There may be innumerable big and small brands in India but only a handful know the art of forging a deep bond with the consumers. Let us first understand why brands from across the categories had to be consumer-friendly this year and how it’s important to stick to this approach in the long run. Apparently, 2011 has largely been a year of economic and political instability. The 2G scam continues to unfold, the rupee is depreciating, fuel prices are skyrocketing, the never-ending debates on FDI continue and India Inc is grappling with many internal issues. Bottom line: There is a trust deficit. In this scenario, it becomes all the more important for brands to project a consumer-friendly image.
?With a wide range of choices available to consumers today brand loyalty is very low. Being consumer-friendly not only ensures a higher brand loyalty but also positive word-of-mouth which is extremely crucial for any brand’s success in the market,? says Neeraj Garg, member of board and director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars. As part of one such consumer friendly initiative, the German auto company expanded its dealerships in Tier I and Tier II cities to make the buying experience of customers more enjoyable and after sales services more convenient.
The BrandWagon-Synovate Best Brands Survey 2011, therefore, looked at brands that were seen as the most consumer-friendly and Vodafone topped the list with 10.95% of the total votes. ?In today?s age of hyper competition, it’s a must for brands organisations to be consumer-friendly. Vodafone believes that consumer centricity (ie when the consumer becomes the centre point for all key decisions that the brand /organisation) is the key to become consumer-friendly. And this is possible only if you truly keep the consumer at the centre of the company, build trust , resolve customer issues with speed and simplify consumers’ experiences,? said a company spokesperson. He added, ?The 2G scam has created an adverse impact on the industry. Funding from banks has dried up. Even shareholder funding is adversely impacted. However, we don?t think consumer has lost faith in telecom. Consumers are more interested in the quality of network and service provided.? The company kick-started the year with the launch of Vodafone 3G. This was followed by Super Weeks which gave subscribers an experience of using data on their phones free of cost.
At number two was rival brand Airtel. ?As a brand for ?all people?, the Har ek friend zaroori hai (HFZ) campaign has successfully helped us underscore how brand Airtel is the choice for customers looking for best in class network, services, et al. Timed perfectly with Airtel?s title sponsorship association with India?s F1 foray, the success of HFZ has specifically helped Airtel reach out to the youthful audience?who are typically known to be early adopters of data and other technologies in general,? said an Airtel spokesperson.
The third and the fourth positions were taken by handset brand Nokia and consumer electronics brand Samsung, respectively.
?Changing lifestyles, greater awareness levels and early adoption of new products and technologies by consumers has contributed to the growth of the premium categories in the Indian market. At Samsung, our endeavour is to introduce products that offer superior value to consumers through consumer-friendly features, innovative technology and superior design,? said Elkana Ezekiel, CMO, Samsung India.
While banking and financial services brand ICICI took the fifth place, two mobile service provider brands ? Idea and Reliance Communications were at the sixth and seventh slot, respectively. Consumer electronics brands LG and Sony were at eighth and ninth position while automobile brand Tata Motors was at tenth place.