The Hindu Business Line : India Inc sheds traditional image for sleeker look

NO longer the fuddy-duddy image for India Inc. To keep up with globalisation, many Indian corporates are shedding their years-old identity and going in for the younger, sleeker look. Not only in their products and packaging, but even company logos, colours and tag lines have been subjected to an extensive branding makeover.

Ninety-seven year old Bank of Baroda has replaced its blue and yellow identity with a vibrant orange sun. Kinetic has transformed its red and blue letter logo to a sleek, metallic grey and silver one that symbolises high-precision engineering.

Some time back, Dabur, the traditional grandmother brand, rejuvenated its trademark banyan tree.

Bajaj Auto too orchestrated a makeover, reflecting the changes that had taken place within the company. Its 40-year-old logo was replaced by an open, abstract form of a stylised B - the flying B, as it has been named.

Tata AIG and ONGC had earlier done a similar exercise. And all of them have hired professional design companies to execute the changes.

Why do companies feel the need to look more savvy? Analysts attribute it to the simple pressures of growing competition. They emphasise that for many of the companies, it's not just a look change but representative of the restructuring taking place within the organisations.

"More and more companies are rejuvenating identities in a bid to maintain their relevance in a changing society," said Mr Sudhir Sharma, Director, Elephant Design, the company that ideated brand identities for Bajaj Auto, Standard Chartered, and ICICI.

Companies that unveiled their new brand image just last week explained why they did so.

"The fresh identity comes at a time when we are preparing to launch a series of very exciting Italian-designed new scooters. The new logo will appear on all Kinetic two-wheelers, dealership insignia, advertising, and other brand-related initiatives," said Mr Ajinkya Firodia, General Manager (Marketing), Kinetic.

Mr Anil K. Khandelwal, Chairman & Managing Director, Bank of Baroda, said: "The new corporate logo is much more than a cosmetic change. It is a signal that the bank recognises and is preparing itself for the new business paradigms in the globalised world."

In tune with its new avatar, the Bank also announced the launching of a number of customer-centric initiatives, including IT products and expansion of electronic delivery channels in the coming few months.

But that may not be the end of the corporate rebranding story. In the pipeline are several other initiatives, including that of an Indian subsidiary of a FMCG major.

Though their names are being kept strictly under wraps, design houses are surely in for big business and India Inc for some more makeover action.

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