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Tag: MakeMyTrip

  • How MakeMyTrip leveraged Bigg Boss integration to boost homestay popularity

    How MakeMyTrip leveraged Bigg Boss integration to boost homestay popularity

    Mumbai: In India, where entertainment dominates, the boundaries between content and commerce have blurred, leading to strategic brand integrations that capture audience attention. Outside of sports, reality television has emerged as a powerful platform for brands to connect with millions due to its mass appeal. This trend aligns with the global shift away from traditional advertising toward immersive brand experiences. Brands are now moving beyond ads to become part of the stories unfolding on screen. Partnerships with major entertainment properties, such as Bigg Boss, Kaun Banega Crorepati, and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi, provide valuable opportunities for visibility and engagement.

    A notable example of this trend is MakeMyTrip’s partnership with Bigg Boss season 17, centered around the campaign ‘Bigg Boss ka Ghar, MakeMyTrip Par’. This initiative invited viewers to enter a contest for a stay in the Bigg Boss house, integrating the brand into the show’s narrative. Contestants logged onto the MakeMyTrip app to pitch their freedom to Bigg Boss, creating excitement among the audience. To enhance engagement, MakeMyTrip also launched billboards and advertisements, driving further interaction. Virtual tours of the Bigg Boss house, hosted by contestants, added another layer of connection. The campaign culminated with fifteen winners staying in the Bigg Boss house, forging a strong link between MakeMyTrip and its audience.

    The collaboration had an immediate and measurable impact. The contest led to a 100 per cent increase in clicks on the homestay icon within the MakeMyTrip app, driven by engaging app animations. Homestay searches rose by 15 per cent, indicating higher booking intent. The campaign also resulted in a 12x increase in social media followers, boosted by over 500 organic posts. Audience engagement was high, with more than 130,000 contest entries, demonstrating the campaign’s strong appeal.

    MakeMyTrip CMO & chief business officer Raj Rishi Singh said, “Our partnership with Bigg Boss last year significantly elevated the awareness of MakeMyTrip’s Homestays and Villas offerings. By integrating a unique experience where fans could immerse themselves in the iconic Bigg Boss house, we tapped into a loyal and engaged audience. This innovative association not only strengthened our brand’s connection with viewers but also showcased the diverse, high-quality homestay options we offer, driving both awareness and engagement across India.”

    Viacom18 head – network sales, Mahesh Shetty spoke about the collaboration, “Our collaboration with MakeMyTrip on Bigg Boss demonstrates how reality TV can seamlessly elevate brand engagement. By embedding MakeMyTrip’s offerings directly into the viewer experience, we created an opportunity for the audience to not just watch, but actively participate with the brand. This unique integration helped MakeMyTrip stand out in a crowded market, driving visibility and building stronger connections with a diverse and engaged audience. It’s a prime example of how immersive content can unlock new avenues for brand growth and resonance across platforms.”

    The MakeMyTrip and Bigg Boss collaboration highlights how strategic partnerships with reality TV shows can boost brand growth and engagement. As traditional ads lose impact, brands that integrate naturally within content and offer added value gain loyalty, visibility, and customer engagement. MakeMyTrip’s Bigg Boss Season 17 partnership set a strong example, demonstrating that content-driven marketing is key to future brand engagement.

  • MakeMyTrip & Ministry of Tourism launch ‘India: The Homecoming’ campaign

    MakeMyTrip & Ministry of Tourism launch ‘India: The Homecoming’ campaign

    Mumbai: Millions of people of Indian origin living worldwide often feel a deep sense of pride and nostalgia on special occasions like Independence Day. To honor this connection, MakeMyTrip, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, has launched a campaign for India’s 78th Independence Day, titled ‘India: The Homecoming.’

    The campaign features an online film narrated by the legendary Gulzar Saab, showcasing India’s transformation. The film’s central message is: “कितना हुआ है इन दिनों बदलाओ तो देखो, तुम अपने घर में लौट कर आओ तो देखो” (kitna hua hai inn dino badlav toh dekho, tum apne ghar mein laut kar aao toh dekho).

