PAKISTAN FOCUS: Top 10 brands by Nielsen

Mobile phone brand Nokia has emerged as the top brand in Pakistan, according to The Nielsen Company's research into the market, conducting face-to-face interviews with consumers across 22 cities in four provinces from 16 March to 1 April 2011.

Seven out of the top 10 brands are from the FMCG sector and the same amount from multinational companies.

Following Nokia in second place is local household appliance brand Dawlance. Soap brand Lux follows in third with tea brand Lipton and snacks brand Lays tied in four position. 

Beverage brand Pepsi comes in fifth position, mobile service provider Ufone in sixth, local tea brand Tapal in seventh, milk brand Nestle Milkpak in eight and local biscuit brand Sooper in ninth position. 

PAKISTAN'S TOP BRANDS

Top beverage brands. The top brands in this category are ranked from carbonated soft drink and juices. For this category, PepsiCo, including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7-Up and Mirinda, has won the hearts of the majority of Pakistani consumers.

1. Pepsi
2. Coca-Cola
3= Mountain Dew
3= 7-Up
4. Sprite
5= Nestle Juice
5= Shezan Juice
6= Mirinda
6= Gourmet Cola

Top biscuit brands. Recent trends show phenomenal growth in the biscuit category. The category is dominated by local companies English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM) and Continental Biscuits Limited (CBL). Sooper (EBM) is the most favourite brand, followed by Bakeri (CBL).

1. Sooper
2. Bakeri
3. Chocolate Chip
4. Prince
5= Peanut/ Pista Pik
5= Rio
5= Zeera Plus
6. Gluco
7= Mayfair Cafe
7= Tiger
8= TUC
8= Marrie

Top financial institutions. Nine out of 10 financial institutions are local and have been in the market for a long time. Habib Bank Limited is mentioned as the favourite brand, followed by the government owned National Bank of Pakistan.

1. Habib Bank Limited
2. National Bank of Pakistan
3. Allied Bank Limited
4. MCB Bank
5. Bank Al Habib
6. United Bank Limited
7= Standard Chartered Bank
7= Bank Al-Falah
8= State Life Insurance
8= Askari Bank
8= Bank of Punjab
8= Meezan Bank

Top household appliance brands. Dawlance, a local brand known for its reliability, leads the charge in this category.

1. Dawlance
2= LG
2= National
2= Sony
3. Pel
4= Philips
4= Waves
5= Haier
5= Super Asia
6. General
7. Singer

Top milk brands. The rise of packaged milk has redefined the milk industry in Pakistan. Nestle Milkpak is the favourite brand in this category, followed by local brand Haleeb.

1. Nestle Milkpak
2. Haleeb
3. Everyday
4. Olper's
5. Tarang
6. Nido
7. Loose/ Unbranded milk
8. Dairy Queen
9= Good Milk
9= Nurpur
9= Tea Max

Top mobile phone brands. Nokia is not only the most favourite brand but also the most commonly used brand across various segments of the population. 

1. Nokia
2. Samsung
3. Blackberry
4= LG
4= Sony Ericsson
5. Motorola

Top mobile service providers. Pakistan is one of the highest tele-density markets in the region. The sector is owned by multinational telecoms and marked by fierce competition. Ufone (Etisalat) is mentioned to be the favourite brand, closely followed by Mobilink (an Orascom company). 

1. Ufone
2. Mobilink
3. Telenor
4. Warid
5. Zong

Top salty snacks. Young people, comprising 60 per cent of Pakistan's population, have provided a huge consumer base for this category. Leading brand Lays is considered a quality product with efficient distribution and affordable to all segments.

1. Lays
2. Kolson Slanty
3. Kurkure
4. Kurleez
5. Super Crisp
6= Bake Parlor
6= Cheetos
6= Fry O
6= Mazay Lo
7. Charlie Uncle

Top shampoo brands. Sunsilk is the most favourite shampoo brand among consumers, followed closely by Head & Shoulders.

1. Sunsilk
2. Head & Shoulders
3. Pantene
4. Bio Amla
5. Clear
6= Dove
6= Lifebuoy
7= English
7= Medicam
7= Samsol

Top soap brands. Beauty soap Lux is the most favourite soap brand, whereas in the growing antibacterial segment, Safeguard tops the list of favourite brands. 

1. Lux
2. Safeguard
3. Lifebuoy
4. Capri
5. Dettol
6. Tibet
7= Imperial Leather
7= Palmolive
8= Opal
8= Dove

Top tea brands. Pakistan boasts with one of the largest tea markets in the region. In this category, Lipton is the favourite brand, followed by local brand Tapal.

1. Lipton
2. Tapal
3. Brooke Bond
4= Dear
4= Vital
4= Loose/ Unbranded tea
5= Alpha
5= K2
5= Pearl Dust
5= Tetley
5= Supreme
 

Methodology

Sample size n=1002 (weighted back on Pakistan's urban population across four provinces)
Coverage 22 cities in four provinces in Pakistan, including Balochistan, NWFP, Sindh, Punjab
Age range 18 - 45 years old  
Income class ABCD
Gender Male/ Female
Data collection methodology Face-to-face Interviews (Kish Grid methodology was employed to recruit respondent from household)

Respondents were asked the question What is your first favourite brand for a category?

The ranking was then determined through the number of respondents who chose the brand as their first favourite.

The number of responses for favourite brand were then proportionately weighed back on Pakistan's urban population.

Also access Top 10 brands in Vietnam, published last year, and Top 10 brands in Indonesia, published in April.