fair & Lovely
line very seriously indeed.
2015 initiatives tailored to 3 Lifebuoy 3 Tata Salt
RANK
We assume the same degree of attention their unique charac-
to its consumers has led it to win a trophy teristics, shares Arora. 4 Samsung 4 Airtel

2
more prized than anything any ad award Accordingly, in some of (Consumer Durables)
body can hand out runnerup in the BE its significant markets 5 Vim
Most Trusted Brands Survey, following in the South, the efforts
5 Horlicks
6 Lux
16
a startling rise to 2 from 16 in 2014 and 28
2014
have been around boost- 6 Samsung Mobile Phones
in 2013.
RANK
ing the equity of Tata 7 Dove
Helping it along is first mover advan- Salt by creating com- 7 Tata Salt
tage: it pioneered branded salt in India munication packages 8 Clinic Plus
when it was launched in 1983 and today with relevant messaging, packaged in a 8 Surf Excel
occupies more than half of the market. regional flavour and appeal. Alongside 9 Dettol
As per Richa Arora, chief operating of- the team working on the ground, to facili- 9 Colgate
ficer, consumer products business, Tata tate increased distribution and coverage.
10 Pantene
10 Maaza
Chemicals, We have created a singular For instance in Andhra Pradesh, locally 11 Maaza
brand identity across all products in popular celebrity chef Sanjay Thumma 11 Britannia
the Tata salt portfolio viz Tata salt, Tata was chosen as the expert to help commu- 12 Bournvita
Salt Lite and Tata Salt Plus (double for- nicate the brands superiority in terms of 12 Cadbury Dairy Milk
tified salt); so irrespective of which salt consistency of saltiness. 13 Horlicks
the consumer chooses to buy, there In a world where brands mostly resort 13 Lux
is a reinforcement of a consistent to either Bollywood or cricket, Tata 14 Lifebuoy
brand identity. Very few brands in Salt broke the mould and opted for the
14 Big Bazaar
15 Ponds
India, across categories, can lay claim lady boxer from Manipur Mary Kom 15 Glucon-D
to be desh ka. And the ubiquitous salt to represent its desh ka namak posi- 16 Sunsilk
brand can stake claim to that unique tioning, something that has helped it 16 Ponds
aspiration. remain top of mind in a category that 17 Surf Excel
The brand to its credit has not been is not particularly high involvement. 17 Closeup
sitting easy on the laurels of owning a As per Satbir Singh, chief creative 18 Coca-Cola
humongous marketshare and has been officer, FCB Ulka (the agency behind
18 Pepsi
19 Samsung
actively pursuing growth through a the campaign) there were two reasons 19 Airtel (Consumer Durables)
variety of initiatives. For instance it has for the high connect and recall, The
upped the on-ground visibility of the Indian idiom of desh ka namak khaya 20 Titan 20 Ariel
brand at the last mile of truth the retail hai captured the dominant senti-
store. From being kept at the back of the ment of doing something for the nation. 21 All Out 21 Amul
Added to that was a much loved female
shop, in the store room, to being visible star from a sport not generally known
22 Frooti 22 Britannia
We have created a singular brand on shelves it has rolled out structured for women and from a largely underrep- 23 Fevicol 23 Parle
identity across all products in the visibility programmes in select 10 lakh resented part (in advertising, for sure)
Tata Salt portfolio plus population strata towns. The focus is of our country, helping it cut through 24 Bournvita 24 Pepsi
on the nuts and bolts like merchandising clutter superbly, he says. The journey to
Richa Arora, norms, standardized POPs, display win- the top of the trust-mountain for the salt 25 BSNL 25 Glucon-D
COO Consumer Product Business, dows at key outlets, etc all of which have brand has been a rather sweet one.
Tata Chemicals helped it remain at the top. Availability amit.bapna@timesgroup.com

Roti, Kapda Aur Dukaan

Trust is not merely about gender. Its also about age and vocation

CHIEF WAGE HOUSEWIFE 15-25 YEARS 26-60 YEARS

EARNER (CWE) (HW) EXCLUDING CWE/HW EXCLUDING CWE/HW
1 Dettol 1 Fair & Lovely 1 Dove 1 Colgate
2 Dove 2 Tata Salt 2 Cadbury Dairy Milk 2 Horlicks
3 Lifebuoy 3 Clinic Plus 3 Dettol 3 Vim
4 Colgate 4 Dove 4 Colgate 4 Lux
5 Samsung (Consumer Durables) 5 Glucon-D 5 Tata Salt 5 Bournvita
6 Horlicks 6 Colgate 6 Maaza 6 Pepsi
7 Airtel 7 Samsung (Consumer Durables) 7 Lifebuoy 7 Tata Salt
8 Surf Excel 8 Dettol 8 Lux 8 Surf Excel
9 Big Bazaar 9 Vaseline 9 Samsung (Consumer Durables) 9 Glucon-D
10 Maaza 10 Surf Excel 10 Samsung Mobile Phones 10 Airtel
11 Samsung Mobile Phones 11 Sunsilk 11 Coca-Cola 11 Britannia
12 Lux 12 Pepsodent 12 Pantene 12 Lifebuoy
13 Britannia 13 Closeup 13 Ponds 13 Ariel
14 Vodafone 14 Maaza 14 Airtel 14 State Bank Of India
15 Coca-Cola 15 Vim 15 Thums Up 15 Ponds
16 Parle 16 Pantene 16 Horlicks 16 Good knight
17 Ponds 17 Britannia 17 Closeup 17 Dettol
18 State Bank Of India 18 Lifebuoy 18 Vodafone 18 Pantene
19 Pantene 19 Amul 19 Bournvita 19 BSNL
20 Head & Shoulders 20 Ponds 20 Frooti 20 Sunsilk
21 Vim 21 Horlicks 21 Glucon-D 21 Samsung Mobile Phones
22 Bournvita 22 Airtel 22 Big Bazaar 22 Rin
23 Tata Salt 23 Complan 23 Britannia 23 Limca
24 Ariel 24 Godrej Hair Dye 24 Fair & Lovely 24 Maaza
25 All Out 25 Tide 25 Good knight 25 Vodafone
26 Cadbury Dairy Milk 26 Cadbury Dairy Milk 26 Pepsi 26 Dove
27 Good knight 27 Pepsi 27 Surf Excel 27 Closeup
28 Rin 28 Head & Shoulders 28 Clinic Plus 28 Samsung (Consumer Durables)
29 Maruti 29 Idea 29 All Out 29 LIC (Life Insurance Corporation )
30 Moov 30 Frooti 30 Kurkure 30 Head & Shoulders
 THE ECONOMIC TIMES NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 01, 2015 4

