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Tag: Ola

  • Ola launches new campaign #PeekeMatChala

    Ola launches new campaign #PeekeMatChala

    MUMBAI: With New Year right around the corner, Ola has launched its new campaign to prevent drunken driving #PeekeMatChala. For the third consecutive year, after the initiative was first launched in 2016, Ola is pursuing its dedication to making roads safer through a social media campaign amplified with a series of awareness and on-ground activation drives at airports and malls across India.

    Continuing the fun approach to addressing the issue, this year’s edition of #PeekeMatChala takes a musical route through the launch of a captivating party rap. The platform has collaborated with Prabh Deep, an upcoming 23-year old Indian rapper known for his socially conscious rhymes, to create a rap song that aims at deterring people from drinking and driving.

    Speaking on the initiative, Ola senior VP Pallav Singh, “We are excited to launch the third edition of #PeekeMatChala in our ongoing efforts to rid the country of the perils of DUI. The holiday season is a time for fun and frolic, and hence we chose music as a medium to communicate the message of don’t drink and drive. With a catchy tune and easy to sing-along lyrics, party goers will be able to echo the thought of not driving under the influence of alcohol and take an Ola instead.”

    These activations are aimed at urging patrons to take a pledge to abstain from drinking and driving and party responsibly this holiday season.

    Set in an Ola cab, the video showcases the different antics people indulge in when drunk with the lyrics communicating the key message. Drawing on the success of previous editions of #PeekeMatChala, this video takes the same witty, creative and light-hearted approach to drive home the message of responsible drinking.

    Over the years, Ola has partnered with local authorities, industry bodies, bars, restaurants and influencers to discourage driving under the influence of alcohol. Previous editions of #PeekeMatChala saw online and offline initiatives being launched that promote responsible drinking which include setting up designated kiosks to facilitate bookings, sharing responsible drinking tips with consumers and launching engaging videos.

  • CNN explores why the future of the internet is Indian

    CNN explores why the future of the internet is Indian

    MUMBAI: India’s future role in the tech sector is under the spotlight in a special report for CNN Business – the first CNN article published in Hindi.

    CNN’s Rishi Iyenger reports that India has more than 500 million internet users, but also more unconnected people than any other country. As challenges arise in other markets in China, Brazil and across Africa, this makes investing in India the biggest opportunity in global tech today.

    Told in a unique interactive, CNN Business speaks to representatives from Google, Netflix, Paytm and policy advisors on how the Indian market is not only shaping their product, but also how digital giants are battling it out with homegrown rivals such as Flipkart, Ola and Hotstar.

  • Foodpanda acquires Holachef

    Foodpanda acquires Holachef

    MUMBAI: Food delivery company Foodpanda, India’s fastest growing today announced its acquisition of Mumbai-based food-tech venture Holachef.

    Through this collaboration, Foodpanda marks its strategic entry into cloud kitchens and plans to launch its own brand of food products in different categories.

    Foodpanda will build deeper capabilities to serve the diverse needs of millions of Indians by bringing different trusted offerings tailored to the needs of specific customer segments alongside an enhanced food ordering experience. With India’s largest food delivery network of 125,000 delivery partners, Foodpanda is well poised to address the increased demand on its platform.

    Foodpanda India CEO Pranay Jivrajka says, “Through the Ola platform, we already have an unmatched access to over 150 million customers and an understanding of their preferences. We have been able to bring an enhanced experience for millions of customers over the past year. We aim to build India’s largest cloud kitchen network that will be a major step in further elevating the food experience for our customers.”

    As part of the acquisition, Foodpanda will take over Holachef’s business including its kitchens, equipment, as well as bring onboard the company’s employees.

    Holachef’s founders are set to join Foodpanda’s leadership team.

    Launched in 2012, Foodpanda’s  cumulatively reach is over 150 million consumers across the country. With an enhanced focus on local innovation, technology, and delivery logistics, we are redefining the experience for every one of our stakeholders viz. customers, delivery partners, and restaurant partners.

    Foodpanda is also India’s fastest growing food delivery platform, processing over 300,000 orders a day from 25,000+ restaurant partners across the country with the largest food delivery network of 125,000+ Delivery Partners.

  • Ola Rentals launches ad with Sumeet Vyas

    Ola Rentals launches ad with Sumeet Vyas

    MUMBAI: Ola, India’s leading and one of the world’s largest ride-sharing platforms, has launched a nationwide, integrated campaign focusing on Ola Rentals.

