As Airtel takes over Loop Mobile, here's what I will miss

Today, more than the news that Bharti Airtel becomes the top mobile operator in Mumbai, my thoughts went to the death of the brand that they bought over, Loop Mobile. Not quite; to me, it’s the death of BPL Mobile, the operator I signed up with almost two decades ago. BPL Mobile was the aggressive all-Indian brand that was fighting the multinational clout of Hutchison Max, the powerhouse that combined the might and the resources of two monsters, Hutchison and Max (of healthcare fame). It was an incredible David and Goliath story, and many rooted for BPL Mobile, the underdog. A little bit of history is needed here. We were in a new India; liberalisation saw big multinational, iconic, cult brands making a beeline for India. Pepsi came to India for the first time; Coke came back. STAR TV and Zee changed the way we thought of television. Maruti had competition. And, in the white goods sector, the Eurpoean, Japanese and Korean brands were running amok, making life difficult for the home-grown brands. Among the brands under siege was BPL. What could an Indian brand in this sector do to fight the onslaught? Incredibly, excitingly, they decided to take pride in being an Indian brand. Against all conventional wisdom, BPL decided to say that they were better. And, for the first time, Amitabh Bachchan decided to endorse a brand. This is what we, the consumers, saw.

It’s this from BPL that found presence in BPL Mobile. BPL Mobile refused to cow down and be overpowered by an international brand. In the early years, the brand held its own, fighting against Hutchison Max or MaxTouch. In 2002, things changed, as Max divested its stake in favour of Hutchison Whampoa, and BPL Mobile had to fight a new brand: the vibrant, sexy and cool Orange. But this challenger brand decided to deal with this new goalpost: they decided to become vibrant, sexy and cool as well. So the day that MaxTouch changed its livery and became Orange, this is what we saw. A full page ad that welcomed Orange. The headline is indistinct, so we’ll tell you what it says. Just two little words: Welcome, Orange.

When Loop becomes Airtel, all of us Loop Mobile subscribers become Airtel subscribers. What we will miss is not the name; what we will miss is the gumption, guts and fighting spirit of the brand. Goodbye, BPL Mobile.