- Jio ranked second moving up one rank from the previous year.
- Digital payments company Paytm was the new entrant on the list ranking third.
- The study assessed over 100 brands on their influence in each country.
American search giant Google trumped native brands like Reliance-owned Jio, and digital payments company Paytm to once more become the country’s most important brand in 2018, per a study by analysis firm Ipsos.
Google has stayed to its most-influential spot for the fourth year in a row, Ipsos noted. Ipsos studied brands on 5 parameters of influence–leading edge, trustworthiness, engagement, company citizenship and presence. Ipsos sought-after opinions of 1,000 internet users in India for the study that globally spanned seventeen countries and 34,500 citizens. The study assesses over a hundred brands on their influence in every country.

Google has held onto its most influential spot, four years in a row, “defining benchmarks in providing excellence in engagement, emotional connect and aiding in creating smarter selections,” Ipsos said in its report.
Home-grown mobile service provider to handset marketer, Jio, ranked second moving up one rank from the previous year; digital payments company Paytm was the new entrant on the list ranking third; followed by social media platform, Facebook. American e-commerce company Amazon lost 3 spots to come back at the 5th spot this year, followed by South Korean telephone set maker Samsung, Microsoft, Airtel, Flipkart and Apple (iPhone), Ipsos noted.

Clearly, technology brands reigned high on the list, particularly as India’s sensible phone penetration, the second-highest within the world, helps users access additional technology and digital brands. “Brands that have bagged high honors in influence square measure all technical school brands that square measure half in a vital and intrinsic part in consumers’ lives,” said Vivek Gupta, the decision maker (Business Head, Mumbai), Ipsos India. Another commonality among the highest 5 brands, said Gupta, is that the “very high frequency of interaction, proximity and utility in consumers’ lives.”
Ipsos shortlisted brands on the idea of their quality and high advertising spends. The study covers targeted market segments and classes like airlines, auto, BFSI, digital/ social media, FMCG, fuel, media, online retail, QSR, technology and telecom.