NEW DELHI: The recently launched Brand Finale by the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has attracted over 150 nominations
of various brands from more than 90 companies for the annual ‘CII
Brand of the Year award’.
Media giants like TV Today, The Times of India group,
Ananda Bazaar Patrika group too are in the fray. Participation from
FMCG, pharma, healthcare and hospitality sectors come through brands
like Britannia, CavinKare, Dabur, Eveready Industries, Heinz, HLL,
ITC, Reckitt Benckiser, Berger Paints, Eletrolux, Godrej, ICI, Philips,
Whirlpool, Ranbaxy, Novartis, Nicholas Piramal, Dr Reddy’s, Apollo
Hospitals, ITC Hotels and Taj Hotels.
The petrochemical sector is represented by big guns
like Indian Oil, HPCL and Bharat Petroleum. Leading telecom brands
like Bharti Telecom, Hutchison and Reliance have also sent their nominations
for this award.
The auto and financial sector are represented by the
likes of Hero Honda Motors, Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor, Toyota, Ford, Maruti,
Tata Motors, ICICI, HDFC, SBI Life Insurance, IDBI, Life Insurance
Corporation.
Considering in this era of superior branding strategies where common
place products like steel, batteries, plastic and needles are being
translated into unique brand experiences, companies like Tata Steel,
Hi+Care Plastics, Nilkamal Plastics, Amara Raja, Exide and Needle
Industries have submitted their nominations for a place under the
sun. Even government organisations have pitched in with entries
from the like of Department of Tourism, Tamil Nadu government.
As the selection procedure entails a detailed qualitative analysis
across the country; Vertebrand Management Services has been appointed
by CII to execute an innovative 360-degree evaluation process. The
winner will be announced during the Brand Summit in February 2005
at Chennai.
