Microsoft, BMW, Google, Apple, Adidas, Mercedes, Audi, Disney, Sony, IBM – in that order, rank as India’s top 10 most desirable brands, according to a study titled Brand Desire, conducted by Clear, the brand consultancy arm of M&C Saatchi group.
According to the survey, Indian consumers identify and opt for brands that embody success and achievement, among which luxury, technology and media brands rank high. With a huge growth in middle class consumption and income levels, brands are speaking a language of achievement, success and pride in their brand code. Indians are beginning to desire brands that are confident, modern and ambitious; brands that celebrate success and show you have ‘made it’ in life.
Old is gold
While most of these desirable brands are new to the Indian market, a set of them have been around for decades and have been ingrained in the consumers’ psyche, these include Cadbury’s in food and drink, Johnson & Johnson in personal care, Taj Hotels in leisure, Dettol in home care and Complain in health care.
Charlotte Wilkinson, MD of Clear – Singapore, explains this phenomenon of brand loyalty, “One of the key things we see is that hard working and reliable are core traits desired by Indians – which means that brands like Cadbury and Dettol who demonstrate that they have stuck around through good times and bad are reliable. These brands equally have constantly innovated to keep up with changing needs of society so although established in brand heritage are also modern and exciting in terms of what they offer consumers.”
So more than flaunt it is the success quotient of the brand that attracts Indian consumers. Wilkinson explains, “Brands like Apple and BMW show that being ambitious and hardworking is one of the key attributes that drives this success factor. From what we see vs other markets in Asia, Indians believe in hard work and not just overnight success. The most desired brands, thus, also show more considered demonstration of success rather than the ‘bling’ factor.”
National traits affect brand consumption
The survey, which was conducted across six nations covering 22,000 respondents and 555 brands, tries to gauge the differences and similarities in the consumer perception between China and India. Almost 5,000 consumers were covered in these two markets. It was found that brand promises and brand personalities that consumers in India and China are attracted to may not be quite what global brands currently realise.
The findings further reveal that despite being culturally different, many brands approach both nations in similar ways, targeting those who have increasing disposable income and aspirations with similar branded propositions.
One common ground is that consumers in both these markets are attracted to brands that display confident, ambitious and modern personalities, since both increasingly demand for products from the West.
However, there also exist clear differences in the ‘qualities’ consumers seek in brands. While Chinese consumers prefer brands that are fun and carefree, and allow them to express their own style, Indian consumers desire brands that are hard-working and practical.
It’s family time
Does that mean there is no place for fun brands in India? Wilkinson interestingly points out that though Disney in India is a great example of a fun brand that does well, it is because it builds on strong family values that it does so well. “A brand that is just about fun would be seen as frivolous and therefore not reliable enough to be desired long-term in India,” she asserts. She reasons that brands like Cadbury’s and Disney have done much better in India than in other markets because they have tapped in well to traditional Indian values of family being important.
Not just that brand reliability and value play a bigger influence than their price points. She also thinks that home grown brands would drive the growth of the market further.
Consumer experience counts
So the MD suggests that apart from advertising, the whole brand experience across all touch points is critical. “From what we see its where many brands fail, they advertise to build awareness but don’t translate well enough the same brand centric ideas across all touch points – which means efforts are half hearted. If you take Apple as an example though – simply their reputation alone is enough to have queues forming around stores for a new product even if, let’s face it, we know that the iPhone is not the best phone in the world with glitches and notoriously bad battery life, and the next gen will be out within 12 months of you spending $1,000 on your coveted phone,” she elaborates. The MD feels that brands need to look more at their whole mix, from how their staff speak and do, activities they become involved in and of course all the more tangible consumer touch points like packaging, stores rather than looking at everything in silos.
Too many markets but one brand promise
Looking at the differences in market aspirations and expectations, it is indeed a challenge for global brands to build a consistent brand image that works across different markets. “Being single minded about what the brand stands for makes it easier to focus on getting that right all the time – meaning consistency is much easier to maintain. One brand, WWF, an NGO has done very well worldwide because it is clear about what it stands for, all of their staff are passionate about protecting wildlife and every activity they do is connected with spreading this simple message,” Wilkinson sums up.