Maa & Maggi Post the controversial exit, instant noodle brand Maggi has identified winning back the mothers trust as the
key to its chances of survival and succeeding in India. Are moms listening? Amit Bapna & Delshad Irani find out

Status: Its Complicated 2015

I
ts a grand fall by any stan-
dard. In the wake of the recent
controversy surrounding
lead content and MSG levels
in Maggi, the countrys most
popular noodle brand has
plummeted to an unbeliev-
able 95th rank in this years BE Most
Trusted Brand Survey. This for a cate-
gory-creator like Maggi, from the Swiss
headquartered Nestle,
that has been amongst
the top ranking brands CONSUMER
for the past many years TRUST CAN-
(it ranked at number
5 in 2014) is quite a
NOT BE
shocker. It also mirrors TAKEN FOR
the fact that consumer GRANTED
trust cannot be taken
for granted however big
HOWEVER
the brand may be, and BIG THE
however well planned
its comeback strategy.
BRAND
The Indian regulatory MAYBE
authorities, for now,
have given a go-ahead to the brand
and it has been in a huddle working
on a gameplan to reclaim consumer
trust with messages across TV, print
and digital media. Sources close to the
company, on condition of anonymity,
RANK
95
point out that the brand is pretty sure
and clear that it has to work hard on
convincing the mother, who would re- 2014
ally be the gate-keeper to a successful
RANK
5
re-entry. Which itself may be a task
since in the wake of the controversy,
most mothers, are not too sure about
how good or bad the noodle is for her
children. (Read What Maa Wants).
Feels Dheeraj Sinha, chief strategy of-
ficer, South & South East Asia,
Grey, The mother would
certainly be looking out for
the cues of reassurance.
The doubts are at best small
and niggling and if they are
addressed upfront, we are a
forgiving nation, he adds. The
brand is in a bit of a catch-22
situation. Talking directly
to the kids is something that
the brand can ill-afford ow-
ing to the global charter that
the parent brand Nestle has
signed to stop advertising and
promotional activities targeted at chil-
dren below 12 years. Its a predicament
that the noodle brand has to resolve
even as it gets ready to re-establish it-
self in its biggest market.
amit.bapna@timesgroup.com

What Maa Wants? We spoke to a few mothers who are still figuring out whether or not to trust Maggi again

Ruchita Dar Shah [39] Payal Shah Karwa [36] Pallavi Malik [34]
founder - First Moms Club content director, The Word Jockey AVP, Citibank
(online community for Indian moms) Content Studio

F
or Pallavi, Maggi was her

A A
n ex-advertising professional, Dar
Shah is a mother of two precocious
kids, Vivaan (10) and Jai (6). She
confesses to never being a big fan of Maggi
Noodles or being sentimental about it
and for better or worse her children also
didnt quite take a liking to it so no real
Dr Ashima Acharya [45] impact made on her life with or without
surgeon Maggi. To be honest the only good thing
that came out from the whole Maggi con-
s a mother, Payal is not
yet convinced about giv-
ing Maggi to her twin
daughters, Pink and Pari, and the
comeback communication so far
has not done much to convince her
either. She feels either they are
being too wary or too smart about it. If Maggi convinces me through
an official announcement or an ad (like Cadbury did during the worm
controversy) that it is absolutely safe for my kids as well, I would have
first love in high school and
college, and she recalls hav-
ing had Maggi in whatever form
one could have (including raw
Maggi sprinkled with tastemaker)
and at all possible time zones.
But after her son was born (she is
mother to 8 year old Arjun), she
Bulbul Satsangi [36] recalls becoming cognisant of the
blogger fact that the noodle brand is not

M
umma! Im hungry! calls in troversy was that it made me really think no issue letting them have it once in a week or so, she says. The digital high on nutrition. Maggi still

