Mumbai: Online travel company MakeMyTrip has announced the appointment of Sameer Bajaj as head of corporate affairs and communications.
A multifaceted corporate communications and corporate affairs expert, Bajaj has been in senior leadership roles across varied industries including sports, real-life entertainment, direct-selling and ed-tech.
During his career spanning over 20 years, he has played a critical role in building corporate brand reputation, managing crisis communication, and leading external & internal communications for global brands such as Discovery, Amway, ESPN STAR Sports and most recently, WhiteHat Jr.
Welcoming and congratulating Sameer on joining the team, group chief marketing officer Sunil Suresh shared, “We have a very exciting time ahead of us and I am thrilled to welcome Sameer to steer and drive our communications and corporate affairs strategy. I am confident that Sameer’s rich and diverse corporate and consumer experience will be invaluable as we continue to solidify our positioning in India and GCC.”
“I am excited to be part of such a purpose-led organisation. MakeMyTrip Ltd is uniquely placed – as it has the verve of a start-up, and yet the stability of a mature process-oriented organisation,” said Sameer Bajaj.
KOLKATA: As travel picks up, MakeMyTrip is rolling out new functionality on its mobile app to allow customers to book their vaccination slots through its app. Customers can also download the vaccination certificate and link it to their profile to avail special travel offers and value adds on travel bookings made through the platform.
The initiative is a step towards supporting vaccination drives while making travel hassle-free, seamless, and more rewarding for vaccinated travellers, said the company on Thursday.
As part of CoWIN integration, MakeMyTrip users will now have access to all relevant travel documents anytime and anywhere. The new functionality further allows users to view the linked certificate offline and also schedule reminders for their second vaccination slot. The option to book slots on CoWIN and to download the certificate for both, online and offline viewing will go live on the homepage of the MakeMyTrip app on 28 June. The downloaded certificate will be visible within the ‘My Profile’ section under the ‘Saved Vaccination Certificates’ option. Vaccinated travellers will also be able to avail special offers while booking travel on the platform.
Speaking about the API integration with the CoWIN portal, MakeMyTrip COO Vipul Prakash shares, “As travel opens up and the vaccination certificate gains more currency, the functionality will allow travellers to have quick access to the document at all times.”
The company has also released a digital film titled ‘Make the Trip’ – with an encouraging message from children to elders on the need to get vaccinated for the safety of all.
MakeMyTrip group CMO Sunil Suresh says, “The most important trip all of us need to take this year is to the vaccination center. The digital film is a plea from children to the ones eligible to take a vaccination shot at the first available slot to protect them and everyone around them – a trip that will help everyone to bring back safe and pleasant days soon. We can all do our bit by encouraging people around us to take a shot and with this film, we hope to make sharing this message even easier.”
NEW DELHI- When the curve in many countries has started to flatten, India is still witnessing a spike in the number of novel coronavirus cases. But this hasn’t stopped people from deciding about their next holiday plans.
Leading online travel agencies are gearing up to resume spending on advertisements after a gap of a few months, and in all their campaigns, the players are mostly focusing on safety and precautionary measures.
Similarly, to regain the confidence of customers, OYO has launched a campaign ‘Road Trippin’ under theme #DekhoApnaDesh. As a part of this campaign, the brand has partnered with two influencers Rocky and Mayur, who inspire travelers to come out of their homes and head on exciting road trips across India, safely.
The latest ad from OYO highlights that there is no need to ponder after so many days of lockdown and hit the road while Oyo is waiting for you with all precautionary measures. The film this time has a quirky Haryanvi narration (with English subtitles). The digital film is conceptualised by OYO’s in-house team and produced by Flying Elephants.
The brand recently partnered with Unilever to enhance OYO’s ‘Sanitised Stays’. This global partnership has started from India and then went live across Indonesia, Vietnam, USA, LATAM, and Europe.
According to OYO Hotels & Homes head of global brand Mayur Hola, “Travel industry’s livelihood and survival depends on scrubbing every surface, sanitising every inch. Over and over again. That’s what we are doing. We’re equipping our asset owner partners with the knowledge they need to be able to qualify as ‘Sanitised Stays’ and we’re monitoring this constantly”.
Hola opined that slowly but surely the loyal base is returning to the fold.
When quizzed about why the brand is not relying on TV medium and closely monitoring the digital space, Hola explains, “In such times, mass dissemination of any campaign would be wasteful and unfocussed with the uncertainty, restrictions, and lockdown variance across different States. We’ve focused our distribution amongst our frequent user base (referred to as power users) which by itself is a huge audience.”
