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  • India Inc has no-deal with Covid stress on working minds

    India Inc has no-deal with Covid stress on working minds

    Mumbai: So, May was mental health awareness month. Not surprisingly, along with everything else, Covid-19 has taken a toll on our anxiety and stress levels too. As the pandemic’s second wave sweeps across the country, it is inducing a considerable degree of fear, distress, and alarm in the population at large, and especially among the working professionals.

    The economic repercussions of the ongoing pandemic have made Indian professionals vulnerable to job uncertainty, financial instability, and bleak company outlook while continuing to work remotely, according to a LinkedIn workforce confidence index (WCI) report on mental health.

    “The ongoing stress around the three Rs — Remote work, Return to work, and Risk of exposure — are adversely impacting the mental health of Indian professionals,” said LinkedIn, India country manager Ashutosh Gupta.

    The pandemic also impacted, in particular, working women and their ability to focus on work, with a major part of the household and childcare responsibilities falling on their shoulders at home- further highlighting the gender disparity in our society. Many professionals experienced financial uncertainty with salary cuts, lay-offs, job instability, and unemployment looming large.

    PRE-COVID

    It is a known fact that even pre-Covid, workplaces added to mental health concerns while doing little to address them.

    “Indians are among the most overworked workers globally while earning the lowest minimum statutory wage in the Asia-Pacific region, barring Bangladesh”, as per a study on the state of mental health in Corporate India by Gi Group India. The report does a comparative analysis of the working hours per week in India, as against the US and the UK. India stands at 48 – 50 hours while the US is at 40 and the UK a cool 33 hours.

    “There are 1.2 million registered companies in India out of which only 1,000 provide EAPs (employee assistance programmes) for mental health. How India Inc fares on the mental health index is very clear by this statistic. It is also a cry for help as the magnitude of mental health issues among Indian workers is increasing at an alarming rate.” GI Group MD Marcos Segador Arrebola told ET.

    So how does India Inc fare on the mental health index ?

    The Covid-19 impact

    As per the GI group survey, due to the Covid-19 lockdown: 29 per cent of the employees surveyed suffered due to erratic work schedules and 21 per cent suffered due to reduced salariesPIC:

    The contingency did affect organizations to the point of being a serious call-for-action. And, 48 per cent of the employers surveyed reported having taken cognizance of mental wellness concerns. Of this, 29 per cent believe they have been able to identify issues and provide an appropriate form of assistance. While the rest are at various stages of inadequacy, 9 per cent of the employers seem helpless in this regard.

    According to PeakMind.in-Empowered Emotionally, clinical psychologist Shefalika Sahai, the pandemic situation threw most of our coping mechanisms out of the window with anxiety and panic taking over. “According to the data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), the number of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder increased from 11 per cent