TNT's new identity will represent: one organisation and one face globally; all businesses under one umbrella; and brand attributes of dynamism, flexibility, friendly and approachable. The new circular-rings logo and a special shade of orange colour that reflects these attributes. While earlier TNT's businesses operated under several brand names, the name TNT is now all encompassing and includes all of TNT's business units.

Says Jinendra Sancheti, managing director, TNT India Ltd: ``The new identity gives us a young, vibrant, energetic look for the new millennium while retaining our brand strengths of innovation and flexibility.'' The new move is intended at presenting ``a unified face to the customer while covering a full range of distribution services.'' The implementation of the new identity will be completed by the end of August 1999.

As a global player in express, mail delivery and logistics TNT wanted to be perceived as a global player with a uniform image across the globe in line with its vision. Research conducted by South Africa-based agency KSDP in 1997, involving customers, employees, shareholders, and suppliers of TPG, revealed some perceptions on the existing identity: employees had low association with a unified TNT corporate; customers saw a low global profile (TNT was like a whale but invisible) and found a lack of consistency in global image; while its boxy logo was perceived as restrictive, unimaginative and not dynamic. ``A gap was seen between what our current image was and what we wanted it to be,'' says Sancheti.

The initiative constitutes TPG's third phase of the launch of new identity in over 30 countries, including India. With a presence in 200 countries, TPG's first phase covered five key markets of Europe in April 1998 while in the second phase select parts of Europe and Asia were included. In the final phase, it will cover around 40 countries. TNT entered India in 1994 to address the international segment of the express distribution industry. With a focus on express and international mail, TNT has grown at a compounded rate of 50 per cent. TNT claims that its market share has risen from six per cent in 1996 to 20 per cent now, making it the second leading player in the market.