JioHotstar logo change, business models and social media

The logo of the newly formed JioHotstar was revealed recently. As with most things creative – advertising, cinema or a logo design, opinions followed. I understand that people have a right to criticise what they see on media. Logo change in particular has come under severe attack in the past. Airtel, GAP, Canara Bank, Google Chrome and more have been criticised after a brand identity change – big or small. Two factors are at play: first, people don’t like disruption of what’s already familiarity and second, social media offers a free platform for sharing one’s opinion. The second aspect leads to engagement farming posts – sharing opinions in a manner which is designed to cause outrage. Outrage over an outrage, if you might.

Right business value proposition > good logo

Needless to say, brand identity is a critical factor in both non-digital and digital businesses. The FMOT (first moment of truth) principle propounded by P&G is an important factor – our first exposure to an FMCG brand via its packaging influences perceptions and purchase decision. In the digital world, the user experience is an important factor in loyalty. Poorly designed digital experiences will be shunned by users. In a parity world, the digital experience becomes a brand edge. But let’s not forget that the logo or app icon is only a part of the overall user experience and ‘design system’.

More importantly, building a long-term business is more important than getting the logo right at the first instance. There can always be updates and improvements on the app design including the logo. In OTT, such improvements are common. Netflix, Prime Video and many others have had periodic updates in brand identity. In the case of JioHotstar, the No.1 priority would be to integrate the content of erstwhile Disney Hotstar and Jio Cinema – to ensure that all of the content is available seamlessly. Also the migration of customer accounts from one to the other would be a key priority. I would imagine that the engineering & product teams would be focusing on that first than getting the app icon right.

In many ways, this is JioHotstar flexing its content muscles and unlocking a huge revenue stream for the Mukesh Ambani-led company. It’s also worth noting that Jio has played it smartly by integrating JioCinema into the larger Disney+Hotstar app rather than the other way around.

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I am not suggesting that the brand identity of the new entity is not important. But getting the product out in time – especially with major sporting events coming up (WPL, Champions Trophy and IPL), should be the top priority. The logo and the overall user experience can be improved over time. In such a situation chasing perfection (which may be elusive) and risking delayed launch is not a viable option.

Breaking rules in marketing

In marketing, guidelines and ‘rule books’ exist for everything.But they are not to be seen rigid laws with no room for exceptions. Let’s take brand names for example. All businesses would agree that a good brand name is an advantage. It has to be relevant (to the business and the consumer) and memorable. Good brand names evoke the right imagery in the target consumer’s mind – setting up the right expectations. But there are examples of businesses which have found acceptance without adhering to any of the above ‘rules’.

A brand name is meant to evoke the right meaning among consumers. But do users of Ola & Uber (be it the drivers or consumers) in India know what those words mean? Do they care? Ultimately, it is the product or service experience that matters. A good example of this is the no-frills restaurant business in our cities. Many such do roaring businesses – based only on the quality of food they serve. The business owners do not bother too much about what they consider frills. A famous restaurant (started in 1965) in South Bangalore does roaring business with a limited menu and no seating. Their sign board has perhaps not seen a coat of paint since launch. Maybe it’s a deliberate strategy to keep it that basic and manage costs. But the point remains – consumers are happy and loyal if their expectations are met (or exceeded) and the product experience is good.

Have keyboard will complain

Consumers have all the right to criticise and they will in today’s world. However, negative feedback can also be given without being rude or offensive. We are not privy to all the considerations and thinking for several business decisions. The manner in which some feedback is presented on platforms like LinkedIn or X (which is notorious for such) is in poor taste. But that is bound to continue.

In categories where we interact with some brands on a daily basis – simply being exposed to the new logo several times in a day solves the familiarity issue. We don’t see anyone complaining about the Airtel logo anymore, do we? We simply accept it and continue to use the service. The reason for changing the service will be the quality of the service itself and not the logo. In the case of JioHotstar, the user experience of the app on TV or mobile has not changed much from the Disney Hotstar days.

Just a dislike towards the new logo is unlikely to cause churn.