Maharajah's reign as mascot of Air India could end
Tata Group is set to make one of the most visible changes to Air India since the conglomerate took control of the airline last year — the iconic Maharajah mascot will no longer be central to its brand identity. The change is part of a wider brand refurbishment strategy which has been in process since last year. «Air India wants to become the carrier of choice for people flying in and out of India.
A large section of the fliers will be business travellers, corporate executives. Maharajah, who wears a turban and has an outsized moustache, though a very successful story, doesn't resonate anymore with these kinds of customers,» a person aware of the development said. The Maharajah mascot was created by Bobby Kooka in 1946 when he was commercial director of the airline, while the carrier's logos have also included the centaur, the rising sun and a flying swan through the decades.
No modern global airline has a mascot representing their brands, the person quoted above said.Rebranding exercise underway However, the storied mascot will be kept alive in one form: the airline is likely to continue using the name for its lounges in airports and for business class cabins on board. It has roped in London-based brand and design consultancy firm FutureBrand to redraw Air India's branding strategy. FutureBrand, which has worked on rebranding American Airlines and British luxury automobile brand Bentley, as well as branding the 2012 London Olympics, will work to upgrade Air India's identity as it aims to compete against elite carriers like Emirates and Singapore Airlines.
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