Hello, 6E: A brand that started a war of words

When Tata Motors objected to InterGlobe using the brand name IndiGo, it failed on the ground that indigo is a colour

- Gaurav Laghate

In a marketplace where even the simplest code can signal brand identity, low-cost airline IndiGo's tussle with automaker Mahindra and Mahindra over "6E" poses a fundamental question: when does a combination of letters and numbers stop being generic and become proprietary brand turf?

At first glance, the dispute seems unusual. IndiGo, India's largest airline, uses 6E as its call sign, a unique identifier in aviation. Over 16 years, 6E has transcended its role as a flight code, with IndiGo smartly marketing it to promote punctual and affordable services. Mahindra's attempt to use 6e (with 'e' in small case) for its latest electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) spotlights whether a code that originated in one sector can be freely reused in another.

A code that transcends its roots

For IndiGo, 6E isn't just an operational designation; it's woven into the brand's DNA. Harish Bijoor, a business and brand strategy specialist and founder of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc., says, "IndiGo's claim and perspective have been that it has been using 6E in a rather involved manner on its brand. To an extent, its brand identity is defined by 6E which... is pronounced to an extent as 'sexy'... Over the last possibly 16 years or more, IndiGo has been using 6E, and that has become part of its brand identity kit.

"Any other brand using 6E in the same manner as IndiGo does tends to lessen the solus ownership attitude of IndiGo... they've sat up and protested," Bijoor added.

A matter of trademark law