In tech, non-FMCG and FMCG categories, Amazon, Asian Paints and Tata Tea have been named the most purposeful brands in India 2021, according to a report by Kantar and BrandZ India.
Amazon is followed by the food delivery platform Zomato, Google-backed YouTube, food delivery platform Swiggy and Walmart-backed Flipkart in the technology category.
In the FMCG category, Tata Tea is followed by Surf Excel, Taj Mahal, Maggi, Parachute, Britannia. Asian Paints is followed by Jio, Samsung, MRF, Tata Housing and Airtel in the non-FMCG category.
Kantar BrandZ database for most Purposeful Brands of India for 2020 -- 21 covers 418 brand cases. In each case, brand perception and brand equity metrics were analysed across 30 categories and the data points were sourced from a total of over 12,000 respondents.
There are five key trends about the patterns that Indian consumers deemed purposeful in the year 2021 -- micro macro, tech brands, FMCG firms, non-FMCG brands, sustainable firms.
Deepender Rana, Executive Managing Director-South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar, says Brand Purpose is an anchor in the midst of constant uncertainty, both as a North Star for brands and as a reassurance to consumers. In India, the purpose of being a contributing factor to brand equity is 10 times more important than in the world. It shows that a larger societal purpose is more important for success for brands in India. He says that vague slogans and one-off 'corporate charity events do not work, and it is not about jumping on the bandwagon of the latest fashionable cause.
Consumer perceptions of good range and responsibility were highly correlated to strong brand purpose scores in this year.
Technology brands have been able to showcase a wide range of technology brands, and have been able to scale up and showcase a wide range of products and services.
It further states that FMCG brands that score high on the brand purpose' have shown that purpose and profit can go hand in hand. Such brands have worked to reduce their environmental impacts and promote social causes - which in turn attracts customers, partners, and talent.
Non-FMCG brands have been focused on marketing strategies that promote the brand in ways that are beyond the function of a product or service, according to the report.
Indian consumers, at par with many Asian counterparts, are actively engaged with sustainability, according to the report. It adds that 77 per cent of people are prepared to invest time and money in companies that try to do good.