Reinventing Brand Airtel

Bharti Airtel says the makeover is in tune with the paradigm change the industry is about to witness

Airtel has a new identity, complete with a new logo and, for the first time, a symbol. A new television campaign, shot in Prague with models fresh out of acting school, is on air; its international look and feel is unmistakable. The old Airtel logo has more or less been replaced at all shops and billboards in the country, television shows, cricket fields et al. It’s a huge exercise but nobody will tell how much it cost. “It is not insignificant or marginal; it’s pretty serious,” says Bharti Airtel CEO Sanjay Kapoor.

The jury is still out if Bharti Airtel has got it right. The comments on cyberspace, says Bharti Airtel Head (brand & media) Mohit Beotra, are 70 per cent positive and 30 per cent negative. All this money, the naysayers have argued, could have gone into improving customer service and decongesting the network.

Some experts have said the red and white colours are the same as the house colours of Vodafone. “The film is very generic and the promises are what any service provider would talk about. It is not really a differentiator,” says Dentsu India Executive Vice-chairman and Chief Creative Officer Gullu Sen. “Any good symbol should be describable; if you can’t describe it, you have lost half the battle,” adds Leo Burnett India National Creative Director KV Sridhar. “For example, the Vodafone symbol represents a quote or a speech blurb, and is therefore something that people can recognise. With Airtel you don’t know what the symbol is.”

Bharti Airtel is convinced it has got it right. The new symbol, says Kapoor, is an interpretation of the A in Airtel and shows the company’s willingness to embrace anything new. “The curve with the red highlights makes it more inviting and warm. It looks like a living object and represents the dynamic force that exists in our lives.” The Airtel logo is now in lower case, which is an attempt to show the humility that is required in a service brand. “And the red colour is a part of our heritage not only because it is auspicious in our environment but also because it’s truly vibrant and has played a role in our success thus far,” adds Kapoor.

The Airtel signature tune created by AR Rahman some years ago, which has seen 150 million downloads, has been re-crafted by the musician to support the new symbol and logo. Airtel’s new identity, Kapoor feels, goes beyond telecom. So, in the future, if the company wants to get into new services, the brand image will not be a hindrance.

The next few quarters will show if Bharti Airtel did the right thing or not. The timing should not be lost on you. Number portability will finally happen soon; lesser brands can prepare to lose customers. Third-generation mobile services too will kick off soon. Companies like Bharti Airtel that have paid a bomb to buy spectrum must ensure there is adequate return. The brand that positions itself right will walk away with the new business. With mobile telephony set to undergo a paradigm change, Bharti Airtel decided to be the first off the block with a new look. “When you change proactively you are more in control than when you are pushed into it,” says Kapoor. “It is for the right reason; so we are not apprehensive of the change.”

Kapoor says there’s more to it. The brand needed to speak to the youth better, value-added services are gaining in size with each passing day, and the company is now global with operations in India, Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Bharti Airtel offers services under the Airtel brand in India and Sri Lanka, Zain in Africa and Warid in Bangladesh. In a few short weeks, all the geographies will move to the new Airtel. Once that is done, the brand will have annualised sales in excess of $13 billion.

Brand promise

The next task for Brand Union was to refine the Airtel brand promise of magic happens when people talk. Two options were given: Dil jo chahe paas aye (what your heart wants comes closer) and dil jo chahae paase laye (what your heart wants is brought closer). Again, the company went to the customers with both the lines; they selected the second one.

Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel switched its creative agency from Rediff to JWT because it wanted one with international expertise. JWT, in fact, and Bharti Airtel had worked together for its DTH service. So, the company knew how the agency worked. Madison was brought in for media and webchutney for digital communication.

“The brief from Airtel was that ‘connections’ is the heart of what mobility does. Right at the onset, we wanted to break a little from the past so that the viewers see a new Airtel and see the new idea without any celebrity,” says JWT Managing Partner Rohit Ohri. “The company wanted us to let everyone know in the shortest possible time and most cost-effective manner that there is change at Airtel, and reach out to most of India in a short span of time,” adds Madison World Chairman & Managing Director Sam Balsara.