Is it possible to refurbish a brand that has been sullied with a Rs 7,800 crore (Rs 78 billion) fraud? One can't be sure, but to attempt this, the campaign ought to stress on integrity and action, say three of the top minds of the country's advertising industry.
In its glory days, Satyam was the lifeline of Hyderabad.
The jury is still out on whether Tech Mahindra should retain the Satyam name. Srinivasan Swamy, CMD, R K Swamy BBDO, says. "Brand Satyam took a beating for only one reason -- accounting irregularities by its erstwhile chairman. The employees were not even aware of the fraud. The company's core values and foundation have not been impacted." The task for the new management, he believes, is to retain its clients and people and the brand image would get resurrected.
That the value of brand Satyam would be eroded many times over, following its former chairman Ramalinga Raju's admission that he had cooked the company's books, was a given.
The merger process started four years ago, with the acquisition of Satyam in April 2009.
