- Out 392 brands introduced in a questionnaire form which is reviewed by Nielson and Economic Time’s team – comes up with India’s most trusted brands of 2019-20.
- There were 2200 respondents from 4 metro cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata & Chennai.
- For some reason, Reliance or Jio is not on the top 10 list.
Products are there to make customer’s life easy, joyous and safe. Similarly, brands are there in the market to give customers a reason to pick their products out of many choices.
But how does one know that the brand he/she prefers is one of the most trusted brands? To make things easy, Brand equity rolled out a list of India’s most trusted brands of this year and for some reason, Reliance and Jio are not on the top 10 list.
Respondents ranged from a chief wage earner to younger males and females. He brands were divided into 11 panels with an equal chance of exposure across the set of respondents. To view the methodology ET Brand Equity’s survey, please click here.
Let’s see who is on the list of top 10 most trusted brands of Indians. While its nearly impossible to step into the psyche of respondents, but we’ll try and throw some light on what made these brands reserve the topmost place on the list.
Most Trusted Brands of Indians – The List –
Cadbury Dairy Milk –
Although it’s just a chocolate brand it did a lot more than just selling different kinds of chocolates. Cadbury Dairy Milk changed the meaning of sweets in India.
A typical Indian family pays its tributes by offering sweets to the host of the party. Indian sweets have always been preferred over anything when it comes to gift on special occasions.
But with hyperactive advertising and celebrity endorsements, Cadbury Dairy Milk kept on reminding Indians, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye!
And slowly, you could see a small box of Cadbury celebrations along with a box of sweets is kept on the table which the guests have offered.
Then once again, the chocolate brand suggested ‘Kuch meetha hai khaana aaj pehli taareq hai!’ Salaried people know the happiness of 1st day of every month! This time Cadbury insisted Indians also have a bar of chocolate when you get the happy news on the 1st of every month.

Let’s not forget Cadbury’s regular reminders during festival seasons and especially during Rakshabandhan.
Although the product is really simple – a bar of chocolate. But how come this brand is the most trusted brand of Indians? Well, it’s because of its gentle and sweet reminders along with years of existence!
From the smallest Kirana shop to India’s most sophisticated super-markets, every chocolate shelves present in stores mandatorily has Cadbury products in it.
WhatsApp –
Almost every Indian is familiar with this social media platform – WhatsApp! It has become a synonym for SMSs. If you have an android phone, you are eligible to download India’s favorite messaging app.
Sending text messages was just the starting then came the facility to create a small group, have online video and voice calls and flaunt your outings as you upload your photos and videos on your WhatsApp status.
However, from time to time questions have been raised on how secured the platform is but with its 2 billion user base worldwide, and not less than 400 million active users in July last year clearly explain that people are not hesitating to communicate through WhatsApp.

India is also said to be one of the largest markets for WhatsApp. How can WhatsApp not be on the list of most trusted brands of Indians?
Good Day –
What can probably be the first ritual of the day for most Indian families? Well, it’s relaxing in balconies going through headlines and sipping on a morning tea. Besides the tea-cup kept are some sweet biscuits that complete the tea.

To make their day good, Indians dip crispy Good Day biscuits in their hot tea and enjoy the morning sunshine, Good days biscuits come from a 128-year-old FMCG company, Britannia.
The brand slowly went on the shelves of the kitchen as chocolate cookies as well apart from completing morning tea. With more than 9 variants of Good Day – it is one of the most trusted brands of Indians.
Facebook –
This doesn’t need an introduction! A social media platform that has been lingering for around 16 years. From Brazilians to Ukrainians – the world is connected through Facebook.
With time the social media platform went big and only big. From playing multiplayer skilled games to selling kinds of stuff on its marketplace, Facebook is creating a whole new universe of social media features on its virtual platform.
Colgate –
Brushing teeth is not a joke. The oral care market accounts for about 16% of the FMCG markets in India. In 2017, Colgate alone ruled the oral care market in India with a market share of 53%.
We wouldn’t want our breath to smell like a stinking sock when we go outright? This is why Colgate has taken the responsibility to gift white teeth and fresh air with 2-minute brushing session with its toothpaste.
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, toothpowder, mouthwashes to the whitening of teeth – Colgate is there to solve every oral and dental issue. I’m sure you are not aware of this fact that Colgate-Palmolive is around 214 years. With so many years of existence, Colgate-Palmolive is not only one of the most trusted brands of Indians but everywhere the brand has its presence.
Dettol –
I’m sure these days the brand you’re most close to is Dettol! During covid-19 times, Dettol comes with a surety to sanitize your hands and home.
Soaps, liquid handwash, antiseptic liquid, body wash, shaving foam, kitchen gel, disinfectant liquids – Dettol is there for you to save from germs and infections to give you and your family a 360-degree safeguard.
Amul –
Anand Milk Union Limited – A brand that is not only known for its dairy products. Its cartoon figure of a small girl is recognizable worldwide.
Milk, cheese, butter, ice creams, ghee, paneer and what not1 for 73 years, Amul has been taking care of daily dairy needs of the Indians. Read our case study on Amul to know why it is the most trusted brand of Indians.
Parle-G –
G for Genius isn’t it? For 91 years, Parle-G has been with us in our snacks, morning breakfast. Biscuits rich in healthy content is India’s top choice in biscuits.
Horlicks –
Milk is just milk if it’s not mixed with Horlicks. Usually, we don’t like to drink plain warm milk because of its plain taste. But thanks to Horlicks to making it chocolatey and tasty enough to lick the last drop of the milk.
Horlicks offers its powder for young babies, women, and health-conscious people who are looking for some extra proteins in their glasses of milk.
Fevicol –
Last on the list of top 10 most favorite brands of Indians is our very own Fevicol! Let’s thank Fevicol for its amazing sticky properties. From a carpenter to teens, everyone relies on Fevicol when they need to fix two things up!
Summing Up:
So these were 10 most trusted brands of Indians put forward by ET’s Brand Equity. To view the top 100 list, click here.
But after going through the list, one thing is clear – to become the most trusted brands of Indians it’s not only necessary to come up with a superstar product, it’s also necessary to stay in the minds of customers and audience through its evergreen advertising and campaigns.