Ownership: Where Are The Indian Brands?

Of the top 50 brands in India, none in the top five are Indian brands. Only one in the top 10, four in the top 15, six in the top 20, and 23 in the top 50 are Indian brands. By Indian brands I mean brands owned by companies that are controlled and predominantly owned by Indians. Thus, while global brands owned by TNCs tend to dominate the Indian brand scene, entry for new TNC brands is likely to be extremely difficult.

There are several reasons why Indian brands do not dominate the Indian scene. Brands have not been sufficiently recognised as a major corporate asset by many Indian firms. Strong and sustained investment in an intangible concept like advertising or brand building has been considered neither necessary, nor appropriate. It is mainly after Indian firms realised what values TNCs were willing to pay for Indian brands after the opening up of the economy in 1991 that the value of brand building really sank in.