Local brands steal the show

Local companies are increasingly winning the hearts of consumers and it was evidenced again at the Bangladesh Brand Forum’s Best Brand Awards yesterday where a local company topped the chart of the country’s most-loved brands.

This year, bKash, Bangladesh’s most popular mobile financial service provider, emerged as the best out of 100 brands that were recognised as the finest and popular products in the country.

Ispahani Mirzapore, a tea brand of Ispahani Group, last year scooped the top position of the best brand award for the first time as a local brand. This year, the popular tea brand secured the fourth position.

RFL Plastics took the second spot and Radhuni the third at the Best Brand Awards at Le Méridien Dhaka, organised in partnership with Nielsen Bangladesh and in association with The Daily Star.

Of the top 10 brands, six were local, in a reflection of the growing strength of home-grown companies. This was the first time, four out of the top five brands were home-grown.

Some 100 brands were recognised in 34 categories at the 11th edition of the award. The winners were picked based on a direct survey of 4,000 consumers across the country. This year Nielsen Bangladesh, assisted by Nielsen South Asia, added parameters that have made the study more robust.

Transcom Beverage, the sole franchisee of PepsiCo in Bangladesh, won the top award for 7up in the carbonated soft drink category like the previous year. Lux was the most-loved toilet soap. Rin Power Bright, Surf Excel and Wheel – all of them are brands of Unilever – became the most-preferred laundry products.

In the shampoo category, Sunsilk retained the top spot. Closeup was recognised as the top oral care brand and Parachute Advanced as the top hair oil. Lifebuoy Liquid Handwash won in the hand-wash category.  

Fair & Lovely bagged the accolade in the fairness cream and lotion category and Samsung won the top position in the best mobile handset segment.

Shwapno was the most-loved superstore again. Harpic was the best toilet cleaner and Senora clinched the top honour in the sanitary napkin category.

Dano, Pran Frooto, Grameenphone, ACI Aerosol, Orsaline-N, Berger, Fresh, Olympic, MUM, Teer Sugar, Akij Cement, Pran Milk Candy, Rupchada Soyabean Oil, Speed, Apex, BSRM, Bashundhara Tissue, and Walton were recognised in different categories.

The organiser also recognised five brands that have performed consistently and made it to the top in the decade-long journey of the award. They are Parachute Advansed Hair Oil, Lux, Grameenphone, Sunsilk, and Closeup.

Nazia Andaleeb Preema, director of the Bangladesh Brand Forum and president of the Women in Leadership, Prasun Basu, president of Nielsen South Asia, and Sudeep Chatterjee, managing director of Nielsen Bangladesh, spoke at the event.

The Marketing Society of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Creative Forum, Aamra Network, and Advanced Technology & Ideas Ltd are the partners of the award.