Nokia jumps to No 4 as most trusted brand

Three years ago, one wouldn’t have seen a mention of a mobile phone in the listings of India’s Most Trusted Brands. While Brand Equity’s annual survey has included handset brands since 2004, they were relegated to the bottom of the rankings. But three years is a long time, especially in a country that’s played host to one of the world’s most successful telecom revolutions. And this year, Nokia enters the Top 10, indeed the Top 5, displacing a bunch of venerable brands to claim the No 4 position. From a rank of No 71 in 2004, Nokia moved to No 44 in 2005. The brand, which has become synonymous with the rise of mobile telephony in the country, is now reaping the rewards of investing over a long time horizon. In some sense, one could consider Nokia’s rise indicative of “FMCGisation” of the mobile handset market. From a pure technology play, cellphones have become a lifestyle statement with customers going beyond technology, looking at quality, convenience and value for money. Nokia has been able to tap not just the bottom of the pyramid, but the entire consumer universe in India to create a leadership position. “India is not one market, but many markets of different complexities and dynamics and we have deployed all our latest thinking and business acumen in addressing the sizeable opportunities,” says Keith Pardy, Nokia Worldwide’s senior vice-president , strategic marketing. Pardy believes that by building its understanding of Indian consumers, Nokia has been able to create products that meet the needs of consumers across the spectrum, “whether that is the demand for high tech products like Nokia Nseries or the importance of durability and affordability for people living in more remote areas,” he adds.

For Nokia, India is currently the third largest market in terms of volume and Pardy believes that there’s still bigger potential in areas like mobility and internet. To maintain its leadership position in India, it’ll need to retain its fierce focus on consumer need states, and those of retail partners. Some of those efforts take the form of experiential marketing — through Nokia concept stores, Nokia mobile vans for the rural markets, investing in a robust infrastructure that will respond to customer queries promptly, or even through product innovation that allows consumers to ‘do more’ with their handsets with ease. In the near future, consumers can look forward to multimedia and internet offerings. The emergence of organised retail particularly mobile retailing is both an opportunity and challenge, according to Devinder Kishore, director marketing, Nokia India: “While it’s an opportunity to showcase the brand experience , the rise of a new channel also brings issues like negotiations, customised promotions and marketing initiatives,” he says. A lot of these come out of global synergies. Pardy says Nokia’s local and the global marketing teams have worked to create cutting edge campaigns for India. “The teams have worked together to come up with innovative ideas that are being used across India and will also be rolled out to other countries as well,” he says. The results of consistent efforts in distribution are that the Nokia brand is present across 80,000 outlets in the country. Its excellent showing in both the volume and value games reflect in the survey findings. In the top four metros — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai — Nokia figures in the Top 15 brands, with a No 2 position in Delhi and a No 6 position in Mumbai.

Source: Times News Network