Last month also, OYO released a campaign on the lines of Fir Badhega India, the campaign focused on adopting new standard operating procedures to welcome guests safely.
OYO rival, Airbnb has recently launched a campaign ‘Go Near’, an initiative to support local economies through local travel.
Makemytrip also joined the league by coming up with a digital campaign ‘AzaadiWaliFeeling’ asking travelers to plan those much-delayed trips.
The pandemic has created a very different scenario for consumers and the travel industry in general. OTA brands are smartly engaging in conversations around the need for a shorter trip in this stressful time. The question being asked is: What major role advertising will play as OTAs, while the industry is on the verge of recovery?
Dentsu Webchutney, AVP- account management Jaipal Singh explains advertising has its task cut out – to reassure consumers of hygiene and bring back their confidence towards travel. “It is important that advertising realigns itself in sync with the shift in the industry. The consumer attitudes towards travel have changed considerably – it’s time to work on new consumer insights and build further.”
While advertising campaigns are often built around pre-existing assumptions, habits, or seasons, the question arises is: What tools and strategies should OTAs be implementing while planning advertising, given the changing nature of consumer behavior?
Singh affirms, “While the playbook on new strategies is still being written, some early trends have started coming in. Given that people can work from anywhere now, longer stays would become relevant.”
“OTAs have traditionally been big on TV and digital mediums, which needs to be relooked. In the current times, TV might lead to high spillover as many cities still have restrictions in place. A digital led phased approach to advertising would be apt for the current times. An approach that helps target consumer cohorts with personalised messaging, he further adds.
In the past, we have seen that a lot of OTA marketing campaigns were designed to maximize ROI. But the pandemic has created an opportunity for brands to devise marketing strategies targeting a broader range of moments. Can brands do it successfully is what we have to see?
Mirum India regional director Arvind Nair believes that the need of the hour is to be more relative and original. “It can no longer be one size fits all. Getting back to normalcy is a distant dream as that can happen only next year. It’s a situation no one predicted before, so we all need to re-strategise the way we looked at campaigns, objectives, and measurements.”
MUMBAI: MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company has launched a new campaign, with its brand ambassadors – Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, to encourage Indian travellers to choose and book from a wide range of alternative accommodations including Villas, Apartments, Homestays, Hostels, Cottages, Farm stays and more through its app and website. Targeted at aspirational Indian traveller, the campaign spotlights the salient benefits of Alternative Accommodations, in a fun and light-hearted manner through its brand ambassadors Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh.
The multi-platform campaign underlines how alternative accommodation options on MakeMyTrip will cater to varied travel interests and needs. From offering privacy to couples, value for money and sense of freedom to a group of friends, access to a private kitchen to a family with kids, the segment provides options to all travel cohorts to get an accommodation that aptly fits their needs.
Sharing his thoughts on the new campaign, MakeMyTrip Group Chief Marketing Officer Sunil Suresh said, “A stay that suits your needs perfectly doesn’t just elevate your experience but is also a travel delight like no other. With over 1,70,000 choices of apartments, villas, hostels and homestays on our platform, everyone is sure to find a place that's just their kind of stay. It is this aspect of travel that we have brought alive through our campaign on alternative accommodations. We have expanded the accommodation choices to fit everyone’s travel needs. We are confident that the campaign will attract a large number of travelers to try these diverse stay options through our platform.”
As part of the television commercial, Alia will be seen in a quirky avatar, advising Ranveer ‘not to worry about space constraints as the booked Villa or Apartment will have enough room for everyone’. First in the series, the two commercials targeted at ‘Group of friends’ and ‘large family’ – successfully delivers the message that ‘travellers will never have to adjust or compromise with space and other accommodation needs while picking these properties. The campaign will be run across social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook and YouTube among others.
The campaign is well-timed as demand for Alternative Accommodations gains a strong foothold in the market. A recent survey by the company revealed that more than 48% of travellers are most likely to book an alternative accommodation for their next trip.
Commenting on the growth of the category, MakeMyTrip Limited Group COO Vipul Prakash shared, “At a time when customers, especially millennials prefer experiential travel choices – alternative accommodations are offering quality yet economical, offbeat options and it is only set to grow more popular within Indian travellers. As a platform, our endeavour is to empower our customer with more and more choices so that they always find the best fit at their one stop travel shop.”