    Starring actor and writer Sumeet Vyas, the video campaign highlights Ola Rentals as your ‘go-to’ weekend ride. With the ease of booking a cab that remains at a customer’s disposal, waiting on them, as they move from place to place, Ola Rentals has emerged as a convenient, hassle-free solution that fills in for your personal car.

    Conceptualised and developed by Happy mcgarrybowen, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, the TVCs show Sumeet as an empowered Ola Rentals customer who isn’t worried of getting tired of driving for long hours in heavy traffic. Instead, he enjoys a day out with his wife and back-to-back outings to meet relatives since he gets to relax at the backseat like a boss. The catch phrase #NoStressBoss, used by the central character of the film, plays upon the idea of enjoying the comfort Ola Rentals provides to its customers.

    Actor and Writer Sumeet Vyas said, “I completely related to the concept of the films. As a professional who works round the clock almost every day of the week, I look forward to stress free weekends with my family and friends. A product like Ola Rentals can give you that much required relief that commuters are looking for! One doesn’t have to fret about driving in crazy traffic, looking for parking spots endlessly, etc. I am so looking forward to use Rentals by Ola next time when I have to go for a shopping spree or need to run errands all around the city.”

    The TVCs are being showcased through digital, video, social, OOH and radio; and have already garnered more than 5.8 million impressions on various digital platforms. So far, both 30 second videos have collectively garnered 1.2 million+ views on YouTube.

    Ola senior vice president Pallav Singh added, “Since its launch in 2016, Ola Rentals has been a favourite among corporate customers and working executives who move from one meeting to another during the day. Through this latest campaign we want to highlight the convenience of having a cab on disposal for diverse needs like shopping trips, meeting friends, visiting relatives, local sightseeing etc. I am glad to share that the TVCs are garnering great response, which goes to show that customers today value convenience and experience. They don’t want to tire themselves driving in heavy traffic, instead would like to be driven around as they relax and enjoy their day off.”

    Happy mcgarrybowen chief operating officer Samarjit Choudhry mentioned, “Ola Rentals is a very unique category. Unlike a point to-point cab, this one is meant to take you to multiple places. It takes away a lot of pain points like parking or having to book another cab, not to say the pain of driving on congested roads. Keeping all this in mind, we decided to take weekends as a plank for communication because a large number of the people get out on weekends and face the stress of weekend traffic and finding parking spots. The ease of the product offering had to be conveyed and hence we came up with the campaign thought of #NoStressBoss.”

    Founded in 2011 by Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola is one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver-partners onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent, and quick service fulfilment.

  • Foodpanda assigns creative mandate to Happy mcgarrybowen

    Foodpanda assigns creative mandate to Happy mcgarrybowen

    MUMBAI: Following a multi-agency pitch process and numerous rounds of evaluation, online food delivery marketplace Foodpanda, has awarded its creative mandate to Dentsu Aegis Network’s creative agency, Happy mcgarrybowen.

    Foodpanda was acquired by Ola Cabs in December last year.

    The pitch for the creative mandate included both advertising and design disciplines, as the startup looks to revamp its identity after the alignment with Ola. After a tight race, both the design and the brand communications mandates were awarded to Happy mcgarrybowen, who in the past has helped carve a niche for flagship startups like Flipkart, Myntra and Ola.

    Ola Cabs CEO Bhavish Aggarwal says, “At Foodpanda, our mission is to connect deeper with our love and passion for food, and build not just a great delivery experience but also a great food experience. We trust that Happy mcgarrybowen would be able to take that narrative and ethos to the world with strong design and visual communication capabilities.”

    Foodpanda head of marketing Anshul Khandelwal adds, “We distinctly understand the need to build a strong and differentiated brand that people love. Being a food experience platform, we intend to constantly innovate to build foodie-first solutions for India. Considering Happy Mcgarrybowen’s work portfolio, we are confident that the association will ensure an effective brand strategy and communications.”
    Happy mcgarrybowen has been tasked with re-thinking the brand’s design language, which includes reinterpreting its logo and visual identity for the present-day. The advertising and communications will follow suit to help the brand form a bond with consumers in this ever-changing world of transactional relationships.

    Happy mcgarrybowen CEO Kartik Iyer adds, “In a time where the market has already been created, we are proud to have won the mandates in such a competitive environment. We’re raring to go and leap ahead with Foodpanda right to the top.”

    Happy mcgarrybowen CCO PM Praveen Das mentions, “Today brands are ubiquitously present on the digital media, therefore corporate identity too has evolved into a dynamic form. This is the age of the animated logos, GIFs, sonic signatures, design thinking and so on. We are very excited to work on evolving the Foodpanda brand identity by giving it an emergent, contemporary twist and bring it alive to a youthful audience who is so much into food these days.”

