Brands
Philips India teams up with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders as Official Grooming Partners for IPL 2024
Mumbai: Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology and innovation, proudly announces its partnership with two prestigious Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), as their official grooming partner for the IPL 2024 season. This collaboration aims to harness the unparalleled popularity of cricket in India to spotlight Philips grooming products under the narrative “Groom like a Pro, Play Like a Pro,” aligning seamlessly with the brand’s ethos of excellence and performance.
As cricket aficionados enjoy the thrilling matches of IPL 2024, Philips India elevates the grooming routines of players and fans alike, urging them to present their best selves on and off the field. This partnership underscores Philips’ dedication to cricketers and individuals, enabling them to achieve a professional trim with our innovative grooming solutions.
In this collaboration, players from Sunrisers Hyderabad proudly display the Philips India logo on their headgear, amplifying brand visibility both on-ground and across digital and social media platforms throughout the tournament. Additionally, Philips India plans to curate personalized experiences in various cities, featuring contests and events where fans can win exclusive signed merchandise from their favorite players.
Through these initiatives, Philips India seeks to forge authentic connections between fans and their cherished teams, while reinforcing the brand’s superiority exemplified by the Philips Multigroomer. By inspiring a generation of cricket enthusiasts to groom like professionals, Philips aims to instill confidence that enhances performance, ultimately shaping a new standard of grooming excellence in the realm of cricket.
Philips Indian Subcontinent, business head – personal health Deepali Agarwal commented, “We are delighted to join forces with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders as their official grooming partner for the IPL 2024 season. Cricket and grooming share a common thread of precision, skill, and confidence, and we are excited to champion this synergy with our advanced grooming products. Through this association, we aim to inspire men across India to groom like professionals and unleash their full potential, mirroring the ethos of our brand.”
Expressing their enthusiasm about the collaboration, the owners of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders shared their thoughts:
Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO K Shanmugan stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Philips India on board as our official grooming sponsor for the upcoming T-20 season. As we deliver exceptional performances on the field, it is equally important for our players to maintain their grooming standards. With Philips’ expertise in grooming solutions, we are confident that our players will look their best and feel confident, contributing to their overall performance.”
Kolkata Knight Riders, CMO Ninda Dey added, “The association with Philips India comes at an opportune moment for Kolkata Knight Riders as we embark on another exciting journey this season of T20. Grooming plays a crucial role in the lives of our players, and partnering with Philips allows us to provide them with the best grooming tools and products. Together, we aim to set new benchmarks of excellence on and off the field.”
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.
