It has been 20 years of living in Hyderabad for me and here is a trend that is quietly shifting. Business owners have moved from logos and brand ambassadors. Now the logo is the face of the owner. The brand ambassador is also the owner, presented in a way that makes you slightly uncomfortable.
I think KFC started this, and they deserve the credit. Colonel Sanders’ story is inspirational. The logo is international. The chicken was artisanal once. The face meant something.
Many tried copying the chicken and failed with taste. But when they copied the logo, it became a movement.
I first noticed this when G Pulla Reddy Sweets did the exact same thing in the same colour combination. But they make excellent Kaju Pakam, so I never objected.
Then a chicken pakodi shop did it. The chicken tasted like Paragon chappal. That’s when I paid attention. I searched for the flex board face inside the store so I could complain directly. When I found him mixing maida for the next batch wearing a vest with strategic ventilation holes, I decided against confrontation. I simply memorised the face so I would never return.
Most of these new logos look like enlarged Aadhaar photos. Same lighting. Same stiff posture. Same expression that says biometric verified. At least upgrade to your WhatsApp DP. Give me one angle. You own a store. Smile once.
In India, decorated portraits and statues are usually reserved for people who are no longer alive. So when I see a 30-year-old biryani owner smiling down from a 12 foot flex, I get confused. Is that the founder or a tribute?
Some businesses at least convert the photo into an illustrated logo. Add lines. Add shadow. Add drama. Somewhere a designer feels validated for dropping out of engineering. That is progress.
The next level is alarming. No logo treatment. Just photo.
Avinash College of Commerce has the principal’s full photo printed on the back of an auto along with the course list. No pose. No design. Just man plus BCom. What am I supposed to feel? If that is the face of my future principal, I am reconsidering education.
At least institutions like Narayana Sri Chaitanya Educational Institutions put toppers on hoardings. There is logic. Rank equals aspiration. But a teacher’s solo portrait makes you want to bunk in advance.
This trend has now escalated. Owners are not just on hoardings. They are starring in their own ads.
Lalithaa Jewellery popularised this genre. The owner featured, went viral, got trolled, and became unforgettable. Apparently that works. Real estate followed immediately. Now developers look into the camera like they personally built Gachibowli.
My problem is simple. I hate ads. I pay to avoid them. But these are unskippable. They stare at you from autos, buildings, traffic signals. If you insist on showing me a face while I am stuck in traffic, at least give me Tamannaah Bhatia or Kareena Kapoor Khan. Let the suffering be aesthetic.
Instead, every store now looks like a WhatsApp chat window that came to life. You see the DP outside. You walk in. You talk to the same DP. You walk out.
And if the pakoda is bad, you know exactly whose face to remember.
Sandesh
@msgfromsandesh
(This comedian is here to tell funny stories about Hyderabad)
(The writer’s views are his own)