    Highlighting the importance of the campaign, minister of tourism & culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, “In our efforts to enable Indian diaspora become Incredible India Ambassadors through the Chalo India initiative, the call to encourage Indian diaspora to rediscover their homeland and experience a transformed India, is paramount. This Independence Day, we call upon Indian diaspora across the globe to take a trip back home, and experience Incredible India in all its richness, not just for themselves – but for everyone whom Incredible India awaits.”

    MakeMyTrip co-founder & group CEO Rajesh Magow said, “We are thrilled to launch the ‘India: The Homecoming’ campaign, aimed at inviting the Indian diaspora to rediscover a transformed India. By highlighting the progress, beauty, diversity, and rich heritage, we aim to inspire a sense of pride and nostalgia, encouraging the global community to visit and explore the nation. This initiative is about celebrating the unbreakable bond that every Indian, no matter where they are in the world, shares with their homeland.”

    Building on the recent announcement of MakeMyTrip’s global accessibility, which now allows travellers worldwide to engage with the platform seamlessly, this campaign also extends the legacy of last year’s successful Independence Day initiative, ‘The Traveler’s Map of India.’ This initiative highlighted over 600 hidden travel destinations across the country, promoting domestic tourism and uncovering the nation’s hidden gems.

  • International travel jitters? Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh show the way in MakeMyTrip’s new films

    International travel jitters? Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh show the way in MakeMyTrip’s new films

    Mumbai – MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company, has launched two new brand films featuring beloved brand ambassadors, Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. These films showcase the simplicity and convenience of booking flights and hotels for international travel with MakeMyTrip, catering to both first-time international travellers and seasoned travellers.

    There is a lot to consider when choosing flights and hotels for international travel, which often leaves travellers with decision fatigue or uncertainty. Whether it is a traveller’s first international trip or yet another one, the MakeMyTrip platform makes the entire process seamless and cost-effective. To highlight the range of platform benefits across its network of 15L+ hotels across the world, a special option that offers 100% refund on flight cancellation for a premium that is fraction of the flight cost, along with instant support 24*7. The two new brand films pick up unlikely scenarios to deliver the message.

    MakeMyTrip CMO & chief business officer – corporate Raj Rishi Singh said, ”We at MakeMyTrip believe in making the world more accessible, one trip at a time. In the past few months, we have introduced a suite of tools, features and benefits, some of them industry-firsts, designed for every international traveller, be it a first-timer or a seasoned globetrotter. Our aim is to ensure that everyone can partake in these benefits, making their travel booking and post-sales experience seamless and enjoyable. Our new films highlight the value addition we bring to the table, demonstrating how MakeMyTrip can be a game-changer when it comes to international bookings.”

    The first film presents Alia and Ranveer as a newlywed couple on their wedding night, still trying to find their footing with each other. The conversation veers towards both sharing their apprehensions about their “first-time”. As film unfolds, viewers find out that the ‘first-time’ in question is in fact their first time travelling internationally.  As a solution, they turn to MakeMyTrip for their flight and hotel bookings, both taking on the planning/research responsibility equally and with great enthusiasm.

    In the second film, viewers are drawn into the middle of a suspenseful scene – where Ranveer Singh, playing an international spy/agent, unearths the location of a most wanted person. When Alia Bhatt, his commanding officer, discloses that the mission is in London, Ranveer, with his humorous style, argues that the criminal should be let go as ‘he isn’t bad at heart’ to save himself an international trip. Alia’s character senses his apprehensions and introduces him to the MakeMyTrip international booking experience, highlighting its ease and tension-free experience.

    This campaign was conceptualized by the creative agency Moonshot and films have been written by Tanmay Bhatt, Devaiah Bopanna, Puneet Chadha and Deep Joshi.

  • Youngun converts viral internet image into a Bigg Boss themed campaign for MakeMyTrip

    Youngun converts viral internet image into a Bigg Boss themed campaign for MakeMyTrip

    Mumbai: The leading travel platform, MakeMytrip, launched an integrated campaign, strategically leveraging the buzz surrounding a viral internet image (image in attachment). The campaign was crafted and conceptualized by Youngun.

    The internet was set abuzz with a viral image of Salman Khan fans lining up outside his home, eagerly requesting entry into the Bigg Boss house. As the image gained momentum across social media channels, Youngun, a new age integrated marketing agency, spotted a potential trend and pitched a campaign to MakeMyTrip.

