India Inc on renaming spree

Indian companies seem to have realised that there is a lot in a name after all -- and even more so in a brand name -- if the spate of name changes in recent times is anything to go by.

In many of these attempts at an image makeover, the brand has become the corporate identity or been added to the existing name of the company.

The latest to join the rank is Satnam Overseas Ltd, which sells and exports rice under the Kohinoor brand name. Come September, the company will start calling itself Kohinoor Foods Ltd.

Earlier this year, millions of Airtel subscribers realised that their service provider was no longer Bharti Tele-ventures but Bharti Airtel. Airtel, of course, is the brand that is more easily recognised than Bharti in several pockets.

Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines had its origin in air-taxi operator UB Air, branded after the parent company, liquor-maker United Breweries.

But somewhere along the runway, perhaps as an acknowledgement of the brand loyalty to his best-known beer, Mallya opted for the name of Kingfisher Air when the time came to take off.

Similarly, Asahi India Glass Ltd, the country's largest glass company, identifies itself as AIS, the same as its flagship brand. "We want the brand identity and the corporate identity to be the same," sources close to the company said.

Much before this spree, seeking a more dynamic image than suggested by the unwieldy Birla-AT&T-Tata, the cellular service provider renamed itself as Idea, which is also its brand.

Calling Satnam Overseas' plan sensible, Jagdeep Kapoor, chairman and managing director of Samsika Marketing, said, "What is the point in having a solid asset in a trusted brand and not incorporating that in the corporate name."