Branding is catching up in the Indian scenario like never before. Consumers are becoming aware of the basket of brands available for each product category, thanks to the information explosion. Every marketer today is battling to face the challenges thrown from the three verticesthe competitor, customer and the retailer. From advertising messages to innovation to diversification strategies to mergers and acquisitionsthe marketers are all out there to share the pocket of the consumers.

We live in a world deluged with brands. Globally, corporations spend billions on building their brands that helps them distinguish their products/services in a cluttered marketplace. Consumers have grown from a scenario of `No choice' to `Multiple Choice' today. Retailers have a say in today's market compared to yesteryears. Ultimately, the battle of the brands is won or lost at the store where the consumer makes the final purchase decision. There is always a big fight between brands for leadership. So the challenge for marketers is multifold in terms of tackling the retailer, competitor and finally the most important—Consumer. Consumers seek `Value for Money'. Retailers want their slice of cake from both.

Success of a brand does not lie with the manufacturer. The success or failure of a brand is only with the consumer. Consumers always want to experience the true value, fulfill their needs and always expect the brand to offer more. With consumers becoming more knowledgeable day-by-day, expectations are on the rise. Also, consumer behavior has undergone a sea change and today a consumer will not settle for anything less and would rather prefer to wait for a brand that would satisfy his/her expectations. There is a strong perception that consumer behavior is different in different geographical locations. But, a few research studies have clarified that it is the same across the globe.

Marketers face immense pressure to meet customer expectations on product and price, on one hand, and the demands of the retailers on the other. At the same time, the other big challenge for the marketers is to handle the market competition and be ready with competitive strategies. In the Indian context, many historic brands have had success stories by building brands that fulfilled the needs of the customers. In the monopolistic situations, when the customer had no choice and there was no competition, marketers had the ultimate say. They defined the rules of the game and retailers were at their mercy.

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