Although competition from more innovative market entrants is shrinking Nokia's market share, the Indian consumer still has tremendous faith in the brand. Just like last year and the year before that, Nokia is India's most trusted brand.

The competition appears to be gaining trust, rather than Nokia losing it, an important distinction when building long term brand equity. It will be interesting to see whether the likes of Lava, Spice and Karbonn, who have successfully created brand awareness can deliver on service, quality and value for money. "If" they can, expect to see more hand set brands cracking the Top 100 next year.

Nokia's broad appeal

Nokia's appeal stretches across age groups and metro cities. The brand leads with consumers under 25 years old and with older consumers, aged 26-45 years old. It is the number one brand in Mumbai and Delhi, fifth favorite in Chennai and Banaglore and ninth in Kolkata.

Trust matters to the Indian consumer

While price is crucial in India, brands shouldn't get too obsessed with their value proposition. Brand perception also matters. A Brand Equity survey found that 71% of respondents take in to account company reputation when selecting a brand. Over half want transparency - 54% say it is important to know which company owns which brand.

Top 10 most trusted

The top three brands remain the same as 2009, with Colgate and Lux on Nokia's heels:

• 1) Nokia (2009 position = 1)
• 2) Colgate (2)
• 3) Lux (3)
• 4) Dettol (5)
• 5) Britannia (9)
• 6) Lifebuoy (6)
• 7) Clinic Plus (15)
• 8) Pond's (16)
• 9) Fair & Lovely (18)
• 10) Pepsodent (8)

While Clinic Plus, Pond's and Fair & Lovely have made the most impressive gains, Tata Salt (now in 14th place) and Horlick's (22nd) have slipped out of the top ten. Strangely, despite a strong showing from mobile handsets and the telecom sector, Reliance Mobile has disappeared from the Top 100 all together.

To view the 100 most trusted brands click here.

To view the top ten brands by demographics click here.

To view the top fifty digital brands click here.

To view the leading brands by category click here.