Hutch becomes Vodafone from tomorrow

MAJOR DEAL: Star India has entered into an exclusive deal with Vodafone Essar for re-branding.

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New Delhi: In one of the biggest brand transition exercises in recent times, Hutch, country’s fourth-largest mobile service provider will be renamed Vodafone on Friday. Vodafone is spending somewhere in the region of Rs 250 crore on this high-profile transition.

Vodafone has acquired 67 per cent in Hutchison Essar from Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, and completed the acquisition of Hutchison Essar in May 2007.

The brand change that will touch 3.5 crore customers and four lakh shops and employees will be executed through a media blitz and the pug, which had become famous with its network advertisement, will remain.

''This marks a significant chapter in the evolution of Vodafone as a dynamic and ever-growing brand. The brand change over the next few weeks will be unveiled nationally through a high profile campaign covering all important media,'' a news agency quoted the company statement as saying.

''We have had a great innings as Hutch in India and today marks a new beginning for us. Not as a departure from the fundamentals that created Hutch, but an acceleration into the future with Vodafone's global expertise,'' the news agency quoted Vodafone Essar Managing Director Asim Ghosh as saying.

Leading broadcaster Star India has entered into an exclusive deal with Vodafone Essar for the latter's re-branding campaign to Vodafone from Hutch.

Vodafone ads will monopolise ad space on all Star India’s network channels for the next 24 hours. Till 2000 hrs, IST September 21 only Vodafone ads will air – no other brand’s ads and no internal promotions will be shown during this period.

The high-profile brand transition will also coincide with the company launching cheap cell phones under the Vodafone brand and co-branded handsets.

The move also comes close on the heels of Reliance Communications (RCOM) launching mobile handsets at prices starting Rs 777 and industry experts say that Vodafone would lower the prices by Rs 100 of its phones.