Conceptualized by MagicCircle Communications, Hemant Misra, Managing Director of the company shared “The campaign breaks set expectations from accommodations. For years travellers know what to expect and where to compromise. With new accommodation offerings, MakeMyTrip breaks these ‘adjustments’ travellers make and delights them with new possibilities. The distinctive personality and styleof the brand is brought alive by Alia and Ranveer.”
MUMBAI: MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company, today, rolled-out its digital campaign #MyIndiaMyTrips to inspire and assist Indian travellers to plan their travel and explore the best of India. In line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to all Indians to visit at least 15 destinations in the next three years within India, the campaign has been conceptualised to make it intuitive for Indians to book their travel per their interest.
MakeMyTrip’s digital campaign has been thematically designed to address varied interests of Indian travellers. Promoted through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter which are the first port of travel inspiration for young Indians and a specially curated microsite, travel choices have been categorised under heritage & history, nature escapades, wildlife, pilgrimages, and festivals & culture to make decision-making easy. The campaign #MyIndiaMyTrips celebrates country’s cultural heritage, rich architectural brilliance, and natural landscapes covering close to 100 destinations of interest for travellers.
Commenting on the new digital campaign, MakeMyTrip group chief marketing officer Sunil Suresh said, “With its beautiful natural landscapes, rich cultural diversity, 7500 kilometre coastline and a multitude of cuisines, customs and art that changes every few hundred kilometres – there is no dearth of places to visit as a tourist in India. #MyIndiaMyTrips is a concerted effort to inspire, encourage and assist more and more Indians to explore their own country as per our Prime Minister's appeal during his Independence Day address to the nation.”
Now travellers, from couples to family, from solo travellers to adventure seekers can choose from specially curated easy-to-book holiday packages across categories. The new microsite on MakeMyTrip website is the knowledge hub of domestic destinations, detailing out places with things to see, local activities, food and events in places like Khajuraho, Hampi, Konark, Kumbhalgarh, Gokarna, Varkala, Shillong, Kaziranga, Ranthambore, Ajmer Sharif and Rameswaram among others. #MyIndiaMyTrips will focus on driving engagement amongst India’s digital natives through aspirational content on the various wonders and charms of the country.
MUMBAI: Sunil Suresh has been appointed as the chief marketing officer for MakeMyTrip and Goibibo. In his role, Suresh will be responsible for driving the company’s marketing efforts, supporting the overall strategic objectives, overseeing all initiatives across the marketing funnel, including brand, social, performance and innovation marketing tracks.
MakeMyTrip COO Vipul Prakash said, “We are excited to have Sunil on board our leadership team as he brings to the table 18-years of rich experience in marketing, delivering growth across technology, consumer goods and retail businesses. With a unique blend of expertise in multiple domains, deep understanding of consumer behaviour and how businesses can leverage the power of digital, we are confident that he will help propel MakeMyTrip’s next phase of growth.”
MakeMyTrip India chief marketing officer Sunil Suresh commented, “I am delighted to join MakeMyTrip, one of the most iconic Online Indian brands of our time. The growth story of the company has been synonymous with the growth of travel industry in India. With ambitious plans lined up for its next phase of growth, I am looking forward to be a part of this exciting trip.”
A graduate from IIT Roorkee, Suresh holds a PG diploma from IIM Lucknow. In his earlier stint, he was working as the chief marketing and strategy officer at Capillar Tech. Prior to that, he has woked with brands like Yum! Brands (Pizza Hut) and Unilever.
MUMBAI: MakeMyTrip Ltd has launched its new ad campaign with brand ambassadors, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, ahead of the travel industry’s busiest summer travel season. The campaign aims to reach out to consumers with clearly defined value proposition of online hotel booking on MakeMyTrip – be it for leisure or business travel to ensure a convenient, hassle-free experience. With its popular brand ambassadors, the ad campaign delivers clear message of reliability and perks of booking hotels online over all other means of travel booking.
Commenting on the new TVC and offering, MakeMyTrip group chief marketing officer Saujanya Shrivastava said, “There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to hotel choices for Indians – whether you are traveling for business or are holidaying with family – your needs and peeves differ. As India’s one-stop-travel-shop we have incredible amount of insights on what elevates the hotel booking and stay experience for travellers. By focussing on consumer-conscious messaging, we are clearly laying out the compelling value proposition in booking hotels online with MakeMyTrip which will nudge non-users as well as fence-sitters to switch to online booking through our latest campaign.”
