Maya jaal spreads far & wide!
Mayawati is sincerely working for creating a new caste combination

Mayawati’s dreams to occupy the Prime Minster’s chair in Delhi have got a ray of hope, when her party recently won the UP Assembly bypolls. Mayawati’s political outfit BSP was able to win the Swar Tanda (Rampur) and the Farrukhabad seats. That SP was able to retain its hold over Gunnar Assembly segments does not really worry Mayawati because she may have got the intuition that she is fast inching towards achieving her ultimate objective. Now that the queen of the Dalits has increased her seats tally to 211 in the 403-member UP Assembly, she is more confident of handling Delhi. Brimming with new found confidence, Mayawati is looking forward to mid-term Parliamentary elections. Political pundits are mooting the possibility of Mayawati with 100 plus Members of Parliament, becoming the next Prime Minster. And the lady on a mission is leaving no stone unturned to convert this into a reality.

Gone are the days when Dalit –Brahmin caste interests were considered irreconcilable. But Mayawati has defied history by casting the dye for an unbeatable caste combination. That the Brahmins are accepting to serve the Dalits is borne out by the fact that the Brahmins in Mayawati’s cabinet have shown no reluctance to touch Mayawati’s feet. “We will support any party, which shows us respect. The Brahmins had earlier supported the Congress & the BJP – if BSP treats us respectfully, we may render support to Mayawati also,” Pandit Mahesh Dutt Sharma, President Akhil Bhartiya Brahmin Mahashabha, told B&E How far this alliance travels, only time will tell. But one thing is certain, Mayawati’s stars are on the upswing & she is most likely to play a crucial role in central politics in the near future.

Soren blows siren..
...to inform one and all of his return

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren’s release from prison after being absolved by High Court in the murder of his personal secretary, Shashinath Jha, has stirred state’s politics. Chief Minister Madhu Koda is the first independent MLA in the country to have served as the Chief Minister for 300 days. The impact of Soren’s release was clearly visible in JMM candidate Suman Mahato’s victory in the Jamshedpur parliamentary bypolls.

Though Koda’s survival depends on support of 16 JMM legislators in a house of 80 MLAs, he isn’t perturbed. “I am heading a coalition of UPA constituents – JMM, RJD & Congress, besides some independents. If a decision has to be taken on change of leadership, it has to be in consultation with Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Shibu Soren”, Koda told B&E. Soren, so far, hasn’t given any indication of upsetting Koda’s applecart. “There is lot of scope for improvement. Government is not doing enough for people. But, I don’t intend to take over as CM. I will guide the state government from outside”, he told B&E. There is more reason for Koda to be confident for his survival as the main opposition BJP is in disarray with five MLAs having rebelled against the party. The loss in Jamshedpur parliamentary by-polls was caused by open campaign by husband-wife duo of Shailendra & Abha Mahato, both former BJP MPs, against party’s official nominee Dinesh Sarangi. Soren is not willing to reclaim his earlier job as Union Coal Minister either. With Jha’s relatives considering an appeal in the apex court, Soren intention to maintain a low profile seems to be a sensible decision. But that also means some more sunny days for Koda and more time to better his record.

4Ps power brand Awards 2007
4Ps B&M felicitates India’s 100 most valuable brands & top 30 automobile brands

There was a time when the number of brands in the Indian market place could be counted on one’s fingertips. No more! Liberalization and globalization have completely revolutionized the life and times of the Indian consumer, with a plethora of brands, both domestic and international, vying for shelf space. Recognizing the increasing power of brands in the Indian market place, 4Ps Business & Marketing (4Ps B&M), in association with The Indian Council of Market Research (ICMR), last year instituted the “India’s 100 Most Valuable Brands” award, published as an annual feature in a special issue of the magazine. Like last year, this year too 4Ps B&M organized a special function on 24th August 2007, to give away the awards to the most deserving brands, which have made momentous efforts to endear themselves to consumers over the past one year. Awards were also given away for the ‘Top 30 Automobile Brands of India’ on the occasion, published in another special issue of the magazine. e glittering awards ceremony, held at Hotel Intercontinental Eros in New Delhi saw the presence of the who’s who of corporate India, each looking to pick up their respective award. These awards have already become a much-coveted and popular yardstick to measure any brand’s accomplishments in the Indian milieu. Among those present on the occasion were… Ranjivjit Singh, CMO, Microsoft India Corporation; Lakshmikant Gupta, CMO, LG EIL; Kaushik Roy, President- Brand Strategy & Mktg. Communications, Reliance Industries; Alok Bhardwarj, VP Canon India; Smeeta Chakrabarti, Head of Operations, NDTV Group; R.Chandraseker, VP-Brand & Media, Airtel; P.Sam, Head-Sales & Marketing; Yamaha Motor India Pvt; Mayank Pareek, CGM-Marketing, Maruti Udyog; Kaushik Roy, President, Brand Strategy, Reliance Industries; Tatsuya Tsuchida, MD, Daikin India; Shoaib M. Farooqi, COO–Madura Garments; Srivals Kumar, VP, Star India Private Limited, Gullu Sen-Chief Creative Officer & Vice-Chairman, Dentsu Marcom, amid a slew of other management and marketing honchos.

“In less than two years, 4Ps B&M has become a favourite of marketers, advertising professionals and communicators. I hope these awards will further strengthenthe strong bond that is developing between us,” a beaming Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri, Editor-in-chief, Planman Media and Chairman, Planman Consulting, delightfully shared on the occasion. The celebration was accompanied by a breathtaking performance by the popular band, Channel V POPSTARS II, AASMA and was anchored by Nina Manuel. The 4Ps B&M and ICMR methodology for selecting the winners, both for ‘India’s 100 Most Valuable Brands’ and the ‘Top 30 Automobile Brands of India’, was painstakingly elaborate and diligent. For the latter, ICMR and 4Ps B&M conducted a unique three staged research, including both four wheelers (passenger vehicles, utility vehicles & MPVs) and two wheelers. The survey lists the top brands in the automobile category based on the customer’s opinion and dealer’s feedback on various parameters. The research was conducted in the five major cities of India namely Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Some prominent players amongst the four wheeler segment were Maruti Swift , Skoda Octavia, Mercedes C Class, Ford Fiesta, Honda Civic and Toyota Innova. Th e two wheeler segment on the other hand included Bajaj Pulsar DTS-i, Hero Honda Splendor, Honda Activa, TVS Apache, Bajaj Discover, Honda Eterno, Yamaha Gladiator and more.

For the survey on ‘India’s 100 Most Valuable Brands’, a comprehensive survey was conducted wherein virtually every major brand (across segments) in the country was considered and a list of 1057 brands was short listed. The selection was based on the growth, reach, demand and availability of the brand. Conit sumer preferences across five metros of India helped ICMR to take the survey to a final list of 150 brands. This was however not the end of the odyssey as these 150 brands were later analyzed based on the parameters of brand awareness, image & perception, brand loyalty, brand association and brand performance. Responses from over 6000 respondents across 9 cities were taken for the consideration and only then the final list of 100 brands was arrived at. Some of the brands that made to the top were Maruti, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, Nokia, Intel, Hero Honda, HP, Kingfisher Airlines and Microsoft , among others. The most coveted award for India’s most valuable brand, went to telecom major Airtel, which in a relatively short span of time, has made itself virtually a household name. The event was sponsored by All Cargo Global Logistics, Yamaha Motor India, Canon, Daikin, ICMR and energy drink ‘Power Horse’.