The 501 Cohort
Every selected MegaBrand receives the complimentary basic badge, editorial feature and festival launch invitation. Inclusion, recognition and publication carry no fee.
500 categories.One standardin each.
MegaBrands measures brand power as India perceives it. Meet the brands setting the standard, and the competition measured alongside them.
Scroll to explore ↓Research / Recognition / Intelligence
01 / The benchmark
Brand power.
Measured in India.
Five hundred categories. A reference point for every brand in the field.
One MegaBrand holds the benchmark in each category. Five named competitors are assessed alongside it, using the same parameters and fieldwork.
The framework measures perceived brand power. It publishes no monetary brand valuations. Scores are designed to be rebuilt every quarter.
3,000Brands in the assessed set
500Category MegaBrands
55Industry MegaBrands
100Most Powerful to be ranked
4Scoring cycles a year
Selection is free and determined by research alone. No brand can pay to enter the universe, change its standing or receive recognition.
02 / The selected universe
Find your
current status.
Your category. Your standing.
The five brands assessed alongside you.
Search the published MegaBrands universe by brand, category or competitor. Open a brand profile to see its selected category and assessed set.
Scoring status checked 13 September 2026: the universe is published; Cycle 1 scores are pending.
500 category selections2,500 competitor assessments13 sectors · 55 industries
Explore the selected universe by sector
Consumer Goods & Everyday Living110 Financial Services55 Technology, Digital & Telecom53 Energy, Resources & Industrials40 Automotive & Mobility39 Retail & Commerce38 Healthcare & Life Sciences37 Lifestyle, Fashion & Luxury33 Infrastructure, Real Estate & Construction31 Media, Entertainment & Sports22 Travel, Hospitality & Leisure19 Agriculture, Rural & Allied17 Education & Knowledge6
Inside the assessed set
Media, Entertainment & Sports
22 categories. Three industries.
Five of the published category selections below.
| Category | Selected MegaBrand | Competitors assessed |
|---|---|---|
| News / English | Republic TV | Times Now · NDTV 24x7 · India Today TV · CNN-News18 · Mirror Now |
| News / Hindi | Aaj Tak | ABP News · India TV · News18 India · Zee News · TV9 Bharatvarsh |
| General entertainment / Hindi | StarPlus | Colors · Zee TV · Sony Entertainment · Star Bharat · Dangal TV |
| Subscription video streaming / Indian | JioHotstar | SonyLIV · ZEE5 · Amazon Prime Video · aha · Hoichoi |
| National newspapers | The Times of India | Hindustan Times · The Hindu · Indian Express · Economic Times · Deccan Herald |
Selected set verified against the published universe on 13 September 2026. Open the full sector
03 / The methodology
Five pillars.
Fifty parameters.
Ten parameters in each pillar.
One common instrument.
The framework combines primary research, secondary research and additional inputs. Financial soundness carries 10% of the score, measured through perception-based proxies.
P0128%
Brand Positioning & Recall
Distinctiveness, recall, share of mind and clarity of positioning.
P0226%
Consumer Trust & Sentiment
Trust, advocacy, sentiment and reputational resilience.
P0320%
Product, Innovation & Delivery
Product integrity, innovation and consistency of delivery.
P0416%
Sustainability, Governance & ESG
Authenticity of commitment and governance standing.
P0510%
Digital & Financial Soundness
Perception-based proxies applied equally to listed and unlisted brands.
Evidence weighting
60%Primary research
25%Secondary research
15%Additional inputs
One brand, one slot
The unit is the market-facing brand, not the parent group. Ponds, Lux and Surf Excel enter separately.
India performance only
Multinational brands qualify on their Indian market presence and are evaluated on India data.
Concentration cap
A maximum of eight slots per operating company’s consumer portfolio is stated as a diversity provision.
No balance-sheet valuation
Secondary research uses market share and the fifty evaluation parameters. The framework does not publish financial brand valuations or read balance sheets.
04 / Recognition
Earned by research.
Free to receive.
Every selected MegaBrand in the 501 Cohort receives the basic badge, an editorial feature and an invitation to the launch of MegaBrands at the National MegaBrands Showcase Festival, all complimentary.
No selection fee
Industry MegaBrands
The highest-scoring category champion in each industry is recognised following primary evaluation. Stage recognition is free.
India’s Most Powerful 100
The top 100 are to be ranked from the universe by composite score, with the ranking rebuilt each quarter and published in full.
No paid engagement is required for these complimentary entitlements. Optional research, intelligence and broadcast programmes do not influence selection, scoring or rank.
See badge usage and advertising rights ↓05 / Consumer Connect
A benchmark
people can use.
What consumers think belongs in the conversation.
Consumer Connect is designed to help people compare brands and return their feedback to the companies being measured.
The founding-edition programme includes these consumer channels:
Public voting
Open, continuous consumer voting on the platform, published as a separate index alongside the Power Score.
Monthly movers
Monthly publication of the brands that have risen and fallen, as the programme’s measurement cycles develop.
