Voda Idea bets on power of ‘Vi’

Brand imagery not real differentiator any more, say experts

In a rebranding exercise that kept social media abuzz, Vodafone Idea on Monday rolled out its unified identity Vi (pronounced ‘we’) in a sign that the two partners will stay together in the stormy telecom market. The final lap in the integration process between Vodafone and Idea, started two years ago, implies the separate brands will now cease to exist.

“Vodafone Idea came together as a merged entity two years ago. We have, since then, focussed on integrating two large networks, our people and processes. Today, I am delighted to present Vi, a unified brand,” Ravinder Takkar, managing director and chief executive officer, Vodafone Idea, said

in a virtual press meet.

The new brand, said Piyush Pandey, chief creative officer, worldwide and executive chairman, India, Ogilvy, was an apt “metaphor” for the merger. Ogilvy is the ad agency of Vodafone Idea. It conceptualised and executed the rebranding.

“Vi signifies togetherness. This is a wonderful way of bringing the two brands together. However, it is the people who decide if advertising is great. I will celebrate when people do,” Pandey said in a conversation with Business Standard.

“On paper, Vi is a good attempt to bring two brands together. But the telecom market has become so price-sensitive, that the differentiator is no longer brand imagery. It is how much value for money an operator can give a consumer. That is all that counts,” said KV Sridhar, global chief creative officer, Nihilent Hypercollective.

Some experts say that Ogilvy, a longtime agency partner of Vodafone, may dip into its marketing manual and experience for the current iteration, having executed four transitions in the past for the brand.