Methodology

The purpose of the award is to demonstrate to the business community that brands are intrinsic part of the organization and in many cases the single most valuable asset. This platform for Best Brands is thus shaped towards recognizing the successes of business community of Bangladesh and portraying there achievements. Bangladesh Brand Forum (BBF) has identified top 20 Brands of 2007 with an aim to acknowledge the brands that have established itself at height in consideration of both, value from business and consumer context, with an objective to setting a high standard in its genre.

The study was conducted in six divisions of Bangladesh covering both urban and rural areas. The study was national representative - includes people of different age, gender, education, occupation, socio economic class and income. Qualitative Case Study Analysis was conducted among the key business persons of the successful companies.

Research approach was both quantitative and qualitative.

In quantitative stage, face to face interviews were conducted. In qualitative part, depth interviews were conducted amongst the respondents of different age, gender and SEC.

In broad, the study covered 7 categories. Categories and its sub groups covered in the study are as follows:

- FMCG ( Fast Moving Consumer Goods)
- Telecom Service provider
- Mobile Handset
- Service
- Durables: Consumer Electronics
- Food & Beverage
- Financial Institution (Banks)

The key measure to derive top brands of Bangladesh was brand equity which was carried out through Nielsen’s “Winning Brands”. Winning Brands was developed in consultation with Professor Kevin Keller and Professor John Roberts, world leaders in brand equity thinking, and has since been applied in hundreds of studies with some of the world’s leading companies. Prof Ferhat Anwar of Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka, and Chief Advisor, Bangladesh Brand Forum has also given his insightful ideas regarding the methodology to suit Bangladesh needs.  Nielsen Winning Brands derives brand equity by asking 3 questions:

Favorite brand
Brand they would recommend
Willingness to pay premium

Brand Equity score is based on a scale of “0” to “10”. As per normative database of Nielsen all over the world, a BEI above “3” is regarded as strong brand. The study covered information on consumer profile, awareness, usage, preference, recommendation and pricing questions.

Qualitative depth interviews and case study analysis gave reasons behind being preferred and marketing and brand building activities of the companies/institutions.

Nielsen Retail Measurement Services (RMS) and product penetration data from Bangladesh Media and Demographic Survey 2008 (BMDS) were also analyzed to support the top brands of Bangladesh and enrich the study.