    As a part of the campaign, Salman Khan in association with MakeMyTrip, addressed fans’ pleas and in a groundbreaking move, welcomed ‘aam janta’ into the Bigg Boss house! 15 lucky participants who would be entering the house were selected through a contest organized by MakeMyTrip in collaboration with Colors TV.

    Youngun CEO & founder Saksham Jadon said, ‘Brands doing things for people’ is a rare sight in the Indian advertising scene, we always wanted to do an integrated marketing campaign around a real-life event. Since we crafted this campaign on top of a fan moment, it really helped us connect much more deeply with the Bigg Boss Fans and the numbers/impact shows!

    Youngun creative head Aman Hussain said, “Right from day one, we knew this campaign is going to be iconic. The last one month was no less than a roller coaster ride with multiple brainstorming sessions, last-minute changes, and alot of ‘iss idea ko aur crazy kaise karein yaar’. Thanks to Salman bhai for saying the words we wrote and the MakeMyTrip team for allowing us to do what we do best.”

    Youngun creative lead Ashish Kanojia said, “We saw immense traction around the campaign on social and really feel Bigg Boss has developed its own cult over the decades and it clearly reflects when we saw the excitement in the comment section. Coming up with ‘Bigg Boss Chahte hai’ billboard Ideas was the true highlight for me in this campaign.” 

  • Cricket superfans quality check MakeMyTrip Homestays in latest campaign

    Cricket superfans quality check MakeMyTrip Homestays in latest campaign

    Mumbai: When the world is glued hawk-eyed to cricketers, MakeMyTrip turns its attention to sports superfans instead. India’s leading online travel company’s latest campaign dials in on cricket fever by getting cricket superfans from across the globe to verify the quality and hospitality standards for its catalogue of homestays and villas.

    Travellers sometimes find themselves in a fix when the accommodation booked isn’t in line with their expectations, especially for the homestays category, where hospitality and offerings aren’t standardised. MakeMyTrip solves for this travel woe, taking the unusual approach of roping in popular cricket superfans from across the globe as quality assurance ambassadors. Sudhir Chaudhary, Saravanan Hari, Sugumar, Gayan Senanayaka (Sri Lanka), and Shoaib ‘Tiger’ Bukhari (Bangladesh) test and validate MakeMyTrip’s curated homestays and villas in the brand’s latest campaign. Given their extensive travel experience chasing matches globally, the chosen superfans are uniquely equipped to provide a proper assessment on the parameters of pricing, service, and space.

    Commenting on the campaign, MakeMyTrip chief marketing officer and chief business officer – corporate Raj Rishi Singh said, “The fever pitch around cricket gave us an optimal opportunity to showcase the meticulous quality check mechanisms MakeMyTrip has put in place for our alternate accommodations category. We always approach business from a problem-solving mindset, and who better to communicate this than genuine globetrotters such as our cricket superfans, who share the same passion for travel as they do for the game.”

    MakeMyTrip stands out for providing a unique and trustworthy experience by redefining industry standards and ensuring travellers can access the best accommodations across price points. The twin values of ‘Uniqueness’ and ‘Trust’ also carry through to the brand’s campaigns. At a time when the environment is cluttered with communique led by cricketers and mainstream celebrities, honing in on real-life superfans makes this campaign stand out.

    The first leg of campaign deployment caught the nation’s attention through a print outreach. The brand has now released a series of films depicting the campaign protagonists judging and validating MakeMyTrip Homestays on space, price, and service parameters. The films are live on all of the brand’s social channels

  • Prime Video and PivotRoots collaborate to create multi-brand integrated campaign for Made In Heaven Season 2

    Prime Video and PivotRoots collaborate to create multi-brand integrated campaign for Made In Heaven Season 2

    Mumbai: Prime Video, one of India’s most popular video streaming services, has once again captivated its audiences with the much-awaited Season 2 of its critically acclaimed series Made In Heaven. Buoyed by the critical acclaim of the Emmy-nominated show, Prime Video orchestrated a strategic and exhilarating campaign powered by PivotRoots – a Havas Company, to reignite the buzz among fans and introduce the show to new audiences, aiming to make this season an even greater success.  