M
the Acharya household were campaign talking to mums, while not a great creative solution did fit other to a 3 year old boy,
usually quietened with 2-min- well strategically given the situation. They could have been more real Satsangi recalls being in-
ute Maggi noodles, which take a minimum though: real mums with real worries and stories, she feels. It was a troduced to Maggi at the
of 10 minutes to make, really. Dr Ashima serious issue and I found the videos too dramatically scripted. Even young age of 12. She recalls mak-
Acharya, her daughter, Nikki (15) and son, though it is an age-old trusted brand which we have grown up with, as ing noodles for her then boyfriend
Aloba (12) would eat Maggi about twice or a mother she has refrained from consuming it especially since she has (and now husband) on a single
thrice in a week, at least. Acharya has been kids in the house. They too like Maggi, so if we are seen consuming it, burner stove in a broken alumi-
a Maggi consumer since her medical college it wouldnt be a very happy moment. num pan. We would dry roast
days when Nestle had more adventurous Maggi in butter and then add just
tastes like sweet n sour and lasagna fla- half the water as recommended
vours. She says her family has never been Kshama Rao [42] and the taste of that Maggi shared
hooked on Maggi, but it has always been a senior producer, Hotstar still lingers. Since I was a teen
go-to snacking option. And during Maggis then, eating Maggi brings back

hiatus this year, the Acharya family would
often, during their travels, pick up Maggi
packets whenever they found some still on
shelves in smaller cities. Says Acharya about
Maggis unsafe status and the presence of
harmful levels of lead, I didnt hear about
this till much later, when my friends and col-
leagues were sharing funny forwards. But
even then I didnt bother about these accusa-
tions. All big companies run into some major
controversy, she says, putting the whole
episode down to the possibility of corporate
sabotage. If Maggi was poisonous surely
someone would have checked or said some-
thing during the decades its been around.
The fact is Maggi to Acharya was never about
nutrition and health. It was always conve-
nience, taste and satisfying sudden hunger
pangs and cravings. So how does she react to
Maggis comeback campaign in which moth-
ers express their anxiety about having failed
as mothers when they fed their offspring
bowls full of masala lead? I havent seen the
commercials. But I didnt believe the charges
to begin with. And as for doubting parent-
ing skills, she says, We did what we did. So,
keep calm and eat Maggi.
of all the other packaged food items that
we bought regularly. Post which, she has
started looking for healthier alternatives.
If it was about Maggi, for starters, Id
like to see clear evidence on every pack
reassuring me that its safe to consume.
For mothers, while the controversy being
resolved may remove doubts from their
minds, positioning Maggi as the best for
their children is stretching it a bit too far,
she feels. Moms always looked at it as a
convenient treat for their children and
not as a superior snack. If they wanted
to speak to moms, the advertising profes-
sional in her thinks they would have been
better off showing the kids rejoicing and
the mom agreeing to go with it and giving
them Maggi.
I
f Kshama Raos teenage son Sarthak had those memories of romance, reck- topped my grocery list and one
his way hed eat Maggi all the time. less passion and enthusiasm and could always find at least one pack-
But he never did. Because the mother- optimism of conquering the world, et in my kitchen any time of the
son duo would restrict their instant noodles she adds. She kept her son away day although its consumption was
consumption to twice a week. Occasionally from it till he was about 2, more limited to rewards for doing some-
Raos mother-in-law would eat a bowl of because he was prone to an al- thing good, evening snacks and
Maggi, too. Once Raos son was old enough lergy with all processed foods and meal options during vacations.
to operate heavy machinery and a stove the day he was declared all clear, The controversy to her was a relief
top, he didnt need his mums permission Maggi was cooked to celebrate, she in a way since it was a wake-up
to whip up a 2-minute batch of the squiggly shares. The controversy has made call of sorts. It made me think if
stuff whenever he was hungry. It was now her rethink the way she shops for a staple food like Maggi could be
Raos turn to request for a spoonful or two, processed or semi processed foods, contaminated so could other food
and employing emotional blackmail as and for a long time she avoided all items that we buy constantly. All
a battle tactic was not beneath her. All that canned foods and anything with of a sudden she was forced to think
changed, of course, when Maggi was accused of being unsafe. Soon it preservative and colour. I even of other healthier alternatives
was conspicuously absent from the section that houses instant noodles bought a noodle maker lest Maggi and chuck out the junk from her
at supermarkets, shattering the one solace for some of us who are in per- takes a long time to come back. kitchen. Her family would still love
petual and deep lethargy. But, now Maggi is back and Raos son, for one, To make me a Maggi consumer, all to eat their favorite noodles but its
is happy. Mother, on the hand, is somewhere between indifferent and they have to do is try to find a way a slightly long road for us, she says.
cautious. I dont trust them, she tells us. Thats despite ads assuring to not get it categorised as junk With growing awareness towards
her and other Indian mothers that Maggi has been tested and was found food, she adds. And she does not health, many parents think twice/
to be absolutely safe for human consumption. I used to enjoy eating want to know about MSG levels, thrice before buying anything
Maggi. I personally feel let down, she says. Her sons devotion, however, whether they be permissible or thats faced any controversy. I
is unwavering. I know I cant stop him from eating Maggi. Hell just buy non-permissible. I want it out. If personally would like to buy some
it himself. But I certainly will not encourage it and I will try to talk him its harmful, how does having it more time and make sure its abso-
out of eating Maggi. And, while their methods might vary, we all know within permissible limits makes it lutely safe for my kid before I add it
mothers are masters of the art of persuasion. justified? she asks. to my grocery list.