Talking about the campaign, MagicCircle managing director Hemant Misra said, “The tonality of the new campaign will be different from what we’ve been doing so far. The active humour that came as a result of the ‘one-upmanship play’ and was the hallmark of our campaigns till now will give way to ‘relationship enhancers’. The new campaign explores relationships and showcases the enhancement in relationship due to the MMT experience. Softer in approach, the campaign builds on the MMT personality and adds a touch of emotion without losing the fun.”
Once again, MakeMyTrip is leaning in on its influential brand ambassadors – the energetic duo of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in new avatars that are more relatable for individuals and families alike. This 360-degree marketing campaign includes TVCs that will run for nine-weeks across high-impact genres like general entertainment channels, HD channels, Hindi movies, Hindi and English news, cricket and regional channels. The campaign is Live in English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil languages and is also available on digital platforms like YouTube and Facebook.
The characters in the TVC have been brought to life by MagicCircle.
MUMBAI: Indian global telecommunications company Bharti Airtel is teaming up with Flipkart, MakeMyTrip and Netflix to provide customised offers for its consumers, in a bid to compete with Reliance Jio.
Reliance Jio, having experienced a huge growth over time, used the same strategy to attract customers. Airtel will also attempt to expand itself into a digital platform to attract more customers.
According to a report by The Economic Times, the offer will be harboured under the #AirtelThanks privilege membership programme. Subscribers who contribute a monthly revenue of over Rs 100 on an average can enjoy the benefits of the offer. On the principle, higher the recharge, bigger the offer value.
Flipkart will offer cash backs in the form of coupon recharges on buying a smartphone from the ecommerce platform.
The idea is to make sure a subscriber stays with the firm. “We studied telcos across the globe including T Mobile and Telstra for this,” said Bharti Airtel CMO Vani Venkatesh.
Speaking to ET, Jaideep Ghosh, partner at consultancy firm KPMG explained how Reliance Jio’s services have demanded other telcos to rise a step up further. Explaining that, he said, “In the currently competitive landscape, traditional sources of plain vanilla telecom services and data services are facing intense pressure and telcos need to branch out into other services, Carriers need to get into partnerships to achieve this, which is crucial to their future growth.”
Concluding this, Sameer Batra, CEO – content and apps, at Bharti Airtel said, “The more you are invested in the brand, the higher differentiated products and more options thrown to you”.
MUMBAI: Restaurants Discovery and Online food ordering app, Zomato, yesterday appointed Mohit Gupta as CEO for its food delivery business.
Zomato has been working on strengthening its leadership team and aims at a long-term vision of “better food for more people”. The company is also experimenting with products that solve for affordability, accessibility, assortment and quality of food for the users, within India as well as globally.
“We’re thrilled to have Mohit join our team – he is one of the few internet industry veterans who has helped build a formidable transactions business in India. He’s a widely respected leader, and we’re excited to learn from him, and further build our rapidly growing food delivery business with him,” said Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal as quoted by DNA.
Gupta, who has about 20 years of experience joined MakeMyTrip in 2008 and worked in several senior positions in the company. As the chief operating officer he was responsible for the business delivery, growth and profitability of the entire online business for Makemytrip India. In between, he also worked with e-commerce website like Zovi.com for one year. Before joining Zovi.com, he worked with PepsiCo for about seven years where he last served as vice president marketing.
He holds an MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and has studied mechanical engineering from Sardar Patel University.
MUMBAI: In a recent announcement, Publicis India and MakeMyTrip (MMT) have agreed to mutually part ways. This will also include the end of the agency’s journey with Goibibo, which was acquired by MMT. Details of the transition are still being worked out and the agency will be releasing the last few works for the brand very soon.
MakeMyTrip group chief marketing officer Saujanya Shrivastava says, “Publicis has been a commendable creative partner to us. As we reviewed the way forward, we mutually agreed to part ways as it is now time for us to discover a new approach to branding. I thank Publicis for their contribution, and wish them the very best for their future endeavours.”
Publicis India managing director Srija Chatterjee adds, “This brand-agency partnership was iconic in more ways than one. We harnessed and built the brand for more than three years, and jointly established MakeMyTrip and Goibibo as one of the leading brands in India with a differentiated and strong equity with consumers. The final outcome notwithstanding, for factors beyond our control, it was necessary that the partnership be reviewed from a different lens. We are happy with the way the relationship has turned out for us and we wish the team all the success for the future.”
In India, Publicis currently works with an impressive array of clients that include Nestle, Citibank, Zee, Garnier, Heineken, Nerolac, Skoda, Malaysia Tourism, HDFC Mutual Funds, among others.
