Among the dropouts are Cinthol, Dhara, ICI Dulux, JK Tyres, Timex, Vatika, Thomas Cook, NIIT and Whirlpool.
NEW DELHI: Brands that made it and the ones that did not in the latest edition of Superbrands 2006-2007 edition, is at large a reflection of how the Indian society is shaping, observes Anmol Dhar, managing director and council chairman of Superbrands India.
Superbrands is an international independent authority and arbiter on branding. A total of 205 Indian brands, out of 1,699 shortlisted brands, have made it to this year’s edition.
Dhar gives a sneak peak into the curious developments while compiling Superbrands 2006.
First the juicy details: some brands that could not make to this year’s Superbrands. Air Sahara for one has not.
The high-voltage drama that unfolded in the media after problems developed between Sahara and Jet Airways on the acquisition deal may have hurt Air Sahara’s brand equity. Bata, the shoe chain, is another brand that failed to make it to the list.
This is surprising considering the chain had attempted to shed its fuddy-duddy image and spruce up its stores with a good selection and brand communication.
However, this is the verdict of the 13,085 Indian consumers ACNielsen had interviewed for the Superbrands and the Council of Superbrands.
Cosmetic brand Lakme also does not feature in the latest Superbrands. This is surprising after the much-talked-and-written-about Lakme India fashion week, and the glamorous faces backing the brand.
Among the other brands that fell short of expectations of the panel are Cinthol, Dhara, ICI Dulux, JK Tyres, Timex, Vatika, Thomas Cook, NIIT and Whirlpool. Whirlpool is again baffling when a star couple - Kajol and Ajay Devgan - is putting its might behind the brand.
Just as some of the dropouts were a surprise, so are some of the new entrants - Japanese manufacturer of sporting equipment Yonex, Jockey, Anchor Switches, Faber Chimney and Kohinoor Basmati rice.
“The fact that Anchor and Faber are part of Superbrands says a lot about the booming Real Estate industry and a new breed of quality and fashion conscious consumers,” points out Dhar.
Yonex, on the other hand, tells you about the growing interest in non-cricket sports Dhar adds. Canon Camera and Real Juice, two more new entrants in Superbrands 2006, deserve their share of the spotlight remarks Dhar.
“Real Juice, for example, has been aggressive in dishing out innovative products besides you will find Real Juices at any bar. That’s excellent distribution.”
Though beyond this Dhar did not share much, he did mention that categories such as Public relations and Printing press have not figured in this year, while educational institutes have scored well with the selection panel.
So far, of the 205 brands that have made it, 90 brands have agreed to participate in the book.
What that means is that 90 brands have agreed to be published in the book by buying a double spread space in the book worth Rs 5 lakh. Dhar is looking at publishing 18,000 copies this year.
“The production and distribution cost is quite high. We actually get it published in Hong Kong,” explains Dhar.
Besides Superbrands 2006, Dhar is excited about the two new projects. One, Superbrands is currently working on is Business Superbrands, a compilation of business brands. The other is Export Superbrands.
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