  • Ola launches #RoadToGold, a nationwide crowdfunding campaign to enable India’s Gold medal dream at world sporting events

    Ola launches #RoadToGold, a nationwide crowdfunding campaign to enable India’s Gold medal dream at world sporting events

    MUMBAI: Ola, India’s leading and one of the world’s largest ride-sharing platforms, today launched a nationwide crowdfunding campaign to develop grassroots sporting talent – #RoadToGold. The campaign aims to support India’s collective dream to increase the chances of winning Gold medals at major global sporting events. To kick start this campaign, Ola has enabled its customers to contribute a sum of INR 1, per ride across the 110+ cities it operates in.

    The collected funds will be used to identify promising talent from India’s heartlands, and mould them into champion sportspeople through state-of-the-art infrastructure, professional training from international coaches, complemented by extensive sports science facilities and a structured academic program. These future sporting stars will also benefit from support and guidance from Indian sporting legends such as Sourav Ganguly, Mahesh Bhupathi, Abhinav Bindra and Yogeshwar Dutt, amongst others.

    Ola has partnered with JSW Sports’ Institute in Bellary, Karnataka to play an active role in the training and coaching of young athletes at the facility. Ola and JSW sports share a common vision to identify and nurture the latent sporting talent in grassroots India. By combining the widespread reach of Ola’s platform and JSW Sports’ expertise in developing sporting talent over the years, #RoadToGold is poised to catapult India’s medal-winning performances and increase the nation’s image as a champion performer. The campaign will also be bolstered by an awareness drive spearheaded by superstar Akshay Kumar, and the cast of the movie ‘Gold’.

    Speaking on this initiative, Pallav Singh, Senior Vice President, Ola said “We are proud to introduce #RoadToGold, a nationwide initiative towards supporting exceptional sporting talent in the country. The right encouragement complements sports professionals’ immense talent to win accolades at a global stage and together with a small contribution of INR 1, we can strengthen India’s chances of winning Gold medals globally.” He further added “We are glad to partner with JSW Sports and Excel entertainment who have been staunch supporters of sports in India through infrastructure and entertainment. Together, we share the dream to identify high calibre talent and turn them into medal winning performers.”

    Commenting on this initiative Mustafa Ghouse, CEO, JSW Sports, said “At JSW Sports, we have supported talented Indian sportspersons over the past few years and have seen the kind of impact that proper training and facilities can have on performances. Through our institute, we are attempting to take this initiative even wider by providing young talent across India access to world class infrastructure and sports science to help them realise their potential. We are proud to partner with a company like Ola to foster sporting talent and spearhead a generation of exceptional sportspersons.”

    Speaking on this occasion Ritesh Sidhwani, Producer, Excel Entertainment said “The initiative to enable India’s gold medal dream worked seamlessly with our film’s message of Free India’s first Olympic Gold. It’s great to see all of us coming together to sow the seed for India’s glorious future in sports.”

  • Tiger Global invest $6 million in TVF

    Tiger Global invest $6 million in TVF

    MUMBAI: The Viral Fever (TVF), an over-the-top (OTT) platform, has raised an additional $6 million (around Rs 41 crore at current exchange rates) from existing investor Tiger Global, according to VCCircle.

    Tiger Global is one of the most active venture capital investors, with around 50 firms in its portfolio. It has backed unicorns including e-commerce major Flipkart, classifieds platform Quikr and ride-sharing firms Ola and Uber.

    TVF started out as a YouTube channel that produced premium content targeted at a young demographic. Besides YouTube, its website and Android and iOS apps also serve as digital OTT content distribution platforms.

    TVF which is operated by Contagious Online Media Network, raised the fresh capital at an estimated post-money valuation of around $40 million (around Rs 270 crore). TVF has also raised more than $20 million in external funding, which includes a $4.97 million investment from Tiger Global in July.

    The platform was founded in 2010 by Arunabh Kumar and incorporated in August 2015. It is backed by well-known individual investors that include Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, Ola co-founders Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Freecharge founder Kunal Shah and Toppr founder Zishaan Hayath, among others.

    TVF generates its revenues through marketing and advertising streams associated with its content viewership. It is yet to charge audiences for its content.

    The company had a tumultuous 2017 after founder and CEO Kumar stepped down as chief executive officer following accusations of sexual harassment by a former employee.

    He was replaced by TVF’s chief operating officer Dhawal Gusain.

  • Ola partners with PhonePe for cab bookings

    Ola partners with PhonePe for cab bookings

    MUMBAI: Flipkart-owned UPI-based payment platform PhonePe has partnered with taxi aggregator Ola. With this tie-up, users will be able to book an Ola cab using the PhonePe app.

