Brands
Beetel ropes in R Ashwin as its brand ambassador
NEW DELHI: Beetel and its accessory brand FLiX have roped in Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin as brand ambassador. Ashwin will endorse the company’s products and services through advertising campaigns and several other promotional programmes.
FLiX business head Puneet Gupta said he is very much excited to join hands with one of the finest bowlers in the world, adding that Ashwin's inclusion in marketing campaigns could help to target the masses in India.
"R Ashwin is a popular Indian icon. He is the new craze and a household name and hence is the apt choice to represent our brand and establish connect with our target group. With this association we aim to instil our presence in the Indian market as we pave way for aggressive expansion and growth plans for the brand. We also wish Ashwin the best of luck for the upcoming IPL season," shared Gupta.
Ashwin said, "I am thrilled to join the Beetel and FLiX Team. Personally, I have always been passionate about gadgets and emerging new tech trends. In sync with my interests and brands passion for technology, this collaboration will go a long way."
Beetel was founded in 1985, and is a pioneer in the landline phone category. Flix entered the Indian markets in September 2020 with a range of products that include TWS, audio, power, etc. The company outlined plans to rapidly expand its presence and penetration across India by introducing more than 40 products and can be found in over 5,000 retail outlets.
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.