According to the survey, Indian consumers identify and opt for brands that embody success and achievement, among which luxury, technology and media brands rank high. With a huge growth in middle class consumption and income levels, brands are speaking a language of achievement, success and pride in their brand code. Indians are beginning to desire brands that are confident, modern and ambitious; brands that celebrate success and show you have ‘made it’ in life.
Old is gold
While most of these desirable brands are new to the Indian market, a set of them have been around for decades and have been ingrained in the consumers’ psyche, these include Cadbury’s in food and drink, Johnson & Johnson in personal care, Taj Hotels in leisure, Dettol in home care and Complain in health care.
Charlotte Wilkinson, MD of Clear – Singapore, explains this phenomenon of brand loyalty, “One of the key things we see is that hard working and reliable are core traits desired by Indians – which means that brands like Cadbury and Dettol who demonstrate that they have stuck around through good times and bad are reliable. These brands equally have constantly innovated to keep up with changing needs of society so although established in brand heritage are also modern and exciting in terms of what they offer consumers.”
So more than flaunt it is the success quotient of the brand that attracts Indian consumers. Wilkinson explains, “Brands like Apple and BMW show that being ambitious and hardworking is one of the key attributes that drives this success factor. From what we see vs other markets in Asia, Indians believe in hard work and not just overnight success. The most desired brands, thus, also show more considered demonstration of success rather than the ‘bling’ factor.”
National traits affect brand consumption
The survey, which was conducted across six nations covering 22,000 respondents and 555 brands, tries to gauge the differences and similarities in the consumer perception between China and India. Almost 5,000 consumers were covered in these two markets. It was found that brand promises and brand personalities that consumers in India and China are attracted to may not be quite what global brands currently realise.
The findings further reveal that despite being culturally different, many brands approach both nations in similar ways, targeting those who have increasing disposable income and aspirations with similar branded propositions.
One common ground is that consumers in both these markets are attracted to brands that display confident, ambitious and modern personalities, since both increasingly demand for products from the West.
However, there also exist clear differences in the ‘qualities’ consumers seek in brands. While Chinese consumers prefer brands that are fun and carefree, and allow them to express their own style, Indian consumers desire brands that are hard-working and practical.
It’s family time
Does that mean there is no place for fun brands in India? Wilkinson interestingly points out that though Disney in India is a great example of a fun brand that does well, it is because it builds on strong family values that it does so well. “A brand that is just about fun would be seen as frivolous and therefore not reliable enough to be desired long-term in India,” she asserts. She reasons that brands like Cadbury’s and Disney have done much better in India than in other markets because they have tapped in well to traditional Indian values of family being important.
Not just that brand reliability and value play a bigger influence than their price points. She also thinks that home grown brands would drive the growth of the market further.
Consumer experience counts
So the MD suggests that apart from advertising, the whole brand experience across all touch points is critical. “From what we see its where many brands fail, they advertise to build awareness but don’t translate well enough the same brand centric ideas across all touch points – which means efforts are half hearted. If you take Apple as an example though – simply their reputation alone is enough to have queues forming around stores for a new product even if, let’s face it, we know that the iPhone is not the best phone in the world with glitches and notoriously bad battery life, and the next gen will be out within 12 months of you spending $1,000 on your coveted phone,” she elaborates. The MD feels that brands need to look more at their whole mix, from how their staff speak and do, activities they become involved in and of course all the more tangible consumer touch points like packaging, stores rather than looking at everything in silos.
Too many markets but one brand promise
Looking at the differences in market aspirations and expectations, it is indeed a challenge for global brands to build a consistent brand image that works across different markets. “Being single minded about what the brand stands for makes it easier to focus on getting that right all the time – meaning consistency is much easier to maintain. One brand, WWF, an NGO has done very well worldwide because it is clear about what it stands for, all of their staff are passionate about protecting wildlife and every activity they do is connected with spreading this simple message,” Wilkinson sums up.