Brands
Meru Cabs now available on Facebook Messenger
MUMBAI: Meru Cabs announced the integration of their cab booking system with Facebook Messenger to provide automated cab booking facility. Meru’s entire range of taxi services will now be accessible to Facebook users via Facebook Messenger and will allow them book cabs through key words, intelligent chat bot and conversational question- answers through the service called Meru Messenger Bot. With this new development Meru Cabs becomes the first cab services provider in the world to go live with implementing Facebook’s Bot services.
Adopting the latest technology, Meru aims to widen their customer base by providing convenient and seamless cab booking access to its users. Facebook messenger users can simply search “Meru Cabs” on Facebook Messenger under ‘Bots and Business’ section and begin interaction. After the initial mobile number verification (one time), the user starts a normal chat with Meru Messenger Bot to book a cab. Once the location is shared on the chat box, the user is then directed to choosing sedan (Meru) or hatchback (MeruGenie) cab available for the trip with the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). Once confirmed, the Meru Messenger Bot responds on real time basis with the cab details along with the chuffer’s mobile number. The bot enables the user locate his/her cab & check the fare details.
Commenting on the technology implementation, Mr. Siddhartha Pahwa, Group CEO, Meru Cabs said, “Simplifying our customer’s lives and addressing all their requirements is our priority at Meru. With this new feature, the process of booking a cab has become as convenient as chatting with a friend on Facebook messenger. Now, Meru Cabs is available to 150 million Facebook messenger users to book cabs in India.”
Commenting on the technology implementation, Mr. Nilesh Sangoi, CTO, Meru Cabs said, “We are very happy that our system was accepted by the Facebook Developer platform and instantly integrated in the Messenger. We will continue to adopt unique technology products to de-clutter our user’s lives, ensuring convenience & accessibility of our services to them.”
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
