Brand Name Dilemma

Eight years after it received a proposal from Karnataka government, the Centre recently cleared renaming 12 cities and towns of the state including Belgaum as Belagavi and Bangalore as Bengaluru. Besides Bangalore and Belgaum, the other cities and towns which will be known by new names(which are in brackets) are Mangalore(Mangaluru), Bellary(Ballari), Bijapur(Vijapura), Chikmagalur(Chikkamagaluru), Gulbarga(Kalaburagi), Mysore(Mysure), Hospet(Hosapete), Shimoga(Shivamogga), Hubli (Hubballi) and Tumkur(Tumakuru).

This Change in nomenclature has bring in a catch-22 situation for the brand names of few products like Mysore sandal soap, Mysore silk sari, Mysore mallige etc. No doubt that whether its Mysuru pak or Mysore pak it would taste as delicious as it was before, Mysuru Sandal Soap smell as exotic and Mysuru mallige appear as fresh.
But it’s a brand dilemma: to move on with the changing times, or remain loyal to the bestselling Mysore label esp. with these GI recognized products.

Stating to this BS Sadananda Swamy, general manager of the KSIC\’s Mysuru unit, told TOI: \”It\’s been in the market for several decades, and we\’ve obtained a geographical indication tag from the GI registry. We can\’t change the name of the product.\” Even if a private company launches a similar product branded Mysuru, getting the patent is impossible. \”According to the Geographical Indication Regulation Act, similar sounding names are not allowed. They won\’t get the patent,\” he said.

Sadananda Swamy says, \”Renaming the city will not affect the brand, its quality that counts and people recognize it.\” But what happens to the famous Mysore pak, Mysore silk and Mysore Mallige, a lofty GI tag with global fame.
A KSDL official told TOI: \”As the product is registered as Mysore, it will remain so. If the name is changed, it will affect business in the international market. So there\’s no chance of changing the name.\”

As long as the taste and brand quality of the product remains the same brand name doesn’t matter to the public, does it?

Photo Credit: Charles Haynes /www.flickr.com / CC BY-SA 2.0