    Leveraging high-impact strategic partnerships across prominent platforms, the campaign achieved a resounding success in both contextual communication and visually appealing creatives. PivotRoots vice president-media Ashok Shinde said, “For a show that constantly pushes boundaries, we identified popular and frequently visited media destinations by the intended audience and crafted integrations that harped on the marquee themes from the show. This allowed the show to be omnipresent with a creative approach that reiterated the return of the grandest wedding celebration, which one shouldn’t miss.”  

    Strategic Partnerships:  

    Prime Video’s campaign spearheaded by PivotRoots, engaged in strategic collaborations with top platforms, establishing a strong and contextual presence across various user journeys:  

    1. Uber Collaboration  

    Partnering with Uber, one of the largest on-demand rideshare applications, the campaign ensured a comprehensive and engaging user journey. From requesting a trip to throughout the ride, the show’s communication was seamlessly integrated into the app. The creative concept revolved around the notion that Genda Phools (marigold flowers) were adorning the streets, heralding the return of grand wedding celebrations. With every step of the journey, the user was greeted with a celebratory tone and contextual copy, culminating in the grand release announcement.  

    Uber advertising head of programmatic and partnerships Jillian Kranz said, “With an average view time of over 100 seconds, Journey Ads are a powerful and effective way to capture consumers’ attention during their trip, driving purchases and building brand awareness amongst a highly in-demand demographic. The Made in Heaven campaign seamlessly integrated Amazon’s messaging, creating and sustaining excitement for the show.”

    Httpool by Aleph managing director Amit Gupta mentioned, “We are thrilled to share the remarkable success of the collaboration between Amazon Prime Video and Uber, made possible through our valued partnership with PivotRoots and Httpool by Aleph.”

    2. Swiggy Integration

    Recognizing the extensive user engagement on Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand convenience delivery platform, the campaign took over one of the most frequently visited sections of the app – the order track screen which appears once a user completes placing an order. Here, the delivery icon transformed into an image of a truck adorned with Genda flowers, symbolizing the arrival of festivities. At the top of the map, PivotRoots strategized to place an icon of Genda Phool accompanied by contextual copy, revealing the comeback of Made In Heaven. An animated innovation banner further strengthened the connection between the campaign and the imagery, leaving a lasting impact.

    Swiggy head of ads and monetization Ajit Panigrahi said, “Swiggy’s post-order food tracking screen is viewed with great excitement as users wait for their favourite dishes to be delivered, just like Made in Heaven Season 2, which has been one of the most awaited shows on OTT. We collaborated with Amazon Prime and PivotRoots, to creatively communicate this in the form of a contextual map integration on the food post order page, also giving users a view of the trailer on the same page.”

    3. MakeMyTrip Partnership

    Given the show’s exotic locales, a partnership with MakeMyTrip, the country’s leading travel platform, was formed to deepen user engagement. This collaboration resulted in the creation of Made In Heaven Holiday Packages inspired by the show’s lead characters. The packages, adorned with visuals from the series, resonated with the characters’ personalities. These packages were prominently featured in a branded hub across various touchpoints within the app, delivering maximum visibility and engagement.

    MakeMyTrip chief marketing officer & chief business officer – corporate Raj Rishi Singh said, “Travel is often inspired by visuals from popular films and television shows that appeal to our sensibilities. Made in Heaven has been one such cultural phenomenon, inspiring conversations and giving us mood boards for various occasions, including travel. We are pleased to have partnered with Amazon Prime Video and PivotRoots to curate travel packages based on protagonists from the show, inspiring millions to travel with itinerates made in heaven.”

    4. Media Buying

    Additionally, as part of various media buys, PivotRoots collaborated with 25 + top sites and apps including niche partners like Ferns and Petals, Wedding Sutra, Wed Me Good and Conde Nast Traveller to deploy high-impact contextual banners.  By taking over key touchpoints on popular platforms, the campaign driven by PivotRoots, was able to reach a large and engaged audience which helped Prime Video’s Made In Heaven Season 2 to become one of the most talked-about shows of the year.

  • Skyscanner commits to India with the launch of new Hindi products

    Skyscanner commits to India with the launch of new Hindi products

    Mumbai: Global travel marketplace Skyscanner is today launching a new Hindi language experience across its products and services as part of the company’s commitment to the Indian market.

    Hindi is the third most widely spoken language globally, and the number of internet users accessing content in Hindi is also rising. With the Indian travel market projected to reach US$ 125 billion by FY27 and Indians increasingly preferring to book travel online, the introduction of a new localized experience will benefit travellers and partners alike in metro cities as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across the country.