    With both the companies already catering to a large user base, this also becomes the first large scale implementation of AutoPay (through standing instructions) for ride bookings in India.

    Phone Pe co-founder and CTO Rahul Chari says, “With this partnership our users can enjoy the ease of using their preferred ride sharing app from within PhonePe while being assured of the reliability and integrity of their payments. Ola’s scale and reach, topped with our Auto-pay feature will enable greater convenience and control to our users while making payments seamless.”

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    Ola co-founder and CTO Ankit Bhati thinks that duch partnerships drive the vision of Digital India, getting more users to experience the benefits of online services.

    The Ola micro-app is also a big technology milestone for PhonePe as it has been built ground-up by the PhonePe team using the Ola developer platform. It is the first of its kind mapping application using react native that provides not just location but navigation with directionality, matching the experience of native iOS and Android maps.

    This partnership is part of PhonePe’s vision of being an open payments ecosystem, enabling businesses of all sizes to build and deploy apps on its platform with a unified login and payments experience for its users.

    PhonePe is also adding partners in the travel, hospitality, ticketing and food segments to its micro-app platform.

     

  • Uber Lite launched in India & other developing nations

    Uber Lite launched in India & other developing nations

    MUMBAI: India is Uber’s most crucial market in Asia! Earlier this year, Uber sold its business in Southeast Asia to local rival Grab.

    Now, to tap the consumers in India and other ‘developing’ nations, the ride-sharing app has announced the launch of a lighter version of its app, Uber Lite. Lite will be a simple version of the rider app that saves space, works on any network. Currently, it is only compatible with Android phones, which the majority of the app’s target audience uses.

    The app will feature only entry-level specifications and low internet speeds. 

    Uber Lite is launching first in India, but the company will roll it out in other emerging markets in the future.The app will be initially available in Delhi, Jaipur, and Hyderabad. 

    Uber Lite is less than 5MB to download, as compared to the regular Uber app’s 181.4MB size and will come with a 300-millisecond response time, where the booking process is fast even in low connectivity.

    Uber Lite will also have in-built existing features like in-app support and the ability to share  trip with friends and family.

    Uber Lite was designed to make booking rides easier and quicker in spotty connectivity and slower than average internet speeds, on basic Android phones, and for people with limited data plans. Uber Lite guides users through the request experience by detecting their current location, so minimal typing is required. If it can’t detect your location because of GPS or network issues, it will surface popular pickup points nearby from you to choose from.

    To keep the app light and fast, maps in Uber Lite are optional, but available with just a tap if you want them. Going forward Uber will also include the option to request a ride even when offline. 

    The lite app looks like a great add-on for users who still have a smartphone with 2G or slow speed connections. In January this year, Ola launched its Lite app that takes only 1MB of download space and offers a stripped down version of its designs and features.

  • Ola honours ‘hero’ drivers in latest campaign

    Ola honours ‘hero’ drivers in latest campaign

    MUMBAI: In a bid to celebrate outstanding driver partners, ride hailing company Ola has launched a special series to capture and share true stories of customer service and bravery. Being shot and produced under Ola’s pan-India initiative ‘Heroes of Ola’, each capsule will take viewers through inspiring accounts of driver partners who have gone above and beyond their call of duty.

    The first episode features Gopal Yadhav, an Ola driver partner from Delhi who noticed smoke emerging from a close by car, sought permission from his passenger and rushed to help. He pulled over his car and used his mini fire extinguisher to douse the fire. His quick actions and smart thinking brought the fire under control, limiting any damage to life and car.

    Ola senior director of operations Nitesh Prakash says, “Heroes of Ola, was launched last year, and the response so far has been very encouraging. We have received thousands of messages from customers across the country, sending appreciation mails for our driver partners who have gone out of their way to help them. The courage and commitment that these driver partners have displayed resonates with our values of going the extra mile in building a safer ecosystem. 

    Nitesh further adds, “We have decided to capture some of these amazing stories in videos as we believe it needs to be seen by a larger audience. We hope that this series will provide an additional platform for customers to share their own experiences and will also inspire other driver partners.”

    The campaign is a multi-city program to recognise outstanding driver partners and felicitate them for their inspirational work ethic and admirable behaviour. So far, the program has been successful in encouraging driver partners to be alert, responsible, and to contribute towards a safer mobility ecosystem. The ‘Heroes of Ola’ are chosen based on the responses received from the commuters.

    Viewers can watch the entire series on Ola’s social media platforms.