Page 72 - DMGT522_SERVICES MANAGEMENT

Unit 3: Nature/Characteristics of Services

naughty diminutive Maharajah of Air-India is still nostalgically recalled as a world figure. Notes
He can be a lover boy in Paris, a sumo wrestler in Tokyo, a pavement artist, a Red Indian,
a monk... he can effortlessly flirt with the beauties of the world. And most importantly, he
can get away with it, simply because he is the Maharajah!

He has completed 57 years and could still be one of the most recognisable mascots the
world over. His antics, his expressions, his audacious puns have allowed Air-India to
promote its services with a unique panache and an unmatched sense of subtle humour. In
fact he has won numerous national and international awards for Air-India for humour and
originality in publicity.
And as with all great men, he too has had his critics. But the millions of travellers whose
lives he has touched far outnumber them. In fact, to them, the Maharajah with his inimitable
style, charm and wit is a very real person. He’s almost like a friend to every Air-India
traveller who reaches out with warmth and hospitality, even to the farthest corners of the
world. Prudential Insurance has the rock of Gibraltar as part of its logo. It drives home the
analogy that Prudential is as solid as the rock, which has weathered centuries of storms
and turbulence. Merrill Lynch has the bull for its logo, successfully conveying to its
present and potential stakeholders the capital market firm’s business power, sentiments,
inclinations and strength. Lufthansa, the efficient German airline has the flying crane for
its logo. It is appropriate for an airline (‘Luft’ meaning ‘air’) but conveys more of German
history, culture and anthropology (‘hansa’ meaning crane in Sanskrit, furnishes the Aryan
link!). State Bank of India had the banyan tree as its logo in its earlier avatar of Imperial
Bank of India. But with social banking as its main thrust, it sought a change of logo and
commissioned Professor Nitish Dey of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad to do so.
The logo of SBI, colloquially known as ‘the key hole’ is recognisable by most Indians. The
blue circle denotes ambition of SBI to be a worldwide bank with universal service; the tiny
circle and outward path represents the small man who is not to be forgotten.

We call him a Maharajah for want of a better description. But his blood isn’t blue. He may
look like royalty, but he isn’t royal.’ These are the words of Bobby Kooka, the man who
conceived the Maharajah. This once familiar, lovable figure first made his appearance in
Air-India way back in 1946, when Bobby Kooka as Air-India’s Commercial Director and
Umesh Rao, an artist with J. Walter Thompson Ltd., Mumbai, together created the Maharajah.
Sadly, today the Maharajah is perceived as a dated emblem, its glory faded and its charisma
dimmed by time and mismanagement.
Physical Representation

This has been one of the most effective ways in ‘concretizing’ the intangibility of service offers.
Buildings were visible, solid and soaring architectures that conveyed vision and ambition of the
service. The building conveyed the firm’s permanence and accessibility.
The Reserve Bank of India conveys its solidity, stability and endurance by its thick walls and
pillars, perhaps in imitation of the architectural design of the Bank of England.... “The old Lady
of Thread needle Street”, as it is affectionately known to Londoners.

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