By Arré Bench Sep. 07, 2020
Vodafone Idea has revealed its new brand identity: “Vi”, to be read as “We”, the same way “cool” was spelt “kewl”, to sound cool, in 2007. Customers, however, are asking the more important million-dollar question: Will services improve?
Vodafone Idea has revealed its new brand identity: “Vi”, to be read as “We”. In the same way “cool” was spelt “kewl”, to sound cool, in 2007. But perhaps if you’re on a Vodafone network, it takes time to catch up to the latest trends in the world. They also have a new red and yellow logo, that could’ve been made by a six-year-old on MS Paint. After two years of the merger, the integrated brand identity is finally in place.
Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read said that it is a time for a fresh start as Vodafone India and Idea Cellular complete the integration of the two entities and rebrand the unified company as Vi.#VodafoneIdea https://t.co/QYFjt1fpzE
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) September 7, 2020
It was followed by an inexplicable brand video.
And here's the perplexing brand video… pic.twitter.com/nW7jwFwdQp
— Abhishek Baxi (@baxiabhishek) September 7, 2020
Customers, however, are asking the more important million-dollar question: Will services improve?
Vodafone being constantly trolled for poor connectivity and service is hardly a secret. Screenshots have often gone viral where people have complained to them about not getting network and Vodafone would reply back saying, “We tried to call you but couldn’t connect.” Dealing with irony has never been one of their stronger suits. The customer care replies on complaints had become so robotic that a user once tagged Vodafone and asked for the owner’s daughter’s hand in marriage, and the reply he got was, “Please send us your contact number and we will surely help you!” These Vodafone gaffes are now part of Internet folklore.
Vodafone jokes have become a format in themselves. Customers often joke about how it would be faster to travel and talk to your friend in person than wait for the call to connect. Know why the ZooZoos were black and white? Because the network couldn’t download high colour resolution. The pug was the appropriate metaphor for the Vodafone network because no one could ever understand what he wanted to say, just like being on a call on a Vodafone network.
Hahahaha #Vodafone #Trolled pic.twitter.com/Pq0G0SZbum
— Sahiba Gursahaney (@sahibagursahane) August 24, 2015
Aur lelo Vodafone! #Vodafonetrolled pic.twitter.com/ZlXx2Siro9
— Karan Kathuria (@Karankathuria77) September 2, 2016
Concerns over the network of the new entity are only natural. #VodafoneDown was trending on Twitter just a few months back, when the network faced massive outages of internet service. People found a way to put across their frustration in the most 2020 way possible: through memes.
#Vodafonedown pic.twitter.com/tsZ65hpHAA
— Naughtius Maximus (@Lordchewbarka) February 7, 2020
#Vodafonedown – My phone searching for network pic.twitter.com/20RR6kwiMI
— Saurabh Verma (@akaGonku) February 7, 2020
Will a new logo and new tagline solve the legendary network issues? Customers remain pessimistic.
#vodafoneidea changes Logo & Name
Users who are irritated with pathetic service : pic.twitter.com/aulOVQUagr— Dipesh L. Thakkar (@xplorerdipesh) September 7, 2020
One Twitter user had a better brand name integration idea. Vodafone and Idea combine to form “Void”, because that’s what it feels like being on a Vodafone network.
#vodafoneidea rebrands itself- 'V!'.
Me as a Name creator- 'VOID'. pic.twitter.com/j6cPUJ04NA— जमींदार🌾 (@TheZamidar) September 7, 2020
WHERE ARE THE ANNOUNCEMENTS ON A BETTER NETWORK?
#vodafoneidea renamed as vi.
Me who was waiting for announcement about better network. pic.twitter.com/82aBrOff1Y— Buddhi Bhaiya (@buddhi_bhaiya) September 7, 2020
Fair & Lovely recently conducted a rebranding exercise where they renamed their fairness cream to Glow & Lovely, but the product essentially remained the same. Customers hope that won’t be the case with Vi, or the memes, jokes and wisecracks will continue to keep their customer care executives busy. The brand has a chance to reset, and for the sake of customers, one hopes it just won’t be the logo and tagline, but the network and data services that also change for good.
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