MUMBAI: IT giant Infosys is the lead brand in India while salt-to-software conglomerate Tata occupies the second spot, according to a survey.

In fact, seven out of the top ten brands in India are native firms. Though global conglomerate Google is ranked third, Maruti-Suzuki and Larsen & Toubro walk away with the fourth and fifth positions, ahead of Nokia. State Bank of India is ahead of Facebook, which ranks eighth.

The surprise is that global giants such as Microsoft, Apple and GE fail to make it to the list of top 20 brands in India.

 
The research that was conducted by research consultancy firm GlobeScan for TLG‘s Index of Thought Leaders 2011 says, "India has greater conviction about the leadership credentials of indigenous companies than in the UK; over half of the companies are privately owned or listed in India."

The research also underlines that the value of joint ventures (JV) to foreign entrants hoping to crack emerging markets, such as India, is very apparent. Of the foreign firms in the top 20, half of those can be viewed as JVs, such as Maruti-Suzuki (4), Hindustan-Unilever (9), and Hyundai Motor India (20).

 
Moreover, the study claimed that ‘Thought Leaders‘ in India are not confined, or defined, by sectors; the Index covers everything from ICT to ‘heavy‘ industry to pharmaceuticals, to financial services.

The respondents to the survey were asked to identify corporate brands with the power to change the attitudes and behaviour of consumers, employees or politicians -- defined as "Thought Leaders".

GlobeScan Inc Top 20 List for Indian Market:

1.
Infosys Technologies
2.
Tata Group
3.
Google India
4.
Maruti-Suzuki
5.
Larsen & Toubro
6.
Nokia
7.
State Bank of India
8.
Facebook
9.
Hindustan-Unilever
10.
Mahindra
11.
Hero-Honda Motors
12.
LIC of India
13.
Bharti Airtel
14.
ONGC
15.
Aditya-Birla Group
16.
The Oberoi Group
17.
HDFC Bank
18.
Dr. Reddy‘s Laboratories
19.
Ranbaxy Laboratories
20.
Hyundai Motor India