Tata is India's top brand followed by Reliance and Airtel

MUMBAI: Tata tops the list in the first edition of Interbrand's 'Best Indian Brands' study, with a valuation of $10.9 billion. It is followed by Reliance at $6.24 billion and Airtel at $6.22 billion. Tata also happens to be the brand that Jez Frampton, the global chief executive of Interbrand, is most familiar with, given that Tetley is his preferred brand of tea and he drives a Range Rover. "Technically, I drive an Indian car," he says.

Frampton believes Indian firms - even those like Tata, known best overseas for global acquisitions like Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley - would do well to focus on building their master brands. This will help Indian companies when they decide to roll out other products and services, or when they choose to become global brands. "A strong master brand creates awareness that you exist, mean something and add value to a purchase," he says.

'Best Indian Brands' is the first local iteration of Interbrand's 'Best Global Brands' study, a highly anticipated measure of brand valuation. Frampton and Interbrand India's MD Ashish Mishra intend to make it a benchmark to track the health and finances of India's leading brands.