Zomato's Name-Free Newspaper Ad Sparks Branding Debate Among Marketers
Zomato's logo-free newspaper ad sparks debate among marketers over brand recall, visual identity and the power of consistent branding.
SociapaHQ
A newspaper advertisement, which is suspected to be from Zomato, but does not have the company name and logo, but has its signature red colour and distinctive tone of communication to signal its identity, has sparked a debate among branding and marketing professionals.
The minimalist creator grabbed attention after communications strategist Karthik Srinivasan posted it on social media calling it an example of branding confidence built over years of consistent positioning.
That's chutzpah! “A result of building/nurturing the brand tone (and colour) consistently relentlessly over 18 years,” wrote Srinivasan.
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Brand Recall Debate:
The ad soon became a talking point in the marketing community, with many debating whether a brand can be instantly recognised without showing its logo or name, if it has consistently reinforced its visual identity and communication style over time.
There was no agreement that the identity of the creative was clear.
Colour alone was not a strong enough branding asset to be distinctive, said Jhanvi Thaker, co-founder at branding consultancy Olleeve. “It doesn’t make the common association,” she said, noting red is used by a lot of established brands.
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Sudarshan Banerjee, Chief Marketing Officer at Ashwin Sheth Group echoed the view and listed a few well-known brands associated with the colour. "Coca-Cola? Zomato? Kotak? Airtel? Spanish Football Team? “I think 18 might be a clue, not sure though,” he wrote.
But some felt the ad was clearly in keeping with Zomato’s established brand voice.
“The communication style, typography and reference to the 18-year journey of the company made the brand immediately identifiable,” said Sanjeev Jasani, former COO of Cheil India.
