Dabur set for image makeover, new logo  ( August '31,2004, BS)

New image to give a more contemporay feel. Dabur, the homespun herbal specialist brand, is all set to get a new look. Dabur India Ltd has engaged the services of DMA, a part of the Alia group, to redesign the age-old brand logo in order to give it a more contemporay feel.

The change could mean the end for Dabur's age old banyan tree logo, and also a change in the typeface. The new brand image is expected to be ready in a couple of months.

Though the new brand is not yet ready, Sunil Duggal, CEO of Dabur India Ltd, told Business Standard that it will represent continutiy with change.

"Dabur brand equity has to become more cohesive. At the moment it means different things to different people. All these need to be woven together. The earlier logo was evolutionary. The current change is more revolutionary," he said.

Though Dabur is the world’s largest ayurveda brand, its precise valuation is not known. Dabur India clocked a turnover of Rs 1,159 crore in 2003-04, a substantial part of which was under the Dabur umbrella brand.

The company has put together a new brand architecture wherein Dabur has become the master brand for its healthcare products like chyawanprash.

The new look comes at a time when Dabur India Ltd has halked out an agressive growth strategy in India as well as abroad in markets like West Asia, the United States and Europe.

Over the last two years Dabur has been trying to change the packaging and the communication of its products more contemporary. It introduced a new packaging for its flagship brand Dabur Chyawanparash and used Amitabh Bachchan for its new advertising campaign. It has signed up oher brand ambassadors like Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee and cricket sensation Virender Sehwag.

In the recent past, several Indian firms have decided to rechristen their companies and redesign their logos to attract the younger generation consumers. Earlier this year, Bajaj Auto adopted a new blue-coloured, wing shaped logo that depicted its growth ambitions.

In 2001, the Bhartia's promoted VAM Organics changed into Jubilant Organosys with the leading design expert Shombit Sengupta recreating the company's logo.