Based in UK, Superbrands is the world’s largest independent arbiter of branding that pays tribute to exceptional brands all over the world. They have successfully published a series of 430 books that pays tribute to the strongest brands in the world.

Although the concept began in the UK in 1994, it has now spread across the world to 88 countries. Superbrands Bangladesh, this year, aimed to identify and honor the most powerful brands of Bangladesh for the period of the next two years, 2018 to 2020.

The Superbrands of Bangladesh were revealed through a grand award ceremony in Dhaka, on 1st September, 2018. The award ceremony also marked the unveiling of Superbrands publication for the next two years. Along with 29 brands from diverse industries, Bangladesh Apparel Sector was also honored as Superbrands Bangladesh for the next two year period. Mr. Kazi M. Aminul Islam, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) graced the award ceremony as the chief guest.

The objective of Superbrands Bangladesh was to select brands that were successful with their strong market presence, reputation, brands that are considered to have excelled in their respective fields and brands that stand out of the average.

Brands are all about enthusiasm, energy and passion to give its consumers the very best, but even between that, there is a difference that separates the good from the great and Superbrands Bangladesh worked on putting all the brands under a microscope and found 29 brands that deserved the label of being recognized as a Superbrand. These are brands which provide emotional and tangible advantages over its competitors, which consumers want and recognize.

Bangladesh, as a developing country, is in the minds of top experts across all fields, as the country is passing through a critical period that will determine its future prospects in the global market. The track record of Bangladesh in the last 10 years have been phenomenal for the country, having a profound impact on the country’s future.

Now, the question that may arise is, why did Superbrands decide to begin its journey in Bangladesh?

WHY SUPERBRANDS CHOSE TO OPERATE IN BANGLADESH
Bangladesh is well on its way to going digital with 147 million mobile phone subscribers, 80 million internet users and on the verge of launching 5G. ICT export earning has seen $750 million in revenue. It’s not just the digital sector that has seen progress, Bangladesh also ranks 1st in gender equality in South Asia. Bangladesh is on its path to becoming a medium income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041.

All of these facts suggest that Bangladesh has a promising future, but to solidify its standing, what Bangladesh need is: Innovation, Sustainability and Leadership. Bangladesh needs to look forward to collectively pursue the national vision and focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to pave the path for a better tomorrow.

So Bangladesh, the New Asian Tiger, is surely one of those countries poised for the next quantum leap. This is why, almost all the major global investment companies are referring to Bangladesh as one of the nations to focus on to, for its future economic potential. This is where brands and brand philosophy will play an extremely important role, in the transformation of Bangladesh. And that is where Superbrands Bangladesh comes in.

BREAKING DOWN THE SELECTION OF A SUPERBRAND
Superbrands are selected through a process which involves an independent and voluntary panel of experts from a range of backgrounds, known as the ‘Brand Council’. In Bangladesh, Superbrands for the year 2018-2020 were selected by a brand council consisting of eminent brand experts.   

Participation is strictly by selection and invitation. The Brand Council meticulously scores each participating brand on the degree of fulfillment of the following criteria:

• Quality. Does the brand provide quality products and services?
• Reliability. Can the brand be trusted to deliver consistently?
• Distinction. Is it well known in its sector and suitably different from its rivals?

Brands which have been highly appraised and have received exemplary scores from consumers and the Brand Council, are granted the ‘Superbrands Status’.

WHY THE ‘SUPERSBRANDS STATUS’ MATTERS FOR A BRAND
Mr. Shariful Islam, Coordinator, Superbrands Bangladesh, said about the need for a platform like Superbrands, “The 4th Industrial Revolution is going to disrupt how business are going to be conducted. The way we take on ideas, or businesses or even social ventures are going to change drastically in the coming 5 to 10 years. This is where a Superbrands recognition gives a very good starting point to recognize and celebrate trailblazing brands. It also gives us a space to look back into what made us powerful, strong, and successful – what is required of us to be successful in the coming decade and achieve the nation’s vision of becoming a developed country by 2041.” The aforementioned excerpt shows the benefits of Superbrands from the context of the country.

THE SUPERBRANDS PUBLICATION
The coveted Superbrands publication promotes the history, heritage and positioning of the Superbrand. Each participating country publishes its own Superbrands book with its own unique twist on the cover design. Likewise, Superbrands Bangladesh’s publication covered all the market, achievements, history, promotional activities values and more of each of the 29 Superbrands and the apparel sector.

The Superbrands cover design for this edition was a beautiful painting titled ‘Poddo Pukur’ by most celebrated visual artist of Bangladesh Nazia Andaleeb Preema, Founder, Bangladesh Creative Forum; President, WIL (Women in Leadership); Director, Bangladesh Brand Forum. About the cover design, Nazia Andaleeb Preema said, “Bangladesh has many water bodies. And the lotus, which is ‘Poddo’ in Bengali, is very much close to our heart, as those water bodies are mostly filled with these flowers. When I wanted to depict our most valued n powerful brands, I thought of our nature, mostly water. And this Poddo phul gives our surroundings an amazing emotional feeling which reflects on our Bangladeshi culture and strikes the emotional cords of our people.”