Mahindra and its font change

When Mahindra launched their vision of ‘Rise’, I hailed it as an outstanding though-process. Mahindra was getting ready to catapult itself into one of the biggest brand for automobile manufacturing in the world. It already was the largest manufacturer in terms of Tractors with the acquisition of Ssangyong.

With the aim to continuously strive for more, and rise in terms of everything- volumes, numbers, brand awareness and brand equity, Mahindra was charting its way on its own accord. The type of communication through Television, print and online showed that Mahindra had marketing and brand managers attuned to the highest forms of creativity. Mahindra has changed their font in its latest communication change. The ad released in national dailies talks about the rationale behind selection of the font. Creative renditions of fonts are subjective like all creative outputs but the adjectives used to explain the font are slightly haywire. How can hunger be attributed to that font. Or for that matter, nimbleness. Quite strange reasoning. Plus it mentions that the logo is subtle in change, which indeed it is. But if it was subtlety was to be kept, why change it in the first place.

Another thing of note is that the full page print ad doesn't show the Mahindra symbol. Wonder about the future usage of that symbol. And if it is going to be used in future, why make its absence conspicuous. In the complex jargon of advertising and abstract thoughts, basics or obvious interpretations are given a miss. 

Source: Mumbai Mirror - 30 January 2013