It seems to have hit the jackpot: out of nowhere, apparently, Tata Salt goes straight to fourth position in the tables of India's Most Trusted Brands. The brand wasn't rated in the last Brand Equity survey, but heightened media activity and brand salience brought it into the sample - and it's come out with flying colours.

"It feels pretty good," says Prasad Menon, MD, Tata Chemicals, "We've put in a lot of effort last year." He's pleasantly surprised that his brand has done better than every single brand from marketing behemoth Hindustan Lever: "One would expect them to be on top," he says.

The brand has scored particularly high among older segments of our sample, with housewives and chief wage earners putting it at number one. It's an 18-year-old brand, and that heritage gave it an advantage during the mid-1990s, when branded competition in the salt market intensified. "Some things that Tata Salt stands for are purity, and value," says Menon. "Consumers always get the value that they expect."

The other important factor in the brand's image is, of course, the Tata name. "The general Tata umbrella brand has always implied trust," he adds. It's given the brand a 17-per-cent market share in the total branded salt market, though if only national brands are considered, that share is 38 per cent. Its closest competitor is HLL's Annapurna, with a 16 per cent share, according to the AC Nielsen Retail Audit.

In the last year, Menon says, Tata Chemicals has completely revamped its marketing network. It's presence in markets where it was weak - the south and east - has been beefed up. In the south, incidentally, Tata Salt receives its lowest ranking ever, falling to number 25. "Taking over marketing ourselves has improved the situation," says Menon. The company's not only improved penetration in weak markets, it's hired marketing professionals with an FMCG background to sharpen its brand focus.

This year will see the company spend about Rs 10 crore on advertising, between the Tata Salt brand and its south-specific Samundar brand, aimed at taking on local competition. It's been test-marketed last year, and is set to roll out across Tamil Nadu. The main brand is also poised for a relaunch, with new communication breaking on August 15, 2002.

Research has shown that though the brand has many lapsed users, they're quite happy to return, and recent heightened activity has pulled them back. "The loyalty factor is quite high," says Menon. So with more emotional communication, and activity across all media poised to take off, expect more of the same. "I hope it keeps moving forward at the same pace, and I'm confident it will," he says.

The Top Ten

1. Dettol
   
2. Britannia
   
3. Colgate
   
4. Tata Salt
   
5. Lux
   
6. Coca Cola
   
7. Pepsodent
   
8. Pond's
   
9. Pepsi
   
10. Thums Up