Refresh with a new Hope

On Sunday evening, viewers of leading Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV witnessed the channel sporting a new look. At the annual 'Zee Rishtey Awards' show, Zee Entertainment Managing Director and CEO Punit Goenka unveiled an all-new brand packaging that resonates with the channel's core ethos, while staying relevant to the changing palate of its loyal audiences. The Zee logo turned to a deeper more in-your-face shade of blue and the look-and-feel got vibrant and younger. From the proposition of 'Ummeed se saje Zindagi', the new tagline of the channel changed to: 'Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed'. The 'Ummeed' or hope being a constant, capturing the prevailing mood of the nation.

The new packaging for the channel, informs Pradeep Hejmadi, Business Head of Zee TV, has been designed and developed by Paris-headquartered design studio Les Telecreateurs. Zee Entertainment's creative agency FCB Ulka crafted the advertising campaign, the music for which is rendered by music director duo Salim Sulaiman. "Zee TV's aqua blue logo now makes way for a deeper shade of blue, lending it a stronger, more dynamic edge," said Hejmadi, adding: "The new motif of the packaging is a spinning top, originally derived from the left top portion of the 'Z' itself. It spins, taking the form of a beautiful flower-like element. Here, each spine is perceived as a new lamha; every show of Zee TV is a new lamha, a new emotion, a new sense of exuberance, a new cherishable moment. And from this thought stems the new brand slogan 'Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed'.

The colour scheme of the new packaging is further fine-tuned to a strong blue for weekday fiction shows evoking the faith and trust of our viewers, yellow for weekend fiction signifying warmth and optimism, orange for weekend non-fiction that stands for cheer, confidence and celebration. The red packaging for movies and events represents excitement and youthful energy."

Zee TV has rolled out a 360-degree marketing campaign across HSM to unveil the new identity. Excerpts from an interview with Pradeep Hejmadi:

Zee TV has been doing very well in the crop of Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs). Of the various fictions that took off in 2014, Zee shows had the best launch ratings. So, as they say, if it ain't broke, why fix it? Why this relaunch? And would you say this is a repositioning as well?

Our successful fiction launches this year and the consistent growth of our fiction programming speaks of a very special relationship we have closely cultivated with our audiences – one that has only evolved and strengthened over the years. It has grown due to our ability, as a broadcaster, to innovate and keep pace with the changing times and expectations. What we're going in for is a brand refresh exercise and not a relaunch. Zee TV's core proposition of 'Ummeed se saje Zindagi' was about a celebration and vindication of a woman's emerging beliefs and a reflection of her changing hopes, dreams and optimism. In that sense, Zee TV will always stand for 'Ummeed'. It is the articulation that will change to reflect the changing times. Today, with India poised for distinct growth, there is a feeling of 'a new hope, every moment'. So, Zee TV adds another layer to its core proposition, making it even more relevant to everyday life scenarios that its viewers are faced with. Zee TV's new slogan 'Har Lamha Nayi Ummeed' captures the prevalent spirit amongst the people and our brand philosophy as also our content will reflect the same.

Would this also mean a renewed content focus?

Our core proposition isn't changing. As I said earlier, Zee TV will always stand for 'Ummeed' and our content has been a reflection of this universal life truth. The brand refresh exercise is aimed at arriving at a more 'here and now' rendition of our core proposition, making it more relatable in our day-to-day lives. Naturally, our content will mirror the same.

Can you take us through the entire exercise? What were the findings on the earlier look-and-feel and the logo and what it is now?

The brand refresh exercise has been about dialling up a few aspects of our brand identity – it always stood and will continue to stand for Ummeed. It's just about taking it to the next level and making the packaging more vibrant, assertive and dynamic.

In terms of ratings and revenues, are there any specific targets of this exercise?

None. If there is a currency for affection, we're gunning for it!

Did the entire mood of 'achche din aane waale hain' influence your line of 'Ummeed' ?
No. 'Acche Din …' is a more recent campaign. Zee TV adopted 'Ummeed' as its core proposition way back in 2011.

The problem with words like 'hope' is they build an expectation and if the hopes are belied and not met with, then there is disappointment. Is that something that you factored in or does this have no real bearing on the repositioning?
Expectations are raised when promises are made. There's absolutely nothing wrong with fuelling hope. That's what makes the world go round.
When Zee was launched way back in 1992, it had a simple, snappy line of 'Yeh Hai Zee TV'. Do you think stuff like the tag line or the brand's promise work with viewers, because a GEC is a GEC is a GEC after all?
Contextually, it was perfectly right to have a slogan like 'Yeh Hai Zee TV' because we were pioneers in 1992, paving the way for satellite television in India. Now, over a period of time, where Zee, as a broadcaster, has etched a distinct brand identity in the minds of the audience, our current positioning is a reflection of the way our content is treated and the impact it has on our audience.