Brands
Paytm travels further with Agoda for seamless hotel bookings
MUMBAI: Booking a dream stay is now just a tap away, as Paytm Travel has partnered with Agoda to offer seamless hotel bookings directly through the Paytm app. This collaboration marks a major expansion for Paytm Travel, which already provides flight, bus, and train bookings, now giving users access to Agoda’s extensive portfolio of accommodations across India and international destinations.
By integrating Agoda’s vast selection of hotels, resorts, and budget stays, Paytm Travel is positioning itself as a one-stop solution for travel needs, offering exclusive deals, seamless itinerary management, and cost-effective travel options. Frequent travellers and businesses looking for a streamlined experience will benefit from this partnership, which simplifies both booking and payment processes.
Paytm Travel, CEO, Vikash Jalan stated, “This partnership strengthens Paytm Travel’s position as a comprehensive travel platform, ensuring users have access to quality accommodations with affordability and convenience at the core. Our goal is to make travel planning seamless, and Agoda’s expertise allows us to enhance that experience for millions of users.”
Agoda, chief commercial officer, Damien Pfirsch said, “By joining forces with Paytm Travel, we’re making it easier for Indian travellers to explore the world at the best prices, with a hassle-free booking and payment experience.”
With Paytm Travel’s IATA accreditation, customers can expect a trusted, secure, and reliable booking experience, complemented by perks like free cancellations, instant refunds, travel insurance, and exclusive discounts through Paytm’s banking partnerships.
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.
