http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/TOI-is-one-of-Indias-buzziest-brands-again/rssarticleshow/4152334.cms
TOI is one of India's buzziest brands again 19 Feb 2009, 0114 hrs IST, TNN Our readers don't just love reading The Times of India, they also enjoy talking about it. For the fourth straight year - indeed, every year since the poll was initiated by advertising website afaqs! - TOI is once again among India's 10 buzziest brands. It's the only media brand in the top 10, and the only newspaper in the top 50. The only other media brand in the top 50, Star TV, follows way behind at No. 38. The Times of India --- which is also the world's largest English language paper across all categories --- has not only fared better than traditional powerhouses like Lux (No. 17), Pepsi (18), Coca-Cola (21) and Sony (35), it is also the only brand in the top 10 - apart from Tata and its associated brand, The Taj Group of Hotels - to boast a distinguished heritage going back to over a century (we are 170 years old). All the other brands, with the exception of Kingfisher at No. 10, are New Economy. Airtel maintained its position as India's buzziest brand, with other telecom brands Nokia, Idea and Vodafone keeping it company in the top 10. Others in that league are internet brands Google and Facebook. TOI is at No 8. The Taj Group made its maiden entry on the list at No. 9 - obviously a reflection of the emotional upsurge that followed the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The poll was a combination of online votes and rankings by a jury of six well-known names from advertising, media and marketing, with a 50:50 weightage being assigned to both categories. ICICI, LIC and HDFC came in at 12, 13 and 14 respectively, State Bank of India at 22, Hindustan Unilever at 25, Samsung at 26, Reliance Mobile at 27, Levi's at 30, Honda at 34, Citibank at 36, Colgate at 37, Mahindra at 43 and Maggi at 45. The recognition of TOI's buzziness comes close on the heels of the paper receiving one of the world's leading media awards for simple and effective use of the English language. TOI recently became Asia's first paper to get Britain's Plain English Campaign International Media Award for 2008 for "clarity in news and reporting." The award has previously gone to BBC Online, The Guardian and the Financial Times.
