Brand recall of the WiFi logo in India is very strong

It is a well-known fact that branding plays a significant role in the success of any product. For branding to succeed, the “brand recall” needs to be good. And when the brand recall is a result of word-of-mouth marketing, you know the branding has succeeded.

With over 560 million internet users, India is the second-largest online market globally, ranked only behind China. With the penetration of mobile internet in India (thanks to the launch Jio mobile), anyone who wishes to use the internet can do so. It is no longer available to the elite alone.

WiFi Logo

WiFi needs no introduction. We use WiFi at work, home, other’s homes, hotels etc. One of our first ask, when we visit go anywhere is, “What is the WiFi password”. At home, if your device has been working with a Cisco WiFi router, you don’t expect your device to work with Cisco WiFi routers only. Your device connects with all WiFi routers, irrespective of the router’s manufacturer, because the communication protocol is standardized.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a non-profit organization that owns the Wi-Fi trademark. The Wi-Fi logo is one of the most recognized logos amongst digital consumers. From Wi-Fi’s website,

“Wi-Fi Alliance drives global Wi-Fi adoption and evolution through thought leadership, spectrum advocacy, and industry-wide collaboration. Our work includes the development of innovative technologies, requirements, and test programs that help ensure Wi-Fi provides users the interoperability, security, and reliability they have come to expect.”

EMV – Contactless Symbol

During the initial years of credit card launch, I recall using them without any additional security (2FA – two-factor authentication). Later, the introduction of entering a PIN to use a credit card added a much-needed extra layer of security for the credit card holder.

With the introduction of contactless debit/credit cards, now we can just “tap” our card on the POS (point-of-sale) machine. EMV is a common standard major credit card and smartphone companies use in general commerce. EMV stands for “Europay, Mastercard, and Visa”, the three companies that created the standard. EMVCo creates and manages EMV® Specifications and programmes that enable seamless and secure card-based payments for businesses and consumers worldwide.

The EMVCo site explains these two images in a crisp way – The Contactless Indicator is a consumer facing symbol which demonstrates that an EMV contactless payment can be made. The Contactless Indicator is accompanied by the Contactless Symbol, which signifies that a payment terminal accepts EMV contactless payments.

But what comes to your mind when you see the Contactless Indicator logo? For most of us, we see the Wi-Fi logo. Irrespective of the orientation of the Wi-Fi logo the brand recall of Wi-Fi is very high. The two logos are not the same, even if the orientation is aligned.

Do you have WiFi on your card?

In India, in most shops, when you give your debit/credit card for payment, they ask you, “Do you have WiFi?” Very few shops ask, “Can I TAP?“. The recognizability of the Wi-Fi logo is so strong that it is being used by consumers of another technical standard (contactless cards)!

The branding of the technical standard should always be powerful, and Wi-Fi has done a great job in popularizing its logo. Not sure if the Wi-Fi Alliance did that or the consumers or if it was both of them.

In India, very few ask, “Do you have UPI?” instead, they ask you, “Do you have GPay or PhonePe?”. India is now recognized as the leader of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and we need to ensure the branding of the technical standard is taken care of from day-1.

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