Zoning It Out At Your Service

Here are the goods and services that managed
Change of geographies alters the way consumers place trust in the to bag the consumers elusive seal of approval
brands. A zone-wise peep into rankings across India
PRODUCT SERVICE
EAST WEST NORTH SOUTH BRANDS BRANDS
1 Colgate 1 Cadbury Dairy Milk 1 Tata Salt 1 Dove 1 Colgate 1 Airtel
2 Horlicks 2 Idea 2 Dettol 2 Colgate 2 Tata Salt 2 Vodafone
3 Lifebuoy 3 Parle 3 Fair & Lovely 3 Samsung (Consumer Durables) 3 Dettol 3 Big Bazaar
4 Tata Salt 4 Godrej No 1 4 Lux 4 Horlicks 4 Dove 4 SBI
5 Dettol 5 Colgate 5 Samsung Mobile Phones 5 Rin 5 Lifebuoy 5 LIC
6 State Bank Of India 6 Pantene 6 Colgate 6 Pantene 6 Horlicks 6 Idea
7 Surf Excel 7 Samsung Mobile Phones 7 Haldirams 7 Tata Salt 7 Samsung (Consumer Durables) 7 BSNL
8 LIC 8 Coca-Cola 8 Tata Tea 8 Dettol 8 Lux 8 Tata Docomo
9 Dove 9 Dove 9 Maaza 9 Complan 9 Maaza 9 Aircel
10 Ponds 10 Lifebuoy 10 Dove 10 Ponds 10 Surf Excel 10 I C I C I Bank
 THE ECONOMIC TIMES NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 01, 2015 5

Trust in a time of mistrust

Ogilvys Madhukar Sabnavis on what brands can do in an age where even the rumour of scandal can cause lasting damage

P
roducts are getting
commoditised. So
brands are moving
to the next level of
communication: from
proposition to pur-
pose; from fulfilling
human desires to inspiring consum-
ers to live fuller and better lives. Yet,
the basic reason for brands existence
is coming under question trust.
Ignorance is bliss. Knowledge is
power. But knowledge can also create
doubts and fears of which the ignorant
would be unaware. Doctors have to an-
swer many more questions today than
in the past, as patients come armed
with Googled knowledge on symptoms
or their medical reports. Doctors are
also no longer the only credible source
of information on illnesses. There
are more scientific researches pub-
lished than ever before. Though some
could be of questionable protocol, the
results in the public domain creates
confusion and doubts in the minds of
readers. Marketing and advertising
hasnt helped its cause either by send-
ing out so many fact based messages
of stronger, faster, better, tastier and
healthier. Many come with asterisks.
BRANDS HAVE CREATED HALOS AROUND THEM-
Often they are challenged by counter-
points from competitors. One doesnt
know whether they are seen as actu-
ally credible or have become blind
spots in the minds of the receivers.
This adds to the information overload
and noise a consumer is exposed to.
Three environmental factors are
affecting consumer trust in brands.
First, the democratisation of informa-
tion. Consumers are getting to know
more and more about products and the
way they are made including details
of inputs that go into their making.
Sometimes, it could be half knowledge
but one cant blame consumers for
that. It is the brands responsibil-
ity to correct such information. An
unhealthy ingredient to make a food
product look and taste better is unac-
ceptable to a health conscious mother.
And in a choice filled world, she can
opt for something else easily. Brands
cant take refuge in claims like street
food being twice as unhealthy.
Second, consumers are getting more
socially conscious. Hence, they are
subjecting brands to higher standards
of social behaviour. A super market
giving everyday low prices on the back
of sub normal wages to immigrant
workers will be seen as exploitative.
Third, with the growth of traditional
and social media, news and views are
spreading faster than ever before.
And consumers now have a platform
to voice their opinions. And we know
bad news has the propensity to
spread faster than good. An automo-
bile with defective air bags in just
a few cars in a batch isnt insulated.
world. A world of account-
ability and fragility. And as
ANIRBAN BORA
subjected to higher scrutiny than ever
before. The fact that they are better
and safer than the commodity stuff, in
many categories, is not good enough.
Neither is being legally right an the changing social environment.
adequate answer. Brands have cre-
ated halos around themselves. They
now need to be more accountable for
everything they say and do. After
all, a brand is a public promise and a
point from production to product or a brand overhaul has to be thought
performance to promotional mes- through. Finally, there needs to be
sages. Any shortfall, will be a breach constant dialogue between brand and
of trust. consumer to ensure the above two hap-
Clearly, brands live in a tougher pen: upgradation and quick reaction.
Transparency and hon-
esty is the name of
MADHUKAR
creators, we need to work the game.
SABNAVIS
harder to earn the trust and Corporates need to
affinity of our consumers. guard against short term
For this, we need to recog- thinking that can affect
nise that there are other long term trust. A short
stakeholders in the process cut today could harm
besides the marketer and brand trust few quarters
consumer. The regulators later. And we know from
and the social influencers everyday relationships,
are part of the brand build- trust once broken is hard
ing process. Winning them Corporates to regain.
over and keeping them won need to guard We can blame consum-
is as important as reaching against short ers for making judge-
the end consumers.
term thinking ments based on half
To keep the trust going,
brands need to consciously
that can knowledge floating
around. It doesnt solve
nurture the relationship. affect long our problems. Brands
Three things could be term trust have the responsibility
done. First, a need to keep to stay true to what they
the product and its process have promised and do so
constantly upgraded in keeping with in a socially conscious way. So, while
it is exciting for brands to send inspi-
Upping safety standards of food and rational messages, they need to simul-
cars, for example, has to be an ongoing taneously guard the trust earned, else
process. As said already, being legally the emotions will sound hollow.
right is not good enough. Second, no
problem is localised or too small to Madhukar Sabnavis is

SELVES. THEY NOW NEED TO BE MORE ACCOUNT- Social media ensures it spreads
like wild fire.
ABLE FOR EVERYTHING THEY SAY AND DO All this means brands are being
reassurance of quality on the back of
which it charges a premium. So, this
quality needs to be delivered at every
ignore. Marketers need to assess
early and action needs to be taken
Vice Chairman- Ogilvy and Mather
India. Views expressed
fast. Whether it is just a local action are personal.

