How much importance does a logo or signature tune have for a brand? And that too for a brand that has established itself in the field of telecom, which is one of utmost competition with operators making a beeline for supremacy. Airtel which has established itself as one of the world leaders in mobile telephony has finally started showing the results of its Rs 300 cr spend for marketing, advertising and branding. The first to change are the logo and the signature tunes.
Airtel’s previous logo had both white and red colours interchangeably. The interesting part was that the word ‘Air’ was written in black with a white background while ‘Tel’ was written in white on a red background. Sometimes they also included their slogan “Express Yourself” with the logo.
But today the logo looks more like a curved ‘A’ with little bit of highlighting to indicate what they call dynamism and the warm and friendly appeal of Airtel. They have also said that it represents a dynamic force of energy which would bring the management and customers closer.
If this wasn’t enough, AR Rahman after his debacle with the CWG tune (though the remix was much better) comes back with a theme song having a younger and international feel to it. Their new commercial shows how a couple comes together due to the Airtel 3G technology which interestingly will be launched in India only by December.
So now that we have discussed the technical details, the biggest question is why did Airtel see the importance of such a move?
Airtel is offering services now in 19 Asian and African countries where truthfully speaking it has not yet reached leadership status though it’s there on that path. Through their rebranding and repositioning exercise, they aim to achieve an international appeal wherein customers not only in India but across the world recall their brand. With these points in mind, they seem to have embarked on this ambitious journey.
Does the move really work?
It’s a taken that wherever Airtel plans to expand around the globe, India will be its most important market. Would be interested to hear from you if anyone of you disagrees with that statement. Therefore the biggest move everyone was waiting for was their introduction of 3G services in India.
But instead Airtel came up with a complete rebranding exercise including a new logo, TV commercial and signature tune.
The previous logo was one of the most recognized logos in our country. Anyone and everyone be it from an illiterate person to a CEO knew that was Airtel. One of the reasons for it reaching somewhat of a generic brand status was its easily identifiable logo.
The new logo truthfully seems like a straight copy of the new Videocon logo upside down with a different colour. If you see it in another way, it also looks like a mixture of the Uninor, MTC and Vodafone logos. It seems like a bland and poor cousin of the previous one with only red all along. DISAPPOINTING!
The previous signature tune of Airtel by AR Rahman is probably the most downloaded ringtone in the country at least. One thing about that tune was that it was instantly catchy when compared to the general trend related to AR Rahman tunes / songs. The new tune seems to have some words which I personally don’t seem to understand. It looks more peppy and international in its approach. But truth be told it DESTROYS the entire experience Airtel’s previous tune had set up.
The new commercials both talk about the 3G video calling experience and how it brings two love birds closer. But it’s still going to be a month before the 3G experience comes to India. Their previous ads were very inspirational or about bringing people together and included celebrities like Sachin, Shahrukh, Vidya Balan, Madhavan etc.
Even their website which has been completely revamped is still working from an IP. Now that is really SAD!
Final Verdict
Poor attempt by Airtel to target the international audience. I wish instead they would have spent the 300 cr at improving their customer services and infrastructure. Everyone will still go for Airtel because they are still one of the best. But then today they majorly disappointed the country! It looks like in an attempt to please the international audience, they have forgotten about their home country itself!
What do you think? This revamp is for better or worse?
Comments
-1 for Logo
-1 for new tune in whole. Only some parts are good
Yeah its so disappointed to see new logo of airtel like that. i think it just to please the african customers. but lets see where they goes i hope for best to the company
I liked the new logo. The old logo was becoming so 90s. And when I saw the logo my first impression was – this is so much Videocon like! I like the font of Airtel but the “a” emblem on top could have been better. This kind of logo design is in vogue these days with telecom companies, with a huge emblem and name below or on the side look at Vodafone, Uninor, Videocon, MTS.
The new logo does not match the Brand name of AIRTEL. It could have been better.
Does changing the logo and tune actually help ?? I personally feel it doesnt make any difference because th earlier ones were already good. Let Airtel just concentrate on bringing up and improving th quality of their services
New logo is good,but the tune is horrible,so poor. The earlier tone was awsome,best of the best. I am using that rng tone from last 6 yrs.
