Wanna be a Superbrand? A little cash helps book matters

NEW DELHI: It’s great to be recognised as a Superbrand. But what if you knew there’s a cost to claiming that title? In recent years, many companies have been calling themselves Superbrands based on a recognition conferred on them by Superbrands India, but some are beginning to question its credibility.

“Superbrands are more of a business service than awards that can be deemed prestigious,” says Santosh Desai, managing director, Future Brands (a division of Future Group, which owns Pantaloons Retail).

“It seems impossible not to suspect the credibility where there is a business transaction involved,” adds Desai.

It is now well-known that companies pay to call themselves Superbrands. Recently, marketers paid Rs 6 lakh for booking a double-spread in the latest edition of Consumer Superbrands, Rs 1 lakh more than last time.

“The service tax has gone up; besides the production cost is high. We get the book published in Hong Kong,” says Anmol Dar, managing director and council chairman, Superbrands India.

Harish Bijoor of Harish Bijoor Consultants agrees that the practice stretches the limits of ethics. “But it happens everywhere,” he says. Even seminars are commercially motivated, he adds. “Is it a coincidence that speakers are usually from the companies that are sponsoring the event?” asks Bijoor.

Another bothersome fact is the sheer number of brands accorded the Superbrand status.

The council members for Consumer Superbrands had shortlisted 206 brands for the 2006 edition. Having 206 Superbrands is absurd, says esai. “I won’t be surprised if N……. (which makes plastic buckets and furniture, name withheld), too, is a Superbrand.”

Perhaps, the motivation behind this, spells out Desai, is to cast the net wide and get as many brands as possible to pay. And to have a Superbrand in each category, in some cases, two in a category, such as Airtel and Hutch, Blue Dart and DHL, undermines the value of the title Superbrand. The surprising bit is that categories such as airlines and cars did not yield a Superbrand in the 2006 survey.

Dar is not new to this kind of criticism. “I have heard this many times over.” Bringing out the Superbrand book is an expensive affair, he says. “One copy costs us Rs 800.” The trophies cost Rs 11,000.

Then there is a team working on the book. “They need to be paid. Where would I get the money from?” asks Dar.

Dar claims that the Superbrand findings are supported by evidence. “Few awards or surveys show evidence to prove the results. We have evidence.” AC Nielsen manages the Superbrand survey. It conducted a consumer survey on the web; 13,085 consumers participated. In all, 1,699 brands in 169 categories were short-listed.

In the final round, judged by the council members of Superbrands, 206 Indian brands achieved the Superbrand status. Of the 206 brands, 91 brands were published in the book. The rest did not publish because they were in the ‘reformatting stage’ or were not willing to pay.

What’s surprising is the fact that there’s not even a courteous mention of these Superbrands anywhere in the book. In effect, the book is only a partial list of Superbrands, and tells only half the story. “If these companies want, I can give the certificate for free,” says Dar nonchalantly.

Can one claim or advertise Superbrand status without paying up? “To be honest, I haven’t faced such a situation, but if they (the Superbrand companies) were to use the logo of Superbrands, I am sure there will be a cost. It is the Superbrand title after all,” explains Dar.

But what amuses Desai is the corporate thirst for awards, the lengths they go to buy awards. “This makes the benchmark hollow.” For the small brands, Superbrands is a publicity tool. “But for big brands…I think they need to grow up,” says Desai.

Desai gives the example of Interbrand, a branding company that’s part of Omnicom and releases an annual ranking of the world’s most valuable brands. “It does not take money from the winners, and this makes Interbrand credible.”

For Dar, Superbrands is an intellectual book, a joy. Not a money-making machine. “Did you know that a Tata Salt factory somewhere in the wilderness has been converted into a bird sanctuary?” You will only find this information in Superbrands.