Biggest Gainers Biggest Declines in the

in the Top 100 Top 100 Brands of 2015
Brands of 2015 2015 2014
Rank Rank Brands
2015 2014
Rank Rank Brands 58 19 Kurkure
80 43 Parachute
43 174 Idea
36 8 Clinic Plus
65 122 Godrej Hair Dye
37 9 Bata
88 143 Vicco Turmeric
93 67 Wheel
62 113 Eno
96 72 Nestle Milk Chocolate
73 124 Dabur Hair Oil
33 10 Frooti
97 146 LG Mobile Phones
68 45 Fevicol
75 116 Usha
34 13 Rin
18 57 Pantene
61 41 Vicks
13 48 Vim
71 103 Hero (two wheelers)

To Be Or Knot To Be
Unmarried consumers tend to be more hedonistic
Married Unmarried
1 Colgate 1 Dove
2 Tata Salt 2 Dettol
3 Dettol 3 Maaza
4 Lux 4 Colgate
5 Dove 5 Samsung Mobile Phones
6 Airtel 6 Cadbury Dairy Milk
7 Horlicks 7 Samsung (Consumer Durables)
8 Lifebuoy 8 Lifebuoy
9 Vim 9 Tata Salt
10 Fair & Lovely 10 Horlicks

The New Consumer

Move over SEC. Presenting the rst round of MTB with NCCS

NCCS A NCCS B
1 Colgate 1 Dove
2 Tata Salt 2 Lifebuoy
3 Dettol 3 Dettol
4 Dove 4 Horlicks
5 Samsung (Consumer Durables) 5 Samsung Mobile Phones
6 Britannia 6 Tata Salt
7 Lux 7 Good knight
8 Cadbury Dairy Milk 8 Maaza
9 Horlicks 9 Glucon-D
10 Lifebuoy 10 Surf Excel
 THE ECONOMIC TIMES NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 01, 2015 6

Where Do They Stand?

TRUST BY CATEGORY: HOW BRANDS STACK UP IN THEIR RESPECTIVE TERRITORIES
Airlines Consumer Durables Paints Edible Oils (Rened)
1 Air India 1 Asian Paints 1 Saffola
1 Samsung While it heads
the leaderboard
The Samsung Group is
2 Jet Airways 2 Nerolac Paints 2 Fortune on oil, its also a
Recently discovered pho- 2 Sony rumored to be responsible
for roughly 20% of South poster child
tos from Air Indias bygone
3 Indigo Airlines Koreas GDP. 3 Berger Paints 3 Sundrop for life
Flying Palace era in the
1970s show an actual bar in
3 LG beyond oil,
having
4 Spicejet the top deck and walls deco- Another Korean warhorse 4 Dulux Paints 4 Ruchi Gold extended to
rated with images from Indi- 4 Usha where LG stands for Lucky oats and muesli.
In 1954, RK Laxman created one of Indias
5 GoAir an mythology and history. Goldstar that eventually 5 Gemini
A far cry from the rather
functional planes of today.
5 Philips became synonymous with
the tagline Life Is Good.
most iconic brand mascots. But the company
still needed a name for him. In an early
crowdsourced campaign, they ran a Give Me
6 Whirlpool A Name contest, with `500 as the prize.
Apparel They received 47,000 entries. The winning

Raymond began life in 1925 as a

7 Godrej Appliances entry was the name Gattu.
Footwear
1 Raymond woolen blankets manufacturer. In 8 Videocon 1 Bata King Khans
1992, Nexus Equity created The OTC long dalliance
2 Lee Complete Man, not in the Franken-
stein sense, of course. 9 Onida 2 Reebok
with endorse-
ments began with
3 Siyarams 1 Glucon-D Liberty shoes. The
10 Panasonic Emamis reacted to 3 Action Shoes ad focused on

4 Peter England 2 Moov inadvertently being co- SRKs feet and

didnt have a sin-
11 Bajaj Appliances opted into pop-culture
by suing the producers 4 Adidas gle shot of his face
5 Levis 3 Vicks of Dabangg for the song
12 Kelvinator Munni Badnaam Hui 5 Liberty Shoes
6 Killer 4 Eno which included the line
13 Orient Fans Main Zandu balm hui
The story had a typical
6 Woodland
7 Pepe Jeans 5 Zandu Balm Bollywood happily ever
14 Sansui The trio of Bollywood
baddies - Prem Chopra, after conclusion though, 7 Nike
8 Allen Solly Ranjeet and Shakti Kapoor 6 Iodex with Zandu settling out
15 Voltas appeared in a commercial of court and recording a 8 Puma
9 Van Heusen for Havells together. 7 Crocin 35% growth in the quar-
16 Havells ter following the film.

