The total value of India’s top 100 brands has increased by 2%, from US$162.1 billion in 2020 to US$164.9 billion in 2021. This uplift in brand value over the course of the first year of the pandemic is an impressive feat given the global economic crisis following the implementation of national lockdowns in March 2020, when business activity was brought to a halt, affecting both production and consumption. The current national health emergency is trying India once again and the country’s top brands will be essential to help the economy rebound.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the resolve of the best Indian brands. Sectors including IT, healthcare, utilities, chemicals, edutech, banking, and construction have proved their efficiency in supporting the national economy. This, paired with the government and the Reserve Bank of India monetary and fiscal policy measures, has helped support vulnerable firms and households, expand service delivery, cushion the impact of the crisis over the course of last year, and establish a benchmark for this year’s response.

TATA Group in league of its own TATA Group has retained the title of India’s most valuable brand by a considerable lead with a brand value of US$21.3 billion. Operating in more than 100 countries across six continents and employing over three-quarters of a million people, TATA Group is a force to be reckoned with on the global stage. With 30 companies under the TATA Group umbrella, ranging from Tata Steel and Tata Motors to TCS and Tata Consumer Products, the brand has managed to protect itself from COVID-19 damage – this year recording a 6% uplift in brand value.

There are eight further conglomerate brands in the Brand Finance India 100 2021 ranking, which account for over a quarter of the total brand value, making it the most valuable brand category in India. Reliance Industries (up 9% to US$8.1 billion) and Mahindra Group (down 6% to US$5.4 billion) sit in 4th and 9th place, respectively.