Page 37 - Seniors Today October 2020

Once Upon A Time | Advertising was replaced by a pug. I am sure everyone
wonders why a pug? But the creative teams
did look at other alternatives like Fox
From Hutch to Vi Terriers, Golden Retrievers and Labradors.
But the choice seemed to have finally fallen
– An endearing on a pug which until that point of time at
least was not a very popular choice for a
history pet. Pugs look cute but are not credited with
being the smartest dogs in the dog kingdom!
What the pug as a mascot managed to do
However, as the industry grew there was was to make a tech product very human. The
consolidation, and mergers and acquisitions Vodafone brand was able to tell very human
have resulted now in a handful of telecom emotional stories which brought the brand
brand names in the country. very close to its customers.
One of the most endearing campaigns It is easy to predict the brand names that
released by Orange overseas was “The companies can take during mergers.
future is bright. The future is Orange.” It was Experience has shown some proven ways
a popular campaign that ran for many years. to handle branding during merges and
But perhaps the most likeable campaign acquisitions.
run by the brand was when they changed to
Vodafone in 2007. Single Dominant Brand
The merger can decide to go after the more
predominant brand if having only one name
is a priority. In this case, Vodafone at that
time being second largest telco as well as an
Vodafone’s recent evolution into “Vi” is the latest step in the brand’s long trail of
evolution. Prabhakar Mundkur takes a quick look back international brand, one possibility would
have been to retain Vodafone and drop
Idea but obviously Idea being a very strong
Idea to become Vodafone-Idea and now the partner, this is not the route the new merger
same brand is Vi. Indeed, a long history could take. When Allied Signal acquired
for a telecom brand. There is one constant The pug became a very lovable mascot for Honeywell, they decided that the new
though. Ogilvy has always been the brand’s the Vodafone brand. In fact, the campaign company should be called Honeywell since
advertising agency through its many avatars. was so popular that people started adopting it was the predominant name with stronger
Orange was a brand owned by France pugs as their favourite dog brand. Before equity.
Telecom. Vodafone hardly anyone used to look for
At least in recent times no brand, and In December 1999, the two companies pugs in the pet market. The pug in the
particularly a telecom brand, has gone entered into a licensing agreement on advertising even had a name – Cheeka.
through so many changes in its name and trademark use for Mumbai, Navi Mumbai The brief to the advertising agency, Ogilvy
identity as Vi has. and Kalyan. The telecom structure of was to demonstrate the speed and reach
It started in the 1990s with Hutch Essar various circles is partly responsible for the of the Vodafone network. Early Vodafone Sometimes some brands need to distance
in Delhi and Max Touch in Mumbai (later large proliferation of telecom brand names advertising had a young boy and his sister themselves from the bad PR created by
became Orange in Mumbai, and then in the Indian telecom industry in the early following everywhere, signifying the another brand. So when Dow Chemicals
Vodafone). Then Vodafone merged with stage of telecom history. customer and the network. Later the sister bought over Union Carbide they decided to

36 SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #16 | OCTOBER 2020 37