Eat.Fit has a new identity!
Any rebranding exercise of a well recognised company that goes public, comes with its share of criticism.This one will have its share too. There have also been instances of brands being forced to go back to the older design, because it did not go well with its different stakeholders.
Being a public company these days, and a key player in the India’s startup ecosystem is not easy. Every move is subject to public scrutiny and the customers will always have an opinion on everything.
Read more about how GAP, the clothing company changed its logo back after online backlash.
I am not familiar with the detailed developments of Cure.fit the parent company, under whose umbrella Eat.fit operated, apart from cult.fit and mind.fit. However, going by the news that is available in public domain, Eat.Fit is now a separate business entity and this is a way to have Eat.Fit evolve out of the Cure.fit umbrella.
Hence a need for a new identity.
Here’s from the company’s newly created LinkedIn page.
Eatfit is a cloud food company with a strong purpose of making honest food that customers love. We believe in the power of good food- the power of good food to make us happier and healthier. We provide food which can suit the palette of our customers daily while keeping in mind their nutrition needs.
So, Eat.fit is now EATFIT . It also has a tag Honestly Indian to it.
There are of course many questions that one has about this redesign, but it is worth viewing the official press release about it (as shared on its LinkedIn Page)
This is an interesting development in the consumer tech and in particular the Food tech industry in India.
While there are the two major players in Swiggy and Zomato fighting it out, and the race to IPO is real, there have been many other players in the past who have had to shut shop or be bought out. One of the major players, Uber Eats did not have a pleasant ride in India, and shut shop a few months ago as well. It discontinued its operations on January 21 and was acquired by food giant Zomato.
One major different of course is that while Zomato and Swiggy are a marketplace model, Eatfit is a cloud kitchen, preparing its own meals. One also place an Eat.fit order using other aggregator platforms.
The new EATFIT Branding! Love it or hate it?
With these above contexts, let us come to the New Brand Identity. I for one have been a fan of the usage of mascots in Branding. More so when there is the use of animals.
The thing about branding redesigns is that one always has an opinion. When shown to a few friends from the design industry, there was a cringeworthy response, as many disliked it.
But, when I showed the same to a non design audience, people were more excited about the evolution of the brand and its quest to reach beyond its 2 million users.
There have been many instances of companies using animals in their identity.
Scientists have found out that using animals in adverts is one of the most common and effective tools in grabbing the audience’s attention. Consumers willingly associate the brand with the animal.
Numerous brands have done so in the past as well. The ones that have succeeded have made an indelible imprint in our minds. So the MGM lion, the Peugeot Lion, the Lacoste crocodile, the Mozilla dinosaur, the Bacardi bat, The Playboy rabbit etc.
Animals can quickly become the face of a brand and many marketers are strategic in how they select these animals and what type of personality they give them.
As one Twitter user Shivansh Singh puts it:
Mascots do have a unique yet diverse way of connecting with the audience and lets’ you do crossovers really well. But having an outright mascot can be tricky to execute in the longer run. Curious to see how they use that mascot in their brand identity.
A key thing to keep in mind when it comes to rebranding is the Brand positioning that the organisation is taking a risk with. With EatFit aspiring to take a larger pie of the food tech industry and providing healthier eating options for Indians, this is a bold move.
I insist on bold, for it’s a complete do away from its existing positioning, and a completely whacky twist to it. The Juicierrr, Bolderrr, Tastierrr!
The new identity has a strong mascot, the cool Tiger with the Pink shades to go along with the bold typography and colours. With this, there is an extra emphasis on the coolness quotient, in-order to capture the steadily growing eating out / takeaway audience in India, residing in the major metropolitans and the business hubs .
I remember once in Singapore, a couple of years ago, my friend running a restaurant business mentioned that the average Singaporean eats out / take aways is close 28 days a month ! That’s at-least 1 meal a day outside. The same for India is less than 3 days. This is rising steadily with more Indians ordering food online and doing takeaways.
There is a certain brand value that gets associated with the usage of mascots. Mascots are often used to enhance the brand value, as there is a whole lot of newer ways of customer engagements that can be designed around it.
There are many questions that comes to mind when it comes to the present elements used in this particular new branding.
The tiger as a mascot, while standing well for India, owing it to be the national animal is an interesting choice. However when it comes to the purpose of the brand, there seems to be a misfit.
People tend to associate the brand with the main offering it has. So the association of a Dinosaur with a Jurassic Park, or a Ram with a Dodge truck, or Cheetah with a Jaguar, still works well.
Going by that logic, when one tries to associate the Tiger with food delivery, something does not feel right.
The font used for the name is in Bold and all caps letters. The emphasis on the Bold statement. Many times brands do this when they want to completely change the narrative of the brand that has been built over the years.
One would also think why pink shades and not any other? A similar argument I hold is regarding the colour chosen. It keeps it bold. Its unisex in appeal, and attractive to the audience it wants to cater to.
There will be multiple discussions in different forums about the brand and it’s evolution. It is a bold attempt no doubt.
For some it would work fine, and some would still want to deride it.
Having said that, one could argue that even in the past people have gone on to try different combinations with the name, associated imagery and the service it is offering. The closest that I can think of is Hungry Panda and its association for Chinese food!
And that is an interesting play that Eatfit perhaps wants to build on. Indian food. Over the coming years, will the cool Pink shade clad Tiger be synonymous with Indian food.
How will this strategy play out for EatFit is something worth watching. It for sure makes a lip smacking story for us to consume!
#design #branding #india #startups #consumertech #product
— — — —
All opinions expressed in this article are personal.
