Apollo Tyres (India)

After more than three decades of operation, Apollo Tyres, one of India’s great industrial companies, made a decision to enter the European market. They hired Saffron to perform an identity makeover in advance of this big step.

At first, as is often the case with foreign entrants into Western markets, Apollo was inclined to downplay their “lowly” origins. Although we agreed they shouldn’t try to compete head on with leaders like Michelin, it was against our nature to let them offer their wares as a commodity product.

In particular, I believed Apollo could even capture a “MADE IN INDIA” brand premium and make a virtue of its provenance with a claim along the lines of “We make tyres for the worst roads in the world; if they’re good enough for an Indian taxi, they’ll be more than good enough for a German one.”

I first made the case for emphasizing the company’s Indianness to my Saffron colleagues, and in the end, Apollo management was persuaded.

A brightly coloured visual design befitting a modern Indian tyre company was devised in Saffron’s New York office.

Apollo’s “New India” look, by Saffron, as seen on the company's home page.