Adani powers the brand for a consumer friendly avatar

ArmedwithaslewofinitiativesandanactiveTwitteraccount, Adani ElectricitylookstobuilditsstreetcredentialsinMumbai

Having turned electricity supplier in August, for certain suburbs in Mumbai, Adani Electricity is working to build its brand equity. It was a part of the recent festive celebrations in the city and with an active Twitter handle, has sought to amplify its efforts on social media. Such initiatives and engaments are aimed at winning consumer approval, but can they steer the spotlight away from the myriad controversies that the group has found itself in?

The transition from ‘big boy’ power producer image to a regular electricity distributor can be daunting according to brand experts. And that is one reason why the company has taken baby steps in that direction, staying clear of a big splash on TV or print until now.

In August, Adani Electricity became the new power distribution company for some parts of the city, through a takeover of Reliance Infrastructure’s power distribution business. Adani Electricity is the subsidiary under the Adani group that houses the distribution asset.

The following three months saw Adani Electricity jump on to the city’s festive brand wagon. It was a part of the Ganesh Chaturthi related beach clean-ups and offered subsidised power supply to Ganesh and Durga puja celebrations. In its latest, the company installed street lights to mark Diwali.

Harish Bijoor, brand expert and founder, Harish Bijoor Consults sees the image clean-up as the bigger challenge for the group. “The bigger challenge is for Adani to clean up its big-boy image. Successive sets of players have had this issue. Reliance had that image as well. To that extent these efforts, with front-faced consumer touch activities are very useful,” he said.

The group has had its fair share of controversy and the brand has hit the headlines for its constant friction with international green lobbies over an integrated coal project in Australia. Closer home, the group is often fodder for Opposition fire against the ruling dispensation.

So far the group has stayed away from speaking about these issues. Ashish Mishra, managing director for Interbrand suggests that it may need to change. “The transition from a B2B business to a consumer utility brand has its challenges. The first set of factors needing strengthening is creating a relevant and differentiated authenticity and presence around it. The second set of challenges emanate from the controversial corporate reputation. Adani has a compulsion to address both these sets simultaneously and gradually,” he said.

So far the company has been low key in its promotions while sticking to on-ground and radio as the medium for its message. This keeps the brand away from intense scrutiny while it builds its subscriber base. “An aggressive promotion of the consumer brand will create more questions hence the advertising route is rightfully avoided,” Mishra said.

Radio has been a smart tactical move say many. “It is important for Adani Electricity to be seen as the boy next door rather than the big brother who is watching you. The brand needs to soften its appearance rather than harden. And that is exactly what it is attempting,” Bijoor explains.

The company has also not been hasty in differentiating and distancing itself from the city’s previous electricity provider, Reliance. No announcements with a ‘bigger and better’ brand promise for one; and the company still uses # Pandeyji KiPaathshala, a Twitter handle popularised by Reliance. Experts believe that so far Adani’s moves have hit the right notes, but the brand still has some way to go before it can establish its clean and green credentials in the city.