    India’s domestic and international air travel continues to showcase a strong recovery, surpassing pre-covid levels. This is reflective of travel demand on Skyscanner, with the company observing the highest spike in search volume in 2023 since the pre-pandemic of 2019 for both domestic and international destinations. Trending routes in August include:

    ●   Srinagar to Jammu

    ●   Hyderabad to Bengaluru

    ●  Mumbai to Dubai

    ●  New Delhi to Seoul

    ● Srinagar to New Delhi

    Strategic Relations VP Hugh Aitken said, “The Indian travel market is one of the fastest growing in the world and we see immense potential to help connect millions of travelers with some of the most ambitious travel providers in the industry. When accessing flight options on Skyscanner travelers will now automatically be redirected to the Hindi locale on the airline or OTA site. As well as native language support, we are also investing across our entire product portfolio, not just for consumers but importantly too for our partners in areas such distribution, advertising, and data.”

    Skyscanner currently works with market-leading Indian partners such as MakeMyTrip, Indigo, Goibibo, SpiceJet, Yatra, EaseMyTrip, and Cleartrip and is constantly looking to expand its network.

  • MakeMyTrip enables to book hotel with no upfront payment

    MakeMyTrip enables to book hotel with no upfront payment

    Mumbai: MakeMyTrip has introduced a new and innovative payment model, ‘Book with No Payment,’ that enables domestic and international travellers to book a hotel in India or overseas with no upfront payment.

    MakeMyTrip chief operating officer Vipul Prakash shared that the feature is widely appreciated by the customers and has boosted the company’s business. He said, “Within the first month of launch, we observed a significant uptick in the use of this feature across the country, with a spike in hotel bookings slated to be actualized two months from now. Significantly, 35 per cent of the bookings, leveraging the feature, are currently coming from tier II and III markets.”

    To introduce this feature, the online travel booking company has also launched a campaign featuring its brand ambassadors Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. The high-blitz ad campaign highlights how the travel booking experience is evolving fast with the key message of ‘Thinking badlo, kyunki travel ab… badal gaya hai.’

    This breakthrough feature is available for the majority of hotels on the MakeMyTrip and Goibibo apps and can be availed if the traveller makes a booking more than five days before the actual check-in date.

    The feature was created to help travellers with uncertain travel plans or those who book far in advance of their departure date by allowing them to pay later, up to 72 hours before check-in, as per hotel policy, easing any travel-related financial anxiety.

    The traveller needs to pay just one rupee to authenticate the payment method (including UPI/net banking/credit and debit cards and wallets) to make a hotel booking. In the event of an unfulfilled booking, MakeMyTrip will automatically initiate a refund of the booking amount, i.e., one rupee, in the original payment mode.

  • Dentsu Webchutney wins digital mandate for MakeMyTrip

    Dentsu Webchutney wins digital mandate for MakeMyTrip

    Mumbai: Dentsu Creative India’s digital creative agency Dentsu Webchutney on Thursday announced that it has won the digital mandate for online travel company MakeMyTrip. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch and will be serviced from the agency’s Mumbai office.

    As per the mandate, the agency will focus on further building MakeMyTrip’s already-vibrant digital presence by implementing an aggressive creative growth strategy.

    Speaking on the win, Dentsu Webchutney associate vice president Upasana Naithani said, “MakeMyTrip is a big win for us, not only because it shows faith by the best of the industry in our agency but also because their values align with ours beautifully. We are very excited to work on campaigns that move both the business and the brand in the right direction.”

    Dentsu Webchutney creative director Chaitanya Joshi added, “While we plan to bring the edge to larger travel occasions, modern creativity means that we are nimble enough to target the micro-occasions in an effective manner. I am glad that the good folks at MakeMyTrip share our zest, and we look forward to a lot of clutter-breaking stuff in the future that not only pushes creative boundaries but also impacts business positively.”

    MakeMyTrip chief operating officer Vipul Prakash commented, “Today, travellers seek more when consuming and engaging with brands across channels. Together with Dentsu Webchutney, we hope to introduce new, innovative ways and concepts that can help engage with Indian travellers better. Our goal remains to be authentic in what we say and innovative in how we connect with the new-age traveller.”