Putting Derby 2014 in perspective

When we asked the senior marketing professionals as to what they felt worked for these successful launches, marketers ascribed different attributes for success of each brand. Apple iPhone 6 and Apple iPhone 6 Plus appealed due to a faster processor, good battery back-up, big screen, advanced technology etc. Samsung Galaxy Note4 was liked for its advanced features, design, value-for-money positioning and marketing strategy.

All automotive brands made the cut in their segments - Maruti Suzuki Ciaz scored on looks and mileage, Suzuki Gixxer is a big draw due to its sporty looks imagery and performance, Tata Zest has scored on spaciousness and external looks and Audi A3 has been rated high on trust and its Premium looks.

In the past too, all Brand Derby top launches have been high involvement, big ticket brands and have largely been from two categories - smartphones and automotives.

Akin to innovate or perish, the differentiating features of all new successful launches have been styling, size, advanced technology and performance, accompanied by good marketing strategy to build awareness and create consumer pull.

Business Standard (The Strategist) partnered with Ipsos, the world's third largest market research company, for the Brand Derby survey. Ipsos and earlier Synovate (Synovate merged with Ipsos in end of 2011 after its global acquisition by Ipsos) have been partnering with the newspaper for the past five years for this prestigious ranking study. A laundry list of all the new brand launches of 2014 was compiled by the Business Standard editorial team. A quantitative study was conducted using a structured questionnaire that was administered to mid-to-senior marketing professionals (work experience of seven years upwards) using face- to-face, via pen and paper interviewing methods. The cities covered were Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune and Hyderabad. The fieldwork was done from July 15-August 20, 2015.

Madhurima Bhatia, head, media engagement, Ipsos India