Excellent read Aseem! However, I beg to differ. Not only does the new logo clearly demonstrate dynamism and energy, it is very timely. Every brand becomes associated with a particular motif (in this particular case for e.g., Airtel’s logo and signature tune) over time and this is a good thing; it means people are genuinely remembering the brand and keeping alive its value. If the brand wants to keep this much popular motif, it has to make sure of its acceptability with the changing generations. Only very very few brands have actually achieved this kind of a brand recognition where the motif (say a brand’s logo) has continued to appeal to several generations – some famous examples include Mercdes, Apple, Microsoft, Coca Cola, FedEx etc. and numerous university emblems and coat of arms. I frankly don’t think Airtel had such a motif with their former logo – it was a simple, innovative and refreshing identity (for Airtel) in the late 90s and the 2000s true, but it needed to evolve. The new logo is just that; an evolved logo that appeals to the generation of the 2010s and at the same time retains the familiar warmth and simplicity of the old one! But in my opinion, even the new one is not going to stick for too long. The fittest always evolve to survive! :P
And as for the new signature tune, I wholly agree – it SUCKS big time! What is A. R. Rahman trying to do here?! It’s like a tune for some African company! But we never know – Rahman’s charm usually works only the third time you listen. :)
Cheers
Mo
Its very early to comment on the complete re branding efforts that Airtel has come up with. The new logo of Airtel has an international appeal and the new signature tune is a an international sound which feels Indian as well as African. Considering that the company has now expanded in Africa, there is a need to re brand it in to a global look and sound. As far as the Videocon Logo and branding are concerned, its a bad effort by O&M. The Fluorescent colour that they have used doesn’t appeal to any brand and is often seen in cheap merchandise. Also the comment that mention of the new airtel logo being a copy of other telecom companies, one must understand that in branding particularly if you are selling a product which is highly similar in terms of offerings from the other competitors, the branding should also be close to others. If one can analyse the color and logo of MTS is quite similar to that of Vodafone. It will take time as companies don’t spend with out carrying out studies on re-branding efforts. There are metrics with the help of which they analyse the business conversion of the re-branding efforts. At the end of the day for any business, it comes down to how much of Dollar Conversion the whole effort has done. So i would say, wait and watch and analyse. These are business decisions taken after extensive thought process involving an array of experts.
Airtel has lost with new ideas and innovation. the new logo is exact copy of the Videocon. Airtel being the leader should have come out with something unique which would represent the, globally and also a 3G tech.
The current logo is not as attractive as the old one, which was always apart from all other telecome operator logo. Being an airtel customer from 15 years, I did not like the logo and new tune.
I don’t think that Airtel is 15 years old :)
helllllllllooo!!! it started in 1995!!!!!!!!!!
I liked the new logo of Airtel cause it makes it look more younger, classy and a bit feminine. But I think it reminds me of Vodafone????
Sorry but I expected much better work from Airtel.
The new communication has no continuity from past, its too drastic a changeover and I feel brand will loose out on what it has built over years, specially the last communication on “Baat karne se hi baat bantee hai”
Good piece Aseem!
I have quoted some of the facts from this article in my blog post… and tried analyzing some conversations on twitter… would you like to have a look at it…
http://marketinomics.com/experiences/airtel-new-logo/
Cheers.. i am excited about what Airtel is going to do next..
airtel logo reminds of vodafone logo…. good for vodafone
airtel logo reminds of videocon logo…. good for videocon… now that they are also into mobile services
Very much agree with you. Logo is SORRY an so it the brand tune. TOTAL DISASTER. Logo is complete copy of Videocon.. not sure which agency have designed the logo and who were the people to approve :)
its like videocon logo…bt still the logo is dynamic red…
The logo and the new tag line is Good..But i am very disappointed with the tune..it would have been better if it have been based on the previous tune..i suggest the old tune can be reworked and presented in a new form
Very bad new signature tone and a ridiculous logo to target the global youth
The logo looks strictly average, certainly not good for a big brand like Airtel. My wife who certainly does not understand anything about branding, on seeing the logo instantly said it is an “inverted videocon”. What is most disappointing is the font. The A is not pleasing and the entire font to curvy and compact. The signature tune should have come with “statutory warning”
Luckily logos don’t bring or drive away customers, it is the service that does, which airtel is definitely best at. Their customer service is by far the best in the industry.
new logo is best comapre than old logo
GOOD GOD !
Woke up to the two-full-front page ad on TOI
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIBG&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&GZ=T&AW=1290224872046
The front had the teaser as always | might have been impressive in black & white ( JWT whats happenig ? ) then i flipped to see the follow up to the tease :
What horror | what non-sense,
AIRTEL, et tu WHAT : VODACON / VIDEOFONE?
The brand identity rework by Brand Union ( the same guys who did vodafone ) is Disgusting & Disappointing, the old one was much better. I only wished Airtel has not spent astronomical amounts towards this de-brand-building exercise.
Being a portrait photographer & visual artist myself, i see this as a stupefying act.
This logo has absolutely no vision, no stories, no strings to indian culture & ethos, perhaps if the idea was to play cards to the global market, with an astute minimalism touch to portray vigor & dynamism, i still find this quite irresponsible &
irrelevant. Coming from such an incredible & dynamic power brand, makes this profoundly disgusting. Looks like a shoddy effort usually done by the notorious Indian govt public relations.