Two-way feedback
Consumer comments returned to the brand, coded by theme. The feedback includes praise and criticism.
06 / Partnership programmes
Know the gap.
Choose the next move.
Selection is free.
Partnership adds depth.
Understand your scores against the five assessed competitors, the distance to the category standard and the parameters that need attention.
Choose a one-time engagement, a quarterly programme or an annual programme. Each combines brand intelligence with an exclusively produced television editorial feature. Every commercial option sits separately from research qualification.
Brand Power ReportCompetitive benchmarkDashboard accessTelevision editorial feature
Complimentary editorial feature
The story behind
your brand’s standing.
An editorial feature is complimentary for every selected MegaBrand in the 501 Cohort. The editorial desk develops the feature using leadership inputs and the brand’s research findings.
Each engagement includes a six-minute television editorial feature, exclusively produced for your brand, with a twelve-minute format also available. Quarterly and annual engagements include live dashboards.
Every selected MegaBrand in the 501 Cohort receives the basic badge, an editorial feature and an invitation to the launch of MegaBrands at the National MegaBrands Showcase Festival, all complimentary. No paid engagement is required to receive these entitlements.
Choose your engagement.
Choose a single delivery, a quarterly programme or a twelve-month engagement.
One-time engagement
One complete engagement with a report, competitive benchmark and television editorial feature.
| Included | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Brand Power Report | A report on your brand’s power, standing and areas for attention. |
| Competitive benchmark | A comparison of your brand against the assessed competition. |
| Television editorial feature | An exclusively produced six-minute television editorial feature for your brand, with a twelve-minute format also available. |
Quarterly engagement
Quarterly brand intelligence with a live dashboard and television editorial feature.
| Included | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Brand Power Report | A report on your brand’s power, standing and areas for attention. |
| Competitive benchmark | A comparison of your brand against the assessed competition. |
| Live dashboard | Live access to your brand’s dashboard throughout the quarterly engagement. |
| Television editorial feature | An exclusively produced six-minute television editorial feature for your brand, with a twelve-minute format also available. |
Annual engagement
A twelve-month engagement with a live dashboard and television editorial feature.
| Included | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Brand Power Report | A report on your brand’s power, standing and areas for attention. |
| Competitive benchmark | A comparison of your brand against the assessed competition. |
| Live dashboard | Live access to your brand’s dashboard throughout the annual engagement. |
| Television editorial feature | An exclusively produced six-minute television editorial feature for your brand, with a twelve-minute format also available. |
Discuss the research and delivery scope for your brand.
The basic badge, editorial feature and festival launch invitation are complimentary for all selected MegaBrands in the 501 Cohort. No paid programme changes eligibility, the score or the rank.
07 / The launch
National MegaBrands
Showcase Festival.
Every selected MegaBrand in the 501 Cohort receives a complimentary invitation to the MegaBrands launch.
18February
Founding edition / 2026–27
Jio World Centre.
Mumbai.
The founding-edition proposal sets out the release of the MegaBrands 500 report, stage recognition for the 55 Industry MegaBrands and the announcement of India’s Most Powerful 100.
01
A national press conference on the findings precedes the launch.
03
Further quarterly press briefings report changes in brand standing through the year.
Date and venue as stated in the founding-edition proposal.
08 / Badge & advertising rights
A clear scope.
A supported claim.
Use the badge for the recognition your brand holds.
The proposal sets out an ASCI-oriented substantiation framework. Advertising use requires audited primary research output and written approval from WCRC Research.
A membership badge records inclusion. A leadership claim in mass media requires supporting research.
| Use | Entitlement | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Internal branding, AGM, corporate website, investor and employee communication | Complimentary for all selected MegaBrands in the 501 Cohort | Licence issued automatically. States inclusion as fact. |
| Top 100 and Industry MegaBrand marks | Free, post-ceremony | Updated badge issued after 18 February. |
| Advertising and mass-media claims | On approval | Primary audited research output plus written approval from WCRC Research. |
View the substantiation framework
| Requirement | Framework provision |
|---|---|
| Name and date on the advertisement | Every badge carries the WCRC MegaBrands mark with the edition month and year. |
| Twelve-month validity | Each edition licence runs twelve months. Quarterly cycles keep every claim current. |
| Written consent before use | No mark is used without a countersigned licence. Advertising rights require written approval from WCRC Research. |
| Protocol, not photographs | A Substantiation Pack accompanies every licence: methodology, parameters, weightings, assessed set, fieldwork dates. |
| Published criteria | The five pillars, fifty parameters and weightings are published in the public domain. |
| How many brands assessed | 3,000 brands. Five named competitors per category, all published. |
| No extrapolation | Category, industry and overall rankings are each published separately. A brand claims only the scope it holds. |
| Not a performance claim | The mark certifies brand strength. It is never issued as a claim about product performance. |
The founding edition.
Five hundred categories, fifty parameters and a published assessed set. Quarterly measurement is intended to build a continuous record of each brand’s standing.
MegaBrands 500 / 2026–27
Where doesyour brand stand?
Explore the full selected universe and the competition assessed alongside each brand.