Samsung Mobile is India’s most desired brand: TRA Research

Korean electronics giant Samsung has trumped competitors to emerge at the top in TRA Research’s Most Desired Brands list for India.

The company bagged three ranks in the top 10. Its mobile phones grabbed the numero uno spot for the second time in a row. Samsung’s diversified consumer electronics division was placed at the third spot in the Top 20 list; it also bagged the seventh spot in the televisions category.

Samsung had also led TRA’s Most Desired list in 2013, 2015 and 2018.

Apple’s iPhone jumped one rank over the previous year to secure the second place among this year’s most desired list. In 2015, it had been placed at rank 290.

Sony TV, the GEC channel, made a debut in this year's list, rising by an impressive 594 ranks to occupy the fourth position, followed by Maruti Suzuki at the fifth sport.

Austin-based laptop maker Dell secured the sixth rank, while Amul Milk bagged the eight spot. Auto majors Honda Activa at ninth and Hyundai at the tenth spot followed sequentially. This year’s list has 394 new brand entries which did not feature in the last edition.

Featured among the top 1,000 of TRA’s Most Desired Brands are 30 from the Tata Group stable, with 10 category leaders, against 11 of Godrej with three category leaders.

Tatas’ sweep

“The Tata Group has been able to create iconic brands in unorganised territories,” N Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, told BusinessLine on the sidelines of the report launch. In the case of watches and jewellery, the brand has worked wonders with Titan Tanishq, making strong brands of them while riding on the Tata brand, he added.

Godrej, on the other hand, has capitalised on its FMCG strength, and has leaders in a narrow segment, he added. “Godrej is also rejuvenating its older brands like Cinthol with a new advertising thrust, to meet new-age consumer needs,” said Chandramouli.

The auto show

The automobile sector featured 75 brands in this year’s list, showing a similar trend to last year’s 76. However, a lot of turbulence under the surface was witnessed in the category, with 23 brand exits and 24 new entries, said Chandramouli.

“There is an evident shift in consumer choices due to changing preferences and economic uncertainty. In the last edition of the report, there were three tractor brands. That category has been totally eliminated this year. In the luxury and premium auto segment, this year there are six exits, leaving only 11,” he added.

In the commercial vehicle segment, Tata Motors held on to its first rank this year, while Mahindra Truck and Bus, too, stuck to its second position. Eicher and Ashok Leyland grabbed the third and fourth positions, respectively. Bharat Benz was at the fifth spot.

In the four-wheeler luxury automobile segment, three of the fiercely competitive German brands were fighting for top honours. Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi occupied the top three ranks, in that order. The fact that these brands are in a crowded market may mean that the consumer sees no meaningful differentiation, despite each attempting to drive home an unique positioning, said Chandramouli.

An interesting aspect pointed out at the event was that auto brands which have been doing well in sales were also showing up much higher on the desire quotient in TRA’s report.

“Among scooter brands, Honda Activa is seeing a huge surge in sales and also leads in the category,” said Chandramouli, “followed by TVS Scooty. In the overall scooter category, Honda leads Vespa, and we see new bestselling products from Vespa which have helped it to make it to the list this year. Hatchbacks are turning to be favourites this year as well, with seven featuring against four last year. Maruti Suzuki is head-to-head with Hyundai, showing heavy competition in the market as well as consumers’ desire.”