1. What’s in a Name?
Lessons from Three
Rebranding Exercises in India
Section A ; Group 9
Ajay Bharathi G
FT12306
Harendra Singh
FT12127
Kushagra Prasad FT12227
Rohit Agrawal FT12351
Tushar Arora FT12168

2. Objective
 Understand the issues and challenges
in rebranding a well established brand
 Understand the issues that could lead
to the decision of a company to
rebrand
 Understand how a rebranding
exercise for a company in a particular
industry differ from that in another
industry
Section A GROUP 9 2

3. HLL to HUL
Section A GROUP 9 3

4. HLL to HUL : Why?
 Parent company wanted to create a uniform
brand
 ‘Hindustan Lever’ enjoyed a tremendous
brand recall
 ‘Hindustan’ word was retained which helped
in marketing products, especially in rural
areas
 It showed commitment towards local roots
while leveraging global scale and reputation
of Unilever
 Taking the name of its parent company it was
easier for them to attract and retain talent
who wanted to work for multinational 9
Section A GROUP 4

5. HLL to HUL : Method
 Rs.1000 million campaign for a rebranding
exercise executed by Lowe India
 In 2004, Unilever adopted the new logo
signifying mission statement, ‘Adding Vitality to
Life’
 New logo consisted of 25 symbols symbolizing
the benefits HUL brought to the consumers and
the communities they work in.
 There was no immediate mass media
campaign to communicate new identity.
 Initially, started showing name and logo of HLL
prominently
 Later, showed HLL name and logo morphing
into HUL name and logo
Section A GROUP 9 5

6. HLL to HUL : Result
 The company made the transition to
the new corporate identity smoothly
 Rebranding did not have any adverse
impact on HLL’s market position.
 Helped in creating unified brand under
the name ‘Unilever’.
Section A GROUP 9 6

7. UTI Bank to Axis Bank
Section A GROUP 9 7

8. UTI Bank to Axis Bank : Why?
 Was allowed to use ‘UTI’ brand name
for free till January 2008
 Rebranding itself also gave it the
opportunity to have a brand of its own
 To remove brand confusion that was
created by several shareholder
unrelated entities
Section A GROUP 9 8

9. UTI Bank to Axis Bank :
Method
 Acquired the services of Ogilvy & Mather (O&M)
 Create a brand that was ‘simple and signified stability’ and have
global appeal
 Burgundy color retained to link to its heritage
 ‘Axis’ conveys a sense of solidity and maturity with a universal
appeal
 Signages in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad
were changed immediately and change in other cities to follow in
next few months
 Communicated the change to the customer well in advance
 Used internet, ATMs, mobile channels and call centers to inform
customers
 Integrated marketing campaign ‘UTI Bank is now Axis Bank;
Everything is the same except the name’
 People were redirected from older website to the new website.
Section A GROUP 9 9

10. UTI Bank to Axis Bank :
Result
 Axis Bank brand turned into a big one
 There has been a rise in new
customers after the name change
Section A GROUP 9 10

11. Hutch to Vodafone
Section A GROUP 9 11

12. Hutch to Vodafone : Why?
 Vodafone Essar was formed in May 2007 as the
UK-based global telecom giant Vodafone Plc
(Vodafone) acquired a controlling stake in the
fourth-largest mobile communication service
provider in India, Hutchison Essar Ltd
(Hutchison).
 On September 20, 2007,Vodafone Essar Ltd.
(Vodafone Essar) officially rebranded the ‘Hutch’
brand to ‘Vodafone’ in India.
 Rebranding aimed to reach out to almost 86
percent (35 million) of the total mobile market in
India
Section A GROUP 9 12

13. Hutch to Vodafone : Method
 Hutch’s logo was replaced by the ‘speech mark’ logo of
Vodafone
 The color scheme changed from pink to Vodafone’s global
red color scheme
 ‘Wherever You Go Our Network Follows’ was replaced by
‘Make the Most of Now’.
 It used the same ‘pug’ dog that was part of a very popular
campaign to show the transition of the brand
 Vodafone Essar retained the leading ad agency Ogilvy &
Mather, which had created the campaigns for the ‘Hutch’
brand.
 Simple message ‘Hutch is now Vodafone’.
 Recharge coupon outlets, thousands of billboards and 10,000
shop signs were changed
 Vodafone Essar bought STAR’s entire virtual airtime space for
twenty-four hours across 13 channels of the STAR India
Network for the launch
Section A GROUP 9 13

14. Hutch to Vodafone : Result
 Vodafone Essar had literally painted the cities red with
its outdoor media ads and change of signages of its
dealers
 Some felt that the red color scheme of Vodafone could
create confusion in the consumer’s mind as it was also
used by the market leader, Airtel. But the company was
unperturbed by this.
 The perfect brand services helped in conversion of
brand successfully.
 The conversion took less number of years than
expected by the Vodafone management.
Section A GROUP 9 14

15. THANK YOU
Section A GROUP 9 15