10 Arrow 8 Nycil
17 Hitachi Hair Oils
9 Hajmola
18 Blue Star 1 Dabur Hair Oil
10 Amrutanjan Balm
Auto Four wheelers 19 TTK Prestige 2 Parachute
11 Disprin If Zandu Balm shied away

1 Maruti
The car with the highest mar-
ket share had a rather choked
20 IFB from raunch, Amrutanjan
embraced it wholeheartedly 3 Himani Navratna
start. Way back in the late 70s, 12 Saridon with its relaunch campaign that
2 Tata Motors in its earliest form, it was tout- featured risqu situations right 4 Hair & Care
ed to be the unfulfilled brain-
wave of Sanjay Gandhi. It was
Ecommerce and services 13 Dcold out of seedy books sold outside
railway stations and the seami-
3 Honda partially owned by the govern- 14 Band-Aid er parts of the internet. 5 Bajaj Almond Drop
4 Hyundai
ment as recently as 2007. 1 Flipkart Tiger Global was the
6 Nihar
The countrys largest
second VC fund to
15 Boroline
5 Mahindra automobile company, is 2 Quikr have invested in Flip-
kart after Accel India. 7 Keo Karpin
a laggard in the passen- Apparently, it cold 16 Krack Cream
6 Toyota
ger cars segment. Soccer
icon Lionel Messi has
3 Olx called Flipkarts cus-
been appointed as the
tomer service number 17 Itch Guard
4 Snapdeal to speak to the Bansal-
7 Ford global brand ambassador
to change its passenger-
duo and make an offer.
Tiger Global has 18 Pudin Hara Foreign Banks
8 Fiat
vehicles fortunes 5 Amazon recently raised stake in
the Bansals rival and 19 Volini 1 Citibank
9 Skoda 6 Yatra ex-employer Amazon.
com. Time for some
20 Strepsils 2 HSBC
10 Renault 7 Jabong cold calls from the
other end, perhaps? 3 Standard Chartered
8 Myntra
The employees of the
Life Insurance
9 Paytm
Auto Two wheelers online event and
movie ticket booking 1 LIC Private Sector Banks
10 BookMyShow site/app give discount
The Hum mein hai coupons printed at the 2 SBI Life 1 ICICI
1 Hero Hero campaign came to 11 Cleartrip back of their business
light after L&K Saatchi & cards. The cards are
3 Reliance Life 2 Axis
2 Honda Saatchis Praveen Ken-
neth wrote to the Mun- 12 FreeCharge
cut in the shape of
movie tickets as well.
jals every three months B2B marketing 3.0 4 ICICI Prudential Life 3 HDFC
3 Bajaj for nine years. He also 13 MakeMyTrip
visited them twice a 5 Birla Sun Life 4 Kotak Mahindra
4 TVS year without bagging
any business. This
6 HDFC Life 5 Yes Bank
5 Yamaha dogged pursuit got
Law & Kenneth the
Hero MotoCorp Mobile Handsets/Tablets 7 Bajaj Allianz Life 6 IndusInd
6 Suzuki account in 2011.
1 Samsung In June 2007, 8 Tata AIA Life 7 The Federal Bank
7 Mahindra Apple launched
the Jesus
Once Audrey Hepburn 2 LG Phone. Steve 9 Max Life With RBIs deregulation on Savings Account
8 Vespa hopped on Gregory Pecks Jobs had, interest rate, 2011 became a game changer in
Vespa in Roman Holiday, the
3 Micromax uncharacteristi- 10 Kotak Life the marketing history of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
9 Royal Eneld scooters popularity and sales cally, set a sales They got Cartwheel to introduce Mr know-it-all
soared even outside Europe goal of 10 mil- Founded in 1956 with the merger of 245 Subo (aka Vinay Pathak) for their campaign,
(Bullet) 4 Motorola lion for 2008. insurance companies and provident socie- who urged people to open a savings account in
They didnt meet ties. Its Sanskrit slogan Yogakshemam the bank for they were offering 6% interest
5 Karbonn it. But by March Vahamyaham translates to Your welfare is
our responsibility
instead of 4%. Dont look at it as 2% more but
2015, the com- as 50% extra, resounded with many.
Chocolates/Confectionery 6 Sony Xperia pany had sold
700 million
iPhones.
1 Cadbury Dairy Milk 7 iPhone Fabric Care
8 Intex
PSU Banks
2 Cadbury Choclairs 1 Surf Excel almostHindustan Lever
O&Ms Piyush Pandey took Lalitaji, 1 State Bank Of India
3 Perk wrote the jingle for the 9 Lava 2 Ariel
the sharp housewife
It is justifiably famous
iconic Real Taste of Life who spoke to consum- 2 Bank of India for its 21,000 plus ATM
4 Nestle Milk Chocolate campaign on a boarding 10 HTC 3 Rin
ers on behalf of Surf in
the 80s, off air when a networks across India,
pass on the way back
poll revealed she was 3 Canara Bank but did you know SBI
5 Kit Kat
from a long awaited
vacation in America
11 Lenovo 4 Tide the most hated woman had 194 offices in 36
which got cut short by a on TV. The next find- 4 Indian Bank countries?