Mr. Sunil Mittal, the least you could have done is run a national level design contest & have taken advantage of the uber-cool indian art & design talent. What a missed opportunity. Other brands, after laughing your lungs out, pls file the front pages of today’s TOI or any other, as a case study.
Out of (+10) , i would give this logo (-5)
Out of (+10), i would give the signature tune (+3)
God Bless. Nice Day Folks. ,)
this logo became a worst one because we are familiar with logo of videocon, On first look i thought it is videocon’s. The previous logo is 10 times better than current one.
now this tune is 1000times? better than waka ..waka…! thnx to airtel &rahman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyARRTb7AN0&feature=player_embedded click for that song …enjoy 3G life
Truly! the old airtel logo is way cooler than the new one. It was the best logo airtel could have….very different from those of the other brands…The old signature tune touched the heart of the listener…Though the new one is good,it doesn’t work the same magic as the older one. After so many years, I still feel a range of emotions flow through my mind on hearing the old tune…
Please do not criticise any work before understanding the cause. If we all feel that the new logo and signature is ridiculous,the person who approved this must also have felt the same. Let us wait and watch if it impresses us in a week or so
what a crappy logo!!!!! Old one was better……….. well…. Vodafone’s logo is the best….
I am not a great fan of the new Airtel logo. I was pretty happy with the previous logo but then I am not the only target they are trying to reach with the re-branding. This excersice is done in tunes with their global ambitions. The logo should be capable of giving the same perception in all the countries they set foot into. India and Africa now; maybe france and chile sometime in the future. The research before the design (hopefully) would have been done with this objective.
Regarding the resemblance with the Videocon or Vodafone logo, am sure any new design will resemble a brand mark in any new market (without Videocon in those markets). Airtel is already established in India and have a fairly good and loyal base in here. The fact that they have spent 300 cr for this excersie makes us critique the new logo so much. But a few weeks later we would have all accepted and probably even start liking it. It may not affecting Airtel’s brand value in India but on a global front it would have done its job.
How effective was the excersice? We will have to wait and see..
I m 100% agree vd u Mr. Shenoy..
Hey all,
Nice to see so many comments here mostly not supporting the rebranding move by Airtel. I really wonder what they were thinking while going for such a paradigm shift in their strategy. Here I would like to quote a few points from one of my friends blog’s about the reasons why a company brands its products and how none of those apply to Airtel.
Which is the right time for Rebranding?
* When your brand equity is deteriorating or stagnant, that indicates you need a thorough rebranding to overhaul the identity of your brand. (which I believe the market leader in Indian Telecom with a 33% share, was NOT)
* When your customers don’t seem to favor your brand identity anymore, it’s time that you reposition your brand in the minds of your consumers. (Another NOT from a loyal true red Airtel customer.)
* When your brand gets caught up in a controversy, a repositioning is required to improve the tarnished reputation. ( *The ‘wrong buzzer’ beeeep* NOT #3)
* When the rebranding has the muscle to offset the cost it incurs, meaning it has the potential to pay off in the long run. (We need a financial analyst to figure that out, which I soooo am NOT :P )
* When you realize that your current brand positioning isn’t valid for the target market anymore, or your target market changes. (NOT NOT & NOT #5)
For more do check out this post by Gracelyne Fernando, an MBA student from Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai
http://gracelyne.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/a-rebranding-mistake/
The new 3G ad is spot-on ! I so love the piano and strings piece – eminently musical, memorable, thematic and inspiring. The ad, too, is so apt and evocative; conveys the primary utility (and attraction) of 3G. The logo is a let down – nothing Airtel there except the colour.
I can say the new logo is a cheap copy of the Videocon Mobile logo. I did some basic rotations to both logos. Have a look at how similar they are :
http://i51.tinypic.com/2dqms2g.jpg
This is probably second biggest rebranding exercise after Reliance Infocom. Change in the visual identity always brings in mixed responses. The new logo is attractive especially the font. However the red colour scheme is bit confusing as Vodafone has strongly associated with it.
Undoubtedly, airtel new logo resembles with vediocon’s logo… but even then the new one is really giving an international look…. I liked the new tune also.
