Business Standard has a Brand Derby and in its 13th edition IPL and Nano won the honours of being the biggest brands in 2008.
A compact cricket tournament and a extra-compact car respectively. IPL is the top most brands followed by Tata Nano and Swift Dzire.
A small car that redefined frugal engineering and a carnival that promises to evergreen the gentleman’s game have won Business Standard’s 13th annual Brand Derby. The Nano and Indian Premier League have been voted the biggest brand launches of 2008 by top marketers of the country (BS).
Indian Premier League the microcosm of cricket. 8 teams 20 overs a side 3 hours match, 1 billion people watching and we have a $2bn enterprise. Who would have thought that? Best of all it is a money-spinner. RBI might have a new war chest for the foreign reserves IPL is ringing in.
The best part of IPL is nobody wins or loses. Everybody just makes money. I think that is what Indians like the most about it. If it is national team, which lose a tournament hearts, will be broken and people immediately call names. Not the same case with IPL.
There is no emotional attachment yet there is a lot of interest. Most importantly there is insane amount of money -enough money to spoil any other game in the country including cricket.
The environmental concerns, the traffic jams notwithstanding Tata Nano is the biggest brand of 2008. That in spite of not delivering on schedule and not selling even one car. The sheer notion that you can own a car for 1 lakh rupees just caught the frenzy of the nation. Did I say nation? Well it caught the frenzy of the world.
It was tough to get past an international magazine without the mention of Nano. For a month Nano became synonymous to India. Its commercial success is still pending as the first car was handed over only last week.
The biggest surprise of the Derby is the Swift Dzire. It has become a Seabiscuit beating much touted, much hyped iPhone 3G. Yes the ugly looking Swift with a boot piped sleek looking Apple iPhone.
So it is not about the looks. For something to be a success in India either brand wise or commercially you have to follow some parameters. This is the last time I am saying this to Apple.
Also, brands in product categories that consumers can touch and feel — automobiles, mobile communication devices etc — connect better with consumers and experts alike. Thus, there are five automobiles (the Nano, Swift Dzire, Hyundai’s i20, Tata Motors’ Sumo Grande and Maruti Suzuki’s A-star) and three mobile phones (Blackberry Storm, Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic and Apple iPhone 3G) on the Derby list.
Blackberry Storm and Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic are the other 2 brands. New York Time has put the storm story very succinctly. There is no keypad and you call this a Blackberry. But for some reason Indians like the Blackberry with a touch screen.
That was 2008. What do you think would be the biggest brands of 2009? Please don’t say twitter or Rakhi ka Swayamvar.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
A Indian EGO booster list no doubt :D
Nano no doubt has been a stepping stone in showcasing India at the global stage big time (for making something small:)
IPL is no doubt a money spinner, but then its in infancy now.moreover, no match when it comes to the likes of soccer clubs like MU,Chelsea
Interesting to see Swift Dzire beat IPhone.However, i wonder how was the comparison made?? Can u please throw some light on it
Tata Nano created buzz as $2000 car. I am sure it helps in the sales. The real test is, 1yr from now what will the consumers be saying?
I think I have some apprehensions like when people see a “mini”. But even a mini seems bigger than a Nano to my eyes!
Being in such a small car, I am worried about safety like probably thousand others. When there is a collision on the street, will Nano become micro-nano?
How fast can it go without toppling over? Am I not even ready to bet money on the Tata motor stock based on this car, let alone my life to sit in a Nano. Any thoughts?
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