ZEE Network goes for a new look, again

Ten months after Star Plus revamped itself, Subhash Chandra-owned Zee Network has lined up a major brand recast that includes a new logo, tagline and signature tune. Zee's new look will be unveiled on June 19, persons familiar with the development said.

The makoever would be reflected across the ZEE bouquet of channels though the focus will remain on flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV.

The network will hold on-ground events coupled with on-air promos to drive home the message. The on-ground exrecise, in particular, will be massive in scale, and will be held across several cities with the motive to mobilise viewers in unveiling its logo in Mumbai, company officials said when contacted. Zee is present in 167 countries.

“The network has lined up the biggest below-the-line activity for viewers across the globe and viewers will be a central part of its new brand identity exercise. Traditionally we have had Bollywood stars or actors endorsing the brand but this time we wanted the viewers to be an integral part of the revamp,” said a channel official.

Viewers from Mumbai, Surat, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Indore, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Nagpur and Pune will be part of the brand identity change. “The idea is establish a strong consumer connect across all genres,” the official said.

The company has hired event management company Wizcraft for organising the on-ground events, while advertising and on-air promos will be managed by Zee's existing ad agency Draftfcb Ulka.

The rebranding exercise is estimated to cost Zee about Rs 25-30 crore, persons in the know said.

“We did not want to take any quick-fix measures. We thought 100 per cent overhauling was essential,” said Puneet Goenka , chief executive officer, Zee Entertainment. Zee has been in close competition with rival Viacom 18, which runs Colors, MTV and Nickledeon among others, and Star India.

In the week ended May 21, Star Plus was number one with 300 gross rating points (GRPs), followed by Colors and Zee TV with 230 and 191 points, respectively, according to TAM Media Research. GRPs are a total of television rating points (TRP) over a period of time.

Following the blue-to-red makeover of Star Plus last year, Star India launched several such initiatives across the bouquet including a revamp of programmes. Last month, the network launched a high definition feed of five key channels in an attempt to give it a leg-up over rivals. The HD feed was launched for Star Plus, Star World, National Geographic, Star Gold and Star Movies.