On the other hand, if airtel would have invested a little on their services, it would helped more.
the new logo really looks cheap. the earlier logo looked like tommy hilfiger’s logo and felf classy. airtel has developed an elite brand. brands like videocon, S-tel, aircel, feels so cheap. airtel has developed an image as a costly brand. which is a good thing, you feel good when you give your phone number to someone, you can make fun of people “haha poor fellow has to use a cheap aircel phone”
airtel new logo is completely an imitation of vedeocon’s logo but as far as recalling of brand is concern,it will be in Airtel’s favor as it is more popular among people so better for airtel to take brand positioning in customers mind easily……write now just wait and watch,time will do its work…
BEST OF LUCK TO SUNIL MITTAL SIR
Mr Mittal
I read a lot about you in recent days, very impressive!!! But this change has disappointed me, I asked this to many and none was excited to see the new logo. \
Sir, change is necessary but this should have been a big gun and not look as a part of the crowd. Airtel is leading market player…it leads to lead on all fronts. And yes, I don’t deny if a unknown man can say that Videocon & Airtel are sister companies based on the logo.
Thanks
Kunal
hey!!! Actually logo is gooood…..
Not too bad..
BTW any idea which font has been used for ‘airtel’ text please?
Seriously the old logo had better brand assocation. Now airtel will have to redo their homework again and start almost from scratch to rebuild their brand.
Pls get the old one back.. recover from the disaster b4 its too late
The now long is very good but the tune is very bad. old tune is better than new tune.
The old logo was a legend!! Even the tune was kick-ass!!! The new logo has degraded them.. I think its still not late, they can get back to their old logo and tune itself!! And the new logo has no meaning in it itself!!! I have no idea what Airtel is upto!!!
The new Logo is Good and it Symbolize Flexibility and youth…
The tune is awesome… And the Advertizements are really something :)
As far as advertizements are concerned (Some of the best adds till date) Surley Airtel will have huge customer base for 3G in future.
Hey great to see all your comments :)…Keep them coming :)
its the best sound i can challange rhaman had ever created in is all his work till today, i had heard this tune so many time but still i felt the thust to listern it more n more .
i can say both will lead airtel to highest peek in will boom the market even the new add of dansing boy on the new 3g tune is very very catchy
Not at all bosss…Think business…In india Airtel is No.1. So y they stil hav to satisfy indians..Publicity is s jus to reach people…Airtel has already crossed the mark in India….So now itz time to expand in overseas toooo…that s why they hav spent 300 crores for the new one…. Bosss..they have the business legends…we r jus mango people….think bout it…..anyway i like the new logo n the new tune is awesome than previous one…it has some rap..so people think logical……
Compared to the previous logo and tune the new one is noy so attractive.
airtel would have done the better job..
but results of the rebranding cannot be guessed.. we should wait and see.
all the best to airtel…
AIRTEL KA LOGO BAHUT ACHHA HAI.
I think it is the best move that any brand can make , to have an identity for it’s own by just a small symbol. Its too early to be positive or negative about the move. Few months down the line airtel would just need to develop a small signage every where & they would be recognized easily. If i think strategically this would help them cut the cost of making signage (neon signs etc.)just an inverted A would communicate it all.
Only suggestion that can be given is they could have used another color as red & white is majorly dominated by vodafone in telecoms industry.
As far as tune is considered its awsome & this tune was one which made me & my friends search on the internet this particular tune.
Three cheers for Rehman to give India its first international feel music. Rehman ROCKS!!!
it is not as creative as it could be.
it is not impresive
Frankly, strictly “as a consumer”, I feel extremely cheated when I see Rs 300 Cr spent on this rebranding exercise..
I do not see any value add to me as a consumer, whatever new logo you use.
If Airtel has so much margins from the bills consumers like me pay, I would have loved to see any incremental/ transformational benefits passed on to the consumers from the Rs 300 Cr.
nice logo…………….. cute 1 cool 4 yngsstrsss…… n it didnot remind ayntng ,… it juz cool… n gud
it is drawn like a boomerang
it is red in color with bigger part on top showing imbalanced wont stand any longer
and its tilt towards left (rotation anti-clock wise) showing unethical , devilish approach and the large loop on the bottom shows highly” x “character
and it also represent wind showing calamities(inviting natural calamities )
red is an earth color when a symbol is drawn with it heavier or bigger part on the it lower part in a balanced way can bring all materialistic result money, growth fame etc
but here the logo took a reverse path
red when shown as earthly is divine (sakthi,mooladhara chakra,ganapathic etc) but when it dominating the upper part it shows destruction devilish etc.
and yes the time is kali yuga when the red will rule and dominate so have a close study about the red money behind it and the companies who are changing their colors to red. You will see almost all those changed recently have selected red as their color
is it a RED REVOLUTION chineese???? watch closely
where did all these companies got so much of money from
jai kalki
old is gold……new will be in the mind of few……
its a nice logo but one thing is airtel is the no1 cellular service provider of india but still you are spending 300crore for this. I think its not good step but stiill i would like to say that old is gold and the old themes and logo was better than this. Ok best of AIRTEL
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