6 5 Star pitch to retain Cadbury 12 Panasonic 5 Ujala

ing, however, revealed
Dairy Milk. that samajdar Lalitaji
was also the most 5 Punjab National Bank
7 Center Fresh 13 Microsoft Lumia 6 Wheel watched.
6 Central Bank Of India
8 Gems 14 Gionee 7 Nirma 7 Bank Of Baroda
9 Munch 15 OPPO 8 Robin Blue 8 Union Bank of India
10 Nestle Eclairs 9 Godrej Ezee 9 IDBI Bank
11 Mentos While India Oral Care
has just about 10 Henko 10 Dena Bank
got Kit-Kat 1 Colgate As of the year ending
12 Mint-o Dark, Japan 2014, Colgate globally 11 Ghari
has seen
2 Closeup had 30 toothpaste and
13 Alpenliebe over 200 fla-
vours. Some
43 toothbrush brands
only. The same year, 12 Fena
of the more 3 Pepsodent Colgate also claimed
Watches /Accessories
14 Halls outr ones 19.7% reduction in 13 Comfort (Fabric Conditioner)
include green 4 Dabur (Toothpaste) greenhouse gas inten-
15 Boomer tea, blueber-
ry cheesecake
sity as compared to
14 Vanish (Stain Remover) 1 Titan The inimitable background score
that plays in your head the moment
the year ending 2005.
5 Oral-B you think Titan is a 30 second
16 Candy Man and the soon to
be launched
Not all things ending
with Gate are scandal- 15 Genteel 2 Sonata watches excerpt (from 1:31 to 2:00) that A R
gold foil cov- 6 Babool ous, you see. Rahman re-arranged from Mozarts
17 Chlormint ered variant The reason Lalitaji came to be. Nirma is the challeng- 3 Timex Symphony No 25, G minor.
7 Vicco Vajradanti er brand that rattled Surf to its very core, and gave us
18 Kinder Joy the jingle that became a generational soundtrack: 4 Fastrack
Doodh si safedi Nirma se aaye, rangeen kapda bhi
8 Anchor khil khil jaye Although its no longer on air, DJs are
19 Tic Tac scripting its revival with millennials dancing to the 5 Ray-Ban
9 Sensodyne track the iconic Nirma girl in a white dress twirled to.
20 Poppins

Cold Beverages
1 Maaza 6 Rasna 11 Mirinda 16 Mountain Dew
1) A typo. 2) Could be wit. When Katrina Kaif Also a slang term for moon-
3) Because the B in thumb featured in the Aam- shine. No wonder then one
2 Coca-Cola is silent. 4) Could be a partic- 7 Limca sutra campaign in 12 7UP old Mountain Dew sign read: 17 Tang
ularly strong dislike for the 2008-09, Slice became Itll tickle yore innards! Pep-
3 Pepsi letter B. All possible answers 8 Sprite the first brand in the 13 Amul Kool siCo launched it in India in 18 Minute Maid
to Why theres no letter B in juice and juice drinks 2003 with the tag line Chee-
4 Thums Up Thums Up The company has
left it to the devices of urban
9 Slice category to sign a Bolly-
wood actress as a brand
14 Real Juice tah Bhi Peeta Hai before
eventually moving on to Do
19 Red Bull
myth makers. ambassador. The Dew.
5 Frooti 10 Fanta 15 Tropicana 20 Paperboat
 THE ECONOMIC TIMES NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 01, 2015 7

Household Care Food Products

1 Vim 1 Tata Salt

Show
You have real-life Pundits
chanting mantras with an add- 2 Good knight 2 Britannia
on: Yeh guttbandhan (commun-
ion) Fevicol ka jod hai, tootega 3 All Out 3 Parle

Me The
nahin. You have reel-life celebri-
ties like Kareena Kapoor swing-
ing on item songs where shes
4 Fevicol 4 Amul
urging Salman Khan to stick her
5 Harpic 5 Kurkure

Money
photo on his heart Fevicol
se. With friends like these, who Personal Care
needs validation? 6 Mortein 6 Sunfeast
7 HIT 1 Dettol The first container carry- 7 Lays
ing bars of Lifebuoy soap

8 Lizol 2 Dove landed in 1895 at Bombay

Harbour. The brand has 8 Aashirvaad Trust by monthly
3 Lifebuoy been at the forefront of
9 Maggi
household
9 Domex innovative marketing from

