Brands
DHFL signs Shah Rukh Khan as brand ambassador
MUMBAI: DHFL, a housing finance company, has announced Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador. This is the company’s first such brand association in its 30 year journey of providing financial access for home buying amongst Indian customers.
DHFL chairman and MD Kapil Wadhawan said, “We are extremely pleased to have Shah Rukh Khan as DHFL’s brand ambassador. Today, DHFL is on its way to becoming a large financial services institution, reaching out to customers across the country, with its customised products and solutions. Shah Rukh Khan, with his people connect driven by diverse performances, has enthralled Indians over the years. This resonates with our brand philosophy of being able to cater to customers with tailor-made financial options, designed to suit their evolving needs. In this context, Shah Rukh Khan is a perfect brand ambassador in our endeavour to connect with every Indian for their financial well-being, today and in the future.”
Shah Rukh Khan said, “It is an honour to be associated with DHFL. I truly believe that owning a home is the first step towards ensuring a secure and confident future for every family. I personally believe that DHFL’s mission of enabling home ownership amongst every Indian is as relevant today, as it was 30 years ago when DHFL began operations. It is exciting that, now I am associated with them as a brand ambassador in their journey of catering to customers with effective and relevant financial services products.”
DHFL has been marketing its solutions to customers across 550 locations in India through national and regional level advertisement and event campaigns.
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.
