The events of 2020 might have come out of the lefteft field, but it awakened brands to the importance of future-proofing themselves against future ripples that could undo the fabric of society and industry with ease.
The inaugural edition of The Most Trusted Brands of India 2021, organised by Team Marksmen at The Sahara Star in Mumbai on 26th March, 2021, showcased a litany of brands, some established, some at a nascent stage of their incredible growth stories that have captured the public imagination and hearts.
These brands grabbed the spotlight in a gala evening function, with several eminent names in attendance, such as Vivek Oberoi; Perizaad Zorabian, Actor & Director, Zorabian Foods; legendary ad-man KV Shridhar (a.k.a. Pops), Global Chief Creative Officer, Nihilent Limited; Marzin Shroff, MD & CEO, Eureka Forbes; and many more.
The brands felicitated included [24]7.ai; Acko Insurance; American Express India; Aquaguard; Astral Pipes; Avery Dennison; Bharat Aluminium Co. Ltd; Baxium Healthcare; Bisleri International; BridgeLabz Solutions Private Limited; Bridgestone India Private Limited; Capital Numbers; Cashfree; Cello; Colgate Palmolive (India) Ltd.; Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd.; Cytiva; DELL Technologies; DHL Express India; Eupheus Learning; Flamingo; Freshworks; ICICI Prudential Asset Management; IDBI Intech; IDFC First Bank; Kalki Fashion; Mahindra Automotive; Metro Cash and Carry; Oswaal Books and Learning Private Limited; Patanjali Honey; Pepsi; PNB Housing; Renee Cosmetics; RMZ Corp; Shivaami Cloud; Sonalika Tractors; Sugar Cosmetics; Sundaram Mutual; Translumina Therapeutics; Utkarsh Small Finance Bank; Villain; Visaka Industries; Vivifi; V-Trans India Limited; WhatsApp; and Zorabian Chicken.
Addressing the media, Rajesh Khubchandani, CEO, Team Marksmen, lauded the brands whose achievements were immortalised in an exclusive coffee table book unveiled on the day. “Trust is that intangible, emotive value that is so hard to quantify, but holds so much value, making some brands stickier, more beloved and more trusted than others of its kind. I applaud all the brands showcased as The Most Trusted Brands of India 2021 and trust that their stellar achievements will inspire others to aspire for their benchmark of excellence. Long may their tribe thrive."
The research methodology
The list of brands felicitated was arrived upon after a survey was conducted by Allegiant Market Research. These brands were identified as perceived by channel partners and consumers in urban and rural (5 Lakh+ towns) India across select categories and select brands. The study was carried out in 15 cities (namely, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nasik, Patna, and Pune) with a total design sample size of 864 distributed among them. Respondents evaluated the brands on four key parameters, i.e., innovation, consistency in customer experience, value proposition, and advocacy.
Telephonic, WhatsApp, and Face-to-Face interviews were conducted with the target group with a structured questionnaire. Respondents evaluated brands they were familiar with. Each respondent could rate a maximum of 18 brands based on their familiarity levels.