NEW DELHI: The value of effective crisis management has been demonstrated in the 2016 rankings of Brand Equity's Most Trusted Brands, as Maggi, the noodle brand pulled from the shelves in 2015, recovered from 95th to 25th position.
A year earlier, in 2014, the Nestlé-owned brand was India's most trusted food brand, sitting at fifth in the overall rankings. After the food scare, "The single biggest challenge was to get credibility and trust back," noted Suresh Narayanan, chairman & managing director, Nestle India.
The brand did that by playing on the fact that its products had been removed from the shops, focusing on how much some customers missed them. The #WelcomeBackMaggi campaign saw brand trust scores climb from just 2% back to 79% and Maggi regain its position as the leading instant noodle brand.
Brand Equity and Nielsen surveyed 6,595 respondents across India for the Most Trusted Brands rankings, evaluating their familiarity with 372 brands and asking them to respond to a series of statements that defined brand trust.
India's most-trusted brand remains Colgate. The toothpaste has successfully resisted the onslaught of challenger brands such as Patanjali, which offer ayurvedic products and promote the fact they are not produced by a multinational.
But Issam Bachaalani, managing director, Colgate-Palmolive (India), told the Economic Times that the company's products "Are made in India and for India ... 49% of our shareholders are Indian, we work with several non-profits and some of these things, we don't publicise".
In second place in the Brand Trust rankings was Samsung, another brand that has endured a difficult period after reports of battery problems with its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone that resulted in several catching fire.
Airtel, the mobile operator, Lifebuoy, the Unilever-owned soap brand, and State Bank of India rounded out the top five most trusted brands.
A year earlier, in 2014, the Nestlé-owned brand was India's most trusted food brand, sitting at fifth in the overall rankings. After the food scare, "The single biggest challenge was to get credibility and trust back," noted Suresh Narayanan, chairman & managing director, Nestle India.
The brand did that by playing on the fact that its products had been removed from the shops, focusing on how much some customers missed them. The #WelcomeBackMaggi campaign saw brand trust scores climb from just 2% back to 79% and Maggi regain its position as the leading instant noodle brand.
Brand Equity and Nielsen surveyed 6,595 respondents across India for the Most Trusted Brands rankings, evaluating their familiarity with 372 brands and asking them to respond to a series of statements that defined brand trust.
India's most-trusted brand remains Colgate. The toothpaste has successfully resisted the onslaught of challenger brands such as Patanjali, which offer ayurvedic products and promote the fact they are not produced by a multinational.
But Issam Bachaalani, managing director, Colgate-Palmolive (India), told the Economic Times that the company's products "Are made in India and for India ... 49% of our shareholders are Indian, we work with several non-profits and some of these things, we don't publicise".
In second place in the Brand Trust rankings was Samsung, another brand that has endured a difficult period after reports of battery problems with its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone that resulted in several catching fire.
Airtel, the mobile operator, Lifebuoy, the Unilever-owned soap brand, and State Bank of India rounded out the top five most trusted brands.
Data sourced from Economic Times; additional content by Warc staff
