The story behind Vodafone Idea’s new brand identity Vi and how the team pulled off the entire exercise during the lockdown

• The complete rebranding of Vodafone Idea to Vi was carried out during the lockdown. So what went behind the exercise?
• Kavita Nair, Chief Digital Transformation and Brand Officer, Vodafone Idea takes us behind the scenes of the re-branding.

Last week, Vodafone Idea unveiled a new brand identity. The new entity that will be called Vi, has the core positioning of ‘Together for Tomorrow’.

However, what does it take to take two very recognizable brand and rebrand and reposition them? How does one make sure that you retain the legacy of these brands while also coming up with something fresh and catchy that captures the audiences’ fancy? And how do you pull off this entire exercise during a lockdown?

We found out the answer to these questions when we spoke to Kavita Nair, Chief Digital Transformation and Brand Officer, Vodafone Idea who took us behind the scenes of this massive rebranding exercise.

On how difficult it is to rebrand two such popular brands, Nair said, “We wanted to carry forward the legacy of both the brands. We also wanted to create a new, dynamic edge to reflect the changing times and evolving consumer needs. So the task at hand was to create something unique while carrying forward the legacy. We wanted to come up with something that is future-fit for both our organization and our customers. We saw this as an opportunity to shape up a new band while carrying forward the legacy and heritage with us.”

While the new entity is called Vi, it is much more than a simple abbreviation of Vodafone and Idea. Explaining, Nair said, “The starting point was the abbreviation of Vodafone and Idea but it was also about how it should be pronounced. We didn’t want it just to be about the ‘V’ and ‘I’ coming together but for it to reflect the power of the collective and collaboration. It is also about the bonds that Indians share with thir friends, families, community and businesses. The new logo is a representation of all of that. From a design system, it has an inverted ‘I’ and a bold, mustard dot which we call the particle which is there to surprise and delight people. So it is much more than just an abbreviation.”

While the colors of the old brands were Red and Yellow, both primary colours, the new visual identity uses crimson and mustard.

Another interesting thing about both these brands is that while Vodafone had a largely urban user base, Idea was more popular in rural areas. So, what went into making sure that the new identity is inclusive and brings all kinds of audiences under the same umbrella? “We wanted to create one brand that not just carries forward the legacy but also is one that stretches across consumers and businesses, classes and geographies and urban and rural. That led us to the positioning ‘Together for Tomorrow’, which is meant for everybody. The core of the positioning is people are optimistic and they want to get ahead in life. And they are seeking help to get ahead in this journey, to realize their dreams and ambitions and we want to partner with them, to help them get ahead and stay ahead,” explained Nair.

Watch the whole conversation here: