“ Brand Positioning is not what you do to a product, it is what you do to the mind of a prospect “ – .
Al Ries
Branding Builds Perception
Branding builds expectations, and how well or not the brand can walk the talk leads to a positive or negative perception in the consumer’s mind, eventually culminating in the success or failure of the brand. Air India, our Flagship Carrier, post its acquisition by TATAs last year ( 89 years after JRD Tata founded the Airline ) announced its makeover with a new logo ‘ The Vista ‘ and freshened up Livery.
The Vista
In partnership with the brand transformation company FutureBrand, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran and Air India CEO Campbell Wilson announced their brand strategy on the 9th of August. Inspired by the peak of the golden window frame, ‘ The Vista ‘, represents the Airline’s progressive and confident outlook going forward. The colour palette comprising of dark red, purple and gold and a strong font is an aggressive statement from the owners.
Mixed Opinions
The new logo and airline livery have generated mixed reactions. The font is brave and impressive though the colour combination on the Tail appears to be overbearing. Dark red and purple with the golden window hue make a heavy combination. A slightly mellowed colouring along with the bold Air India font would have been perfect in my opinion. However as the new branding takes effect over the entire fleet of Air India, the eyes of the travellers shall eventually accommodate the new. However what concerns me is not the new logo, but how well the Airline is going to instil confidence and progressiveness in the minds of its consumers, which they have set out to demonstrate through the new logo.
Some Turbulent Weather
Air India has been in turbulent weather with mounting losses and a beleaguered morale. The TATA takeover has in a way breathed new life into the company with several positive initiatives. The focus has been on upgrading the fleet of its aircraft, huge investments in technology and now a change in its brand strategy. The effort is on in serving a new Air India to its travellers.
My Concerns
Apart from the above, my concerns are with inflight service, efficiency in operations and customer delight, which are perceived to be long-standing issues with Airline for a long time. Surely enough the initiatives taken by the new management will address these concerns and only then the new branding will find takers within the flyers.
The Key
“ The Key is to set realistic customer expectations and then not just meet them, but to exceed them preferably in unexpected and helpful ways “ –
Richard Branson, Virgin Airlines.
The new branding has built expectations and I am looking forward to seeing how it fares. Air India becoming an important part of Indian Skies and beyond would be a proud moment for all of us. And I am still fond of the good old, the very humble ‘ Maharaja ‘.
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