Vodafone-Idea to go to market with 'Vi' brand

A new logo and brand identity has been announced as the final step in the merger between the two companies.

Vodafone and Idea have announced that they will rebrand as a single joint entity under the new name - Vi. The logo is meant to encapsulate the names of both brands with the mustard yellow dot attempting to signify the 'pulse' of India. The new identity has been designed by creative agency Wolff Olins.

In 2018, Vodafone and Idea merged to create a new entity called Vodafone Idea. The new logo and brand identity will be visible at different consumer touch points such as hoardings, bus stations, shops, merchandise, and so on.

Launching the new brand, Ravinder Takkar, MD & CEO, Vodafone Idea Limited said, "Vodafone Idea came together as a merged entity two years ago. We have, since then focussed on integrating two large networks, our people and processes. And today I am delighted to present Vi, a brand that will bring important meaning to lives of our customers. Indians are optimistic and want to get ahead in life. They would love a credible partner to help them on this journey. Vi's positioning is built around this promise and will focus on meeting the customer needs to help them thrive."

"The brand integration not only marks the completion of the largest telecom merger in the world, but also sets us on our future journey to offer world class digital experiences to 1 Billion Indians on our strong 4G network. VIL is now leaner and agile, and the deployment of many principles of 5G architecture has helped us transform into a future-fit, digital network for the changing customer needs," says Takkar.

”India is the 2nd largest telecom market and the largest data consumer, globally. With 1.2 Bn Indians accessing voice and data services at the worId“s lowest tariffs across 5 lakh villages, the ubiquitous wireless network in India is unmatched for its reach and impact in people’s lives. With our new brand — Vi, we stand committed to partner the Government to accelerate India’s progression towards a digital economy, enabling millions of citizens to connect to the digital revolution and build a better tomorrow.“ said Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman - Aditya Birla Group & Vodafone Idea Limited.

“This is an important next step to launch our new unified business under a new unified brand, Vi. Back in 2018, the combination of Vodafone India and Idea created the new champion for the government’s vision of Digital India. As the integration of the two businesses is now complete, it’s time for a fresh start. That’s why we believe that now is the perfect time to launch Vi, one company which combines the strengths of Vodafone India and Idea. Vi's focus will be to deliver to citizens and businesses in India a superior network experience, better customer service and leading products and services.“ said Nick Read, CEO - Vodafone Group Plc.

Commenting on the new brand, Kavita Nair, Chief Digital Transformation and Brand Officer, Vodafone Idea, said, “Vi leverages the strength of two of India's most loved brands, Vodafone and Idea. Vi is vibrant, exciting and throbs with the spirit of rising India. It is committed to help every Indian move ahead in life. Vi is dynamic, flexible, fluid and always on. In the months to come Vi will continuously unpack exciting possibilities for its customers. Vi is built for the new age and for the connected ecosystem. We invite everyone to join this exciting journey as we move towards building a better tomorrow.

Vi - #TogetherForTomorrow

Vi is a new design system, not just an identity. It leverages legacy but is also transformational in its intent and signals that change. It stretches across consumer and businesses, and across all classes, geographies, urban and rural. It is flexible across formats and works well with partners.

The name Vi is much more than an abbreviation of Vodafone and Idea. It is shorter, simpler and while referencing the origins of the two brands, Vi (read as ”we“), also reflects the collective nature of Indian society. It is not just about me, it’s especially about ”we“.

The ”i“ is always punctuated with a bold mustard dot. It is confident, surprising and delightful. It reflects the throbbing and progressive pulse of India. It is unique, continuously unpacking amazing possibilities, and always putting customers at the heart of everything.

Starting today, Vi ads will be on TV and digital platforms, followed by a high decibel intensive multi-media campaign. The brand buzz will then continue in the market over the coming weeks.

Engaging with Vi

VIL is committed to offer both retail and enterprise customers, world-class experience while fulfilling their evolving digital and connectivity needs with new products, services and solutions. VIL will continue to offer superior network experience, more value and more excitement to its customers.

The company is announcing ”Happy Surprises“ - a program that invites everyone to meet and greet Vi by spotting the new logo on the Vi app and win prizes every-day.

As part of the engagement, the company has launched an application to enable mobile users to create and download their own exclusive and customized Vi Tune. Any mobile user can download the Vi app to use this feature or visit the Vi website (QM Vi in). Creation is simple — users just need to key in their 10 digit mobile number to get a ringtone that is uniquely theirs. These initiatives are open for both Vi customers as well as non Vi users. A range of other exciting engagements with digital users are planned over the next fewdays.

Vi promises a stronger, better, faster network

VIL has readied a robust, future-fit network built on many principles of 5G architecture.

It continues to invest in 4G to increase coverage and capacity. VIL’s 4G population coverage now reaches 1 billion people - double the coverage at the time of merger announcement. With the successful integration of two strong networks and deployment of new age technologies such as Dynamic Spectrum Re-farming (DSR), M-MIMO, TDD, Small Cells, Cloud and OpenRAN, Vi customers will now be able to enjoy the combined strength of a high powered, unified network.

These network investments have delivered a significant capacity uplift and enabled VIL to offer superior customer experience. Vi customers will enjoy fastest 4G speeds across many circles, top cities and leading metros including Delhi and Mumbai.

Vi is for Digital India

The company’s integrated digital transformation journey began with the merger. Digital is now pervasive, through all aspects of the customer journey - from acquisition to on- boarding and customer care. With a future fit world-class network, the company is focussing on online platforms to offer services to its customers, as they embrace the digital way of life.

VIL has enabled a range of digital based customer service options such as Al-powered Bot on Whatsapp and website, and digital recharges to enable contactless service.

Vodafone Idea is a market leader and a pioneer in driving IoT. It will continue to invest in developing world-class infrastructure and introduce newer and smarter technologies - high speed and secure leased lines, MIMO and Cloud services.

As the trusted partner for Indian enterprises, Vi will empower businesses with future-ready products and services to help them scale up, become more efficient and tap new, emerging opportunities in the digital era. VIL continuously strives to remain the preferred telco partner for enterprises.