The three brands that consumers can’t live without

BE asks 10 consumers (picked at random) across demographic groups to tell us about the three brands they can't imagine life without:

Iti Mehrotra, 26 finance consultant, BOSCH INDIA

COLGATE: The day begins with a routine: brushing teeth. My toothpaste is the first brand I see in the day. It's an integral part of everyday life.

THE BODY SHOP: It's natural, organic and a brand with purpose. I trust it with my skin. FOSSIL: Their time pieces have quality and it's a cool brand with a vintage feel.

Yazdi Malu, 61 honorary secretary, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE OFFICERS (NAFO)

TITAN: Titan watches are value-for-money. I have owned three to four so far, and none of them gave me any problems. The brand offers great service

SUNSILK: It is mild and nourishes my hair. I only pick up Sunsilk in this cluttered shampoo market because it is applied-and-trusted. GODREJ STOREWEL: Everyone looks to this brand for storage and security of their valuables at home. Today, it stands more for storage than security, but I would still trust a Storewel over anything else.




Nandan Kini, 27 journalist and documentary filmmaker

CASIO: I have been using Casio watches for as long as I can remember. For a person like me who is always on the field and fairly clumsy overall, the ruggedness of these watches really helps.

APPLE: My equation with Apple is rather odd. I don't like the iPhone at all, but swear by the iPod and the MacBook. In fact, when Apple decided to phase out the iPod Classic, I bought another one as a backup just in case the one I currently use decides to conk off on me. As a filmmaker, I'd just say that the Mac-Book is hands down a media editor's machine.

GOOGLE: By picking Google as my third brand, I mainly mean Android. The Google experience on the Nexus 5's Android OS is simply fantastic. It's intuitive and far superior to the other Android phones I have used in the past, like Samsung for instance.




Ishaanee Pandey, 22 student

GOOGLE/LG- NEXUS 5: For checking mails, listening to music, getting news updates and being socially active. It's a brilliant phone.

FASTRACK: I just need a watch on my wrist at all times. I cannot sleep without seeing the exact time on my watch, when I finally keep my phone away (at night). The brand has been with me for the last 10 years, I guess.

JOHNSON & JOHNSON: I 'need' lotion or oil after taking a bath, every day, every time. You will find a bottle of J&J oil or lotion in my room and bag, at all times. My skin is super soft, almost baby like.




Jennifer Robertson, 38 ex-banker and CSR consultant

MAYBELLINE: When it comes to cosmetics, I don't use anything else.

FABINDIA: My family has switched to their product range. A deliberate decision to consume more organic products and support a good cause.

IPAD, IPHONE AND MACBOOK: Can't do without them.

Kevin Mario DSouza, 43 CEO, SOUND AND ABOUT

IPAD: This is the first thing I pick up when I wake up and the last thing to put down at the end of day. I use it for browsing, checking my email, going over CAD plans, playing Lumosity, updating my LinkedIn status and watching movies and TV shows over my home network.

SOFIT SOYA MILK: Being highly lactose intolerant and missing the massive amount of milk I used to consume, Sofit makes a great substitute. It doesn't have the beany taste you'd expect from soya milk and gives me the same satisfaction. With the soya milk, I've also gone on to tastier things – like fig milkshakes, and banana milkshakes, and fig-and-banana milkshakes.

SKETCHUP: Can't imagine what I'd do without being able to quickly sketch out a recording studio or home theatre design on SketchUp and present it to a client. My initial design work for my acoustic products is all done on SketchUp and then migrated to other CAD software once the idea has crystalised. Easy and quick.

Swati Kohli, 36 image consultant

APPLE:Keeps us seamlessly connected

TATA SALT: The day starts and ends with salt. Also with Tata Salt I don't even need a spoon to measure the quantity that is required in cooking. With other brands, I don't know.

AMUL: Being a Punjabi family we need all the butter possible and both the boys in the house, my son and my husband, can't do without it. My son finds it tasty and I find it safe.





Atul Shah, 56 interior designer and decorator

MONACO: My day starts with a cup of tea and I need to have Monaco along with it. According to me, these biscuits go perfect with my 'kadak chai'.

MICROMAX: I love my Micromax phone because it is a dual sim handset. This helps me organise my professional and personal life with ease.

TABAC DEO: It is my favourite brand because of its long lasting effect.





Nikhil Jaisinghani, 22 student

SENNHEISER EARPHONES: After checking numerous reviews, they were the best ones I could find that fit my budget.

CAFÉ COFFEE DAY ARABICA: I have been using this for around five years now and never once have I had a different taste. I believe it's cheaper than Nescafe. And even though they've increased the price by Rs 10 I'll stick with this.

LENOVO: I bought my phone for around Rs 5,000 after going through a lot of reviews. I'm not much of an app person. This serves me well for basic use.





Deepak Bagav, 53 Director - business development & project operations, VECTOR PROJECTS

COLGATE: It represents the toothpaste category. Sometimes when I don't see the tube at its usual place I end up shouting at people at home, "Where is Colgate?" This happens even when there's another brand on the rack.

APPLE: The other product that I need around is my iPad. There is always something I end up learning when I use it.

BISLERI: I travel a lot on work. While I am on the move and if I have to grab a bottle of water, I ask for 'Bisleri' and nothing else.