4 Lux
the early days of Lifebuoy
hai jahan tandurusti hai
income
10 Colin wahan to todays Help A 10 Bingo
11 Pril 5 Ponds Child Reach 5.
11 Kissan
12 Mr. Muscle 6 Fair & Lovely 12 Haldirams `10000 -
7 Pantene 13 Annapurna `25000 `25000+
MONTHLY MONTHLY
8 Head & Shoulders 14 Mother Dairy HOUSEHOLD INCOME HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Retailers 9 Sunsilk 15 Saffola Oats 1 Colgate 1 Tata Salt
1 Big Bazaar 10 Clinic Plus 16 Kelloggs 2 Dettol 2 Dove
2 Reliance Fresh 11 Johnson & Johnson 17 Top Ramen 3 Ponds 3 Samsung
3 Pantaloons 12 Vaseline 18 Kwality Walls
(Consumer Durables)
4 Tata Salt
4 Reliance Digital 13 Godrej No 1 4 Colgate
19 Yipee 5 Dove
5 Lifestyle 14 Pears 5 Horlicks
20 Oreo 6 Vim
6 Reliance Trends 15 Godrej Hair Dye 6 Glucon-D
21 Pillsbury 7 Lux
7 Spencers 16 Santoor 7 LIC
22 Knorr 8 Britannia
8 Shoppers Stop 17 Cinthol 8 Samsung
23 Quaker 9 Lifebuoy Mobile Phones
9 HyperCity 18 Garnier 24 Heinz 9 Dettol
10 Airtel
10 Croma 19 Boroplus 25 Chings 10 Lifebuoy
11 Maaza
11 Westside 20 Hamam 11 Cadbury
12 Horlicks
12 Ezone 21 Vicco Turmeric Dairy Milk
13 Coca-Cola
13 Fabindia 22 Vivel In 2009, BE tracked down 12 Surf Excel
the original, green bikini-clad 14 Ariel
14 Crossword 23 Himalaya Liril girl, Karen Lunel, who
13 BSNL
lives in New Zealand. We
found her after we spotted
15 Surf Excel
24 Lakme this in the comments section 14 Lux
of the YouTube video featuring 16 Frooti
25 Medimix the famous ad: Damn! Thats
15 Pantene
Telecom
In 2003, the Hutch dog, a pug
called Cheeka, who followed you
my mum!! 17 Bournvita
wherever you went, won the 26 Liril 16 Pepsi
1 Airtel nations heart. The next time 18 Head &
Vodafone pulled off a campaign 27 Gillette 17 Thums Up
2 Vodafone that became a cultural reference
it was with the pot-bellied aliens,
Shoulders
Zoozoos in 2009. 28 Fair & Handsome 18 Pepsodent
3 Idea 19 Samsung
29 Rexona (Consumer Durables)
19 Maaza
4 BSNL 20 Fair & Lovely
30 Nivea 20 Fair & Lovely
5 Tata Docomo
31 Whisper
6 Aircel
32 Savlon
7 Reliance Communications
33 Park Avenue Hot Beverages
8
9
MTS
Uninor
34
35
Chik
Stayfree
1
2
Horlicks
Bournvita
As per GlaxoS-
mithKlines web-
Brands That
10 MTNL
36
37
Olay
LOreal
3
4
Complan
Tata Tea
site: All Horlicks
bottles sold in
India in a year,
placed end to end,
would form a
Work
Food Services chain six times the Trust by working status
38 Palmolive 5 Taj Mahal Tea length of The
Great Wall of
1 Pizza Hut China. (Clearly,
39 Axe 6 Nescafe brands are
2 Dominos Legend says the fast- obsessed with
food franchise makes 40 Livon 7 Boost #MadeUpStats)
3 McDonalds enough sandwiches in
a year to wrap around
the Earth 14 times. Did 41 Set Wet 8 Red Label
4 Caf Coffee Day the made-up stat
remind you of a certain 42 Fogg 9 Brooke Bond Taaza
5 KFC Indian biscuit brand?
43 Kotex 10 Bru
6 Subway
44 Wild Stone WORKING NOT-WORKING
7 Costa Coffee Born in the Brooke Bond fam-
45 Revlon ily of Unilever in 1966, Taj Mahal
Tea was Indias first premium chai
8 Starbucks brand. Though tea connoisseurs
(and even those who never cared
for a sip) would agree the premi-
Gordon Bowker, co- 1 Dettol 1 Tata Salt
founder of Starbucks, Water Purier um quotient of the brand was
more an outcome of the timeless
wanted to name the com- Wah Taj! ad featuring tabla- 2 Colgate 2 Fair & Lovely
pany Pequod after the
eponymous ship in one of
1 Aquaguard maestro Zakir Hussain.
his favourite novels 3 Lifebuoy 3 Colgate
Moby Dick. When his 2 Pure-it
then creative partner 4 Dove 4 Dove
Terry Heckler suggested 3 Kent RO
no one would want to
drink a cup of pee-quod,
5 Horlicks 5 Dettol
they decided to name the 4 Tata Swach
chain after Pequods top 6 Lux 6 Maaza
officer Starbuck. 5 ZeroB
7 Airtel 7 Samsung
(Consumer Durables)
Nevermind the cola wars;
water wars is where the action 8 Samsung
is. Pureit, Aquaguard and Kent (Consumer Durables) 8 Clinic Plus
have an extensive history of
squabbling including legal
threats and having the competi-
9 Vim 9 Surf Excel
tions ads pulled off air.
10 Tata Salt 10 Lifebuoy

Editorial: Ravi Balakrishnan, Amit Bapna, Delshad Irani & Shephali Bhatt; Illustrations: Thinkstock / Anirban Bora;
Design: Shubhra Dey; Production: Vilas Pai, Sandeep Dutta & Mumbai Team

Regn.No.MAHENG/2002/6711 Volume 14 Issue No. 47Published for the Proprietors, Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd. by R. Krishnamurthyat The Times Of India Building, Dr. D.N.Road, Mumbai 400 001 Tel. No. (022) 6635 3535, 2273 3535, Fax- (022)-2273 1144 and printed by him at (1) The Times of India Suburban Press, Akurli
Road, Western Express Highway, Kandivili (E), Mumbai 400 101. Tel. No. (022) 28872324, 28872930, Fax- (022) 28874230 (2) The Times of India Print City, Plot No. 4, T.T.C. Industrial Area, Thane Belapur Road, Airoli, Navi Mumbai-400708 and (3) TIMES PRESS, Plot No. 5A, Road No. 1, IDA Nacharam Ranga Reddy District, Hyd-
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