MAM
Ramesh Narayan to be inducted into AFAA Hall of Fame
Mumbai: Canco Advertising founder and Indian advertising doyen Ramesh Narayan will be inducted into the prestigious Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) Hall of Fame at the AdAsia 2021 slated to be held in Macau between 3 and 4 December.
“The AFAA Hall of Fame sets out to recognise the best of the very best. It’s for those who’ve defined a generation of advertising. Those who we look up to, who inspire us. Who have done what few others have ever done or could ever do. For those who have pioneered. Those who have been on top, stayed there and will always be there. The very few we can call legends,” said AFAA chairman, Raymond So.
“Ramesh Narayan is a legend who has the ability to look past what’s ‘good enough’ and focus on making everything ‘better than it has to be’,” he further said.
He added, “Ramesh is known for his integrity and truthfulness. He is a true leader who generously gave his time to build a better future for the advertising industry and social causes. Ramesh is a gentleman and role model.”
“I am really happy that AFAA has chosen Ramesh for their highest award. A well-earned recognition for all his self-effacing hard work, real commitment, continuous guidance and voluntary support that he has provided AFAA for over two decades,” said IAA Global immediate past chairman & world president, and AFAA vice-chairman, Srinivasan Swamy. “It is not wrong to say that he was one of the builders of AFAA, to what it is today. I do hope he will continue to guide the Asian industry, the way he only can!”
Narayan has earlier been honoured by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) with their Lifetime Achievement Award, the International Advertising Association (Global) with their Global Champion Award, the India Chapter of the IAA with an induction into their Hall of Fame, the Public Relations Society of India with their Special Award, and the Association of Business Communicators of India (ABCI) with their Lifetime Achievement Award.
He has also been president of the Rotary Club of India and the recipient of many Club and District awards.
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.
