Page 45 - BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands 2015

TOP 50 MOST VALUABLE INDIAN BRANDS 2015
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Consumers hospitable
to new ideas, brands
It’s not that India hasn’t been known for its entrepreneurs. It’s just that they’ve often lived in Silicon Valley. That’s beginning to change for several reasons. First, what’s more appealing to an entrepreneur than a fast growing market? And no major market currently is growing faster than India. Second, India has always made room for entrepreneurs. More than half of the BrandZM India Top 50 brands are privately held, and entrepreneurs launched many of them. About a quarter of the BrandZM India Top 50 brands are owned by entrepreneurial Indian family conglomerates with names like Aditya Birla, Bajaj, Bharti, Mahindra, Reliance and Tata.
INCLUSION
Brands are expected to be agents of social improvement in India Creating a more inclusive society
is a key aspect of India’s national agenda. It primarily means extending greater opportunity to those who have been historically excluded because of poverty, low social
status or geographic inaccessibility. But other formerly disenfranchised groups are being embraced, such
as the diferently-abled. This Indian term itself signals a mentality that’s more progressive in its emphasis
on diferent abilities rather than disabilities. Brands are expected to be agents of social change in India. In this case, progressive advocacy expressed in product ofer and communication, can also strengthen customer bonds.
MOBILE
CSR is a requirement, reaches large audience not an elective option
Innovative
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
communication
Mobile is another instance where India
is similar to other markets, but also diferent. In India, mobile is not just a device for personal communication, it’s part of the national agenda to link the nation and provide more equal access to health care, education and government services. Mobile is particularly suited
for reaching the roughly 70 percent
of India’s population that lives in rural areas and is not always easily reached with traditional media. In an innovative marketing development, Hindustan Unilever launched its own radio station available through the mobile phone. People can listen to the station free
of charge by giving a missed call to
a number. Unilever gains customer contact details and can target ads. Banks use mobile to reach the unbanked as well as the new generation customers with apps that combine inancial transactions and social messaging.
In many western markets Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) remains the philanthropic giving that appears in the annual report, sometimes as bolted on initiatives disconnected from corporate purpose and strategy. In India, CSR is much more connected to the corporate mission. In the individualistic western tradition, CSR and higher purpose usually are embraced when they serve the primary corporate goal of enhancing shareholder value. In India, with more
of a balance between individual and communal welfare, companies are expected to serve not only the interests of their shareholders, but also of the nation. CSR spending isn’t an elective option. The Indian government mandates it. Ultimately, building the nation helps grow shareholder value by creating the wealthier, better educated population necessary for a consumer society.
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