Brand Ericsson gets a makeover

Swedish telecom equipment provider Ericsson is looking for a new identity to make the brand more vibrant at a time when the company is moving from being just a equipment provider to one which manages services.

As part of the exercise, Ericsson launched the new logo in India, a key market for the rebranding exercise, just a few days ago. ‘We want to be a part of the changing times. The telecommunications industry is changing rapidly from voice to data across the globe and even in India with 3G auctions just round the corner,” says Ericsson’s global chief marketing officer Johan Bergendahl.

On the face of it, the changes look a bit too simple: The name of Ericsson is now in dark blue instead of white earlier, and the background, which was earlier dark blue, has been changed to white. The company has also removed the tag line “Taking You Forward”, to suggest that the company has already moved forward.

But Bergendahl says the new logo is simple but powerful enough to convey the message that the company is at the forefront of providing data technology around the globe.

He hints at further changes in the designing of the brand and says Ericsson has been present in the industry for the last 130 years. “We will have more colour now in things related to our work. The brand would look more vibrant, dynamic and colourful.”

Ericsson executives say the tag line was removed because it was no longer necessary to stress the point that the company is moving forward. “That we are moving forward is a given as we are taking leadership on cutting edge technology in the ICT space. Also, the colour was made more vibrant so that they reflect the dynamism of the new company.” says the executive.

The company would mostly use the B2B route for introducing its new identity to its customers. “Changing a brand is a long-term process, so it would not happen overnight,” Bergendahl says.

This is not the first time that Ericsson would go in for a logo change. The brand has already been changed five to six times with the last rebranding done seven to eight years back.

Bergendhal says India is among the top five markets for the company as the country contributes 6-7 per cent of the revenues. The company’s main customers in India include private cellular operator Bharti Airtel.

Currently, Ericsson’s top markets include the US, China and Sweden. The company has an R&D centre, manufacturing hub and a global network operating center in India that supports Ericsson’s operations in 23 different markets. India is one of its global competence hubs.