Brands
Adidas creates shortest hashtag #III, Sharma, Rahul & Pant superheroes
MUMBAI: Adidas is all set to blow away cricket fans with the launch of its latest digital campaign titled #III, cricket’s shortest hashtag – #III, aiming to make the hashtag synonymous with cricket. Interestingly, the three “I’s” in the “#III” not only look like the three stumps of cricket but also give a visual representation of the trademark three stripes of adidas. The idea behind the campaign is to keep hashtags concise and crisp, in line with the tenets of social media. The campaign is being led by adidas athletes Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant and each ‘I’ in the #III, represents each one of them. As part of the campaign all three athletes will come together as the adidas #III squad, to become cricket’s first 3D superhero squad who are here not merely to play the game but to entertain audiences at extraordinary levels.
The #III Squad (or the cricket squad) of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will regale audiences on field with their explosive performances and off-field with fictional storytelling around the game. These three superheroes will live two lives – one with fantastical superpowers and the other with cricketing powers.
“As the world’s leading sports brand, we decided to establish the world’s shortest hashtag that represents the game – #III. We also realized that it was time to bring back the excitement to the cricket season and hence decided to push our athletes to go beyond just being sportsmen. Today audiences are seeking entertainment in the sport of cricket and we felt that the time was right to showcase Rohit, KL and Rishabh as the explosive players and entertainers that they are. What better than their superhero avatars to showcase their super abilities.” said adidas India director – Heartbeat Sports & Outdoor Business Unit Dhanashree Sowani.
During the upcoming cricket season, the #III squad will give epic live commentary through GIFs and cinemagraphs on social media especially during matches. The superhero avatars will also be placed at prominent malls and adidas stores in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. adidas will also giveaway limited edition merchandise to winners of online contests that will be run on the adidas cricket social media handles.
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.
