Nokia the most trusted brand in India!

As an oasis in the middle of a desert, there is some very good news for Nokia. It is the most trusted brand in India. The brand equity is not just based on mobile handset makers which are dime a dozen in India, but it is based on all conceivable brands, 16000 to be precise, which are prevalent in India. Of these 16,000 brands, the top 300 brands have been named and include names like Mahatma Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar and Aamir Khan. Now you know this is no small feat for Nokia. This rankings are part of a survey by Trust Research Advisory (TRA). The report took 2310 participants, 4 months and 10000 hours of field work to prepare. Full reports costs Rs. 4350.

Other notable consumer electronic brands in the list :

1. Sony (3rd position)
2. LG (4th position)
3. Samsung (5th position)

Many might mistake it for an Indian brand, but Finland based Nokia is almost synonymous to mobile phone in India. It’s ‘roti, kapada aur Nokia’ for many and Nokia has worked hard to build that brand. There are customers who are loyal to Nokia and recommend Nokia phones and vouch for its reliability. Every brand is known for something and Nokia for the most part is known for its long battery life. Though there are phones which came to existence to beat Nokia in the marathon battery section.

This is Nokia. This is standard. That thing we are not sure.

Let me narrate an incident which happened when we went out to buy a phone for someone I know. The intention was to buy Micromax’s Bling. It’s  the cute looking white phone with swivel action, which is more of a style statement and less of a phone. We have looked at Bling and several other phones, including few from Nokia. We never bought Bling nor a Nokia phone but the comment by the salesperson has struck me the most. This is what he said :

“Bling : This phone we are not sure. It looks good and all but it is like sloshing Rs. 5500 down the drain. Take anything from Nokia. They are good, sturdy and worth the money.”

I don’t necessarily agree or disagree with his comment about Bling, but about Nokia, I must say I have to agree. The upstarts have challenged, bruised and eaten away much of Nokia’s share. Yet Nokia continues to be a reckoning force in India. Nokia just need to  replay its success story.

Image credit : Jeff Clinton