A brand can be seen everywhere and still mean very little. In a marketplace where consumers can compare prices, switch platforms, discover alternatives, and increasingly use AI to make choices, familiarity alone is no longer enough. In so many ways, preference has become harder to earn and easier to lose.

India's consumer economy is entering precisely this phase. Estimated at US$ 2.1 trillion, it is being reshaped by digital adoption, AI-assisted discovery, convenience, transparency, and personalisation. At the same time, consumers are becoming more discerning about the value they receive. EY's Future Consumer Index found that 52% of Indian consumers were switching to private labels, while Deloitte's 2026 Consumer Signals research points to a more selective consumer who continues to spend, but increasingly weighs value and experience.

In such an environment, being preferred is a powerful distinction. It reflects something deeper than awareness or reach: it epitomises a brand's ability to become part of people's choices, habits, aspirations, and increasingly, their lives.

From legacy names that have earned generations of loyalty to newer brands challenging established categories, Most Preferred Brands creates a common stage for the stories, strategies, and ideas behind consumer preference. Those recognised in previous editions gone by include such stellar names as HP Lubricants, TVS Jupiter, Bajaj General Insurance Limited, Chola MS General Insurance, CRIF India, Fenesta, Haier Appliances India, Lenovo India, Livguard, Marks & Spencer, National Insurance Company, Tira Beauty, and many more.

At the heart of it all is a simple proposition: the most meaningful measure of a brand is the place it occupies in people's lives.