Landor Associates gives Hindustan Construction Company a brand makeover

The 80-year-old Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) has finally been given a facelift by UK-based Landor Associates, the international strategic brand and design consultancy. Its other India-specific work includes the recently created new logos for Indian (previously Indian Airlines) and Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG).

“As India continues to become a global player in the marketplace, it became clear we had to rethink what our brand meant,” says Shakala Gulabchand, general manager, business development, HCC. “Having come up with that meaning, HCC has refreshed its brand identity and with the help of our newly formed brand management team, we are prepared to drive the development of technologically advanced infrastructure in India and abroad.”

The primary need for this new brand identity stems from two factors: for one, HCC wanted to communicate its strong position in the engineering and construction market in India. Secondly, this new identity marks the launch of HCC’s global operations. It plans taking the brand to other markets, details of which are being worked out.

To portray the ‘Obsession for details’ value that HCC prides itself on, the ‘H’ in the logo has been given a sharp cut at a 23-degree angle to signify the cuts and other work that are handled with precision at HCC.

Landor also helped HCC completely revamp its internal culture and value system. The TG for HCC’s new avatar is its investors, potential and existing clients, direct customers and even potential employees. When asked why Landor was chosen, despite several design shops having a strong presence in India itself, a company spokesperson reveals, “Landor’s experience and work speaks for itself. Besides, our culture at HCC matches perfectly well with Landor’s.”

Further, HCC is also in the midst of rolling out a press and television campaign (devised by Dentsu Marcom) which bears the tagline ‘Infrastructure Alive’. Says the HCC spokesperson, “This line denotes how our creations benefit people and give them a new lease of life.”

One of the TVCs, for instance, shows a father sharing an emotional moment with his kid standing at a bridge (created by HCC) in Allahabad. Other ads show people sharing private moments with those who matter around dams, or even the Delhi Metro Rail (which HCC had a hand in constructing). According to industry sources, around Rs 10 crore has been invested into this activity alone (without considering Landor’s role at all).

For the record, HCC was founded by Seth Walchand Hirachand in 1926 with a vision of a modern and prosperous India. HCC is engaged in infrastructure development work across segments such as transportation, hydro and nuclear power projects, irrigation and water supply, marine projects, oil and gas pipeline construction, utilities and environmental engineering.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!