Cobra Beer revamps its brand image

Cobra Beer, founded by UK's Lord Karan Bilimoria, has gone in for a full brand revamp to better emphasise a premium positioning and global image while ''retaining its Indian heritage'', the company announced on Monday.

The redesign, which will be unveiled later this month, includes an updated Cobra brand identity and new primary and secondary packaging. This includes new beer packs and free-standing units, bottled in modern and sophisticated glassware, the company said in a release.

With a mother plant in Bangalore, Cobra is brewed through ''a traditional Indian recipe with a modern twist for an extra smooth taste''. Only the finest ingredients are used, including rice, maize and a little less gas to create a uniquely smooth taste, quite unlike any other beer, it said.

Lord Bilimoria, the chairman of Cobra Beer, said, "Cobra is a unique and iconic brand and our redesign is modern and sophisticated, fitting of an award-winning beer. It is an exciting time for Cobra as we start our journey to lead the Molson Coors World Beer Category and ultimately become a top ten brand in the UK."

Research carried out by the company showed that consumers perceived the new-look Cobra as being more premium, stylish and modern; thus making them more likely to purchase it.

The Cobra redesign was completed by brand and product design consultancy Echo. Nigel Ritchie, creative director at Echo, said, "Cobra is such a well-known brand, but is almost exclusively associated with Indian restaurants.

Cobra is now on a journey to make its presence felt in both the on and off-trade, and the new design will contribute significantly to this. As befits a world beer from India, it looks dramatically different to everything else that's out there."