There something about Digital Brands: Buzzing away to glory

If it wasnot for the TATA entry at no.6, the 7 most buzzing brands in India would all have been New age/ Digital/ Electronic brands. This is according to the top 50 list of most buzzing brands in india released by Afaqs.

For the third successive year, Airtel retains the crown of the most buzzing brand. All that marketing spend with SRK, Saif, Kareena, A R Rehman, Madhavan and Vidya Balan is showing there on the top. For a brand selling something as competitive and undifferentiated as air time, Airtel has used all its resources to stay well on top for three years.

If Airtel used its marketing muscle to stay on top, Facebook and Google didnot even move a single muscle. No budgets in marketing what so ever. And Facebook did come ever so close to Airtel. There may be a lesson here, Web 2.0 brands may after all be very independent from the traditional modes of marketing. User Involvement and innovation may be the key in here.

I had blogged sometime back on "What an Idea, sirjee". Appears that the junta under its new founded citizen activism mantra identifies with the campaign and the brand is buzzing high up at No.4. Nokia keeps itself at No 5 and losses a few votes. But, as a company, it backs itself in hard times to come out stronger. You cannot count them out.

A legacy brand 120 years old is as relevant to India as ever. In news because of its Jaguar and Land Rover deals, Tata moves up two notches. As proven by Taj, which comes into No 9 from nowhere a good brand can capitulate on a painful 26/11 thing. To Tata, and to Indianness, These brands keep buzzing1

Hutch was in the top 5 for two years before it went crashing out for a year. After a hiatus of an year, Vodafone crashes in top 10 and the way it is for this brand, it looks like it will surely eye the 6 spots ahead of it next year.

Time of India holds itself steady though it looses a spot. News in India is the Times!

Inspite of being in news through out the year, Kingfisher and Reliance go down by 9 spots on the buzzing brands! Well, India surely believes Buzzing brands need more than bikini ladies and Fisichella force to keep them buzzing. Aint it Mr Mallya? Alsomissing in action is our local brand university, HUL and its power brands. HUL would be dissapointed.

Virgin with its youthy ads seem to have caught some attention here. In a very short time, Virgin really has gathered some insights, which makes it identiable with the youth population in India.

In a high Top of the mind category, Coke seems to have shut itself off from big time advertising and that is showing in there. Refer to Pepsi with its Ranbir - Deepika and Dhoni company which has done somewhat better. Expect Aamir to be back prime time with his Chota Coke or what ever now. Speaking of Aamir, Samsung seems to be getting its act in order with its huge jump in spots.

What ever happened to Maggi, a young India favourite, which has fallen dismally!

One opinion, however controversial in here is that the Afaqs missed listing a big one! This is Brand Satyam. Whether for good,bad or ugly reasons, Satyam has generated more buzz than the whole of the top 5 put together!