Abstract

The case is about the corporate rebranding of the erstwhile UTI Bank, a leading private sector bank in India, to Axis Bank. It discusses the circumstances which led to the decision of the bank to forego its well known brand name that ranked among the top 50 brands in India, in favor of a new name. The case further discusses how the company arrived at the new name, and how the company launched a mass media campaign to communicate the new corporate identity. The simple but high-decibel integrated marketing communication campaign, created by Ogilvy & Mather, sought to reassure the bank’s customers that nothing had really changed in the bank except its name. And the customers could expect the same level of service from the bank as earlier. In addition to this, the bank also had to prevent its customers from falling victim to phishers who could take the advantage of any confusion arising out of the rebranding.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the issues and challenges in rebranding a well established brand, especially in the banking sector in India. Understand the issues that led to the decision of UTI Bank to rebrand as Axis Bank. Understand the rationale behind the marketing commu

Keywords

Rebranding, Integrated marketing communication, Marketing Communication, Customer acquisition, 360-degree media, UTI Bank, Axis Bank, Commercial banking, Retail Banking, Corporate banking