As the Tata Group takes charge of Air India following its privatisation in January last year, the beloved Maharajah mascot might be taking a step back from its prominent role.
A long-awaited revamp of the national carrier’s brand is on the horizon, and while the Maharajah image will likely continue to grace the airport lounges and premium classes it won’t remain the airline’s mascot, states a report from Economic Times quoting sources familiar with the matter.
The Maharajah has been an iconic symbol for Air India since 1946, while the airline’s logos over the years have featured various symbols, including the centaur, the rising sun, and a flying swan. The Maharaja was created by Bobby Kooka in 1946 when he was the commercial director of the airline.
Tata Sons’ owned Air India is undergoing a makeover, and will unveil a new brand identity in August at an event hosted in Delhi, reported CNBC-TV18.
“It is expected that Air India will unveil a new colour theme, a new livery and design to give Air India a refreshed look and feel of a global airline,” stated the report.
In addition to this, it is also expected and indicated that the airline brand will unveil its new frequent travellers loyalty program, and the merged Air India-Vistara could be following many of Vistara’s day-to-day practices.
While the airline brand is all set to unveil its new brand identity, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is yet to approve the merger of Air India and Vistara.
Storyboard18 reported in January 2023 that the company onboarded London-based brand and design consultancy firm Futurebrands to design Air India’s new branding strategy.
In Jun 2023, Storyboard18 was the first to report that the airline major assigned its creative duties to McCann Worldgroup India. The responsibilities of the agency include developing a new brand platform and a comprehensive range of multi-channel marketing communication.
Air India’s transformation plan is titled “Vihaan.AI”, which in Sanskrit signifies the dawn of a new era, with identified objectives for Air India over the next five years. Senior advertising and media executives believe that the company needs to look at amalgamating past glory and future-led technologies in order to make Air India a competitive home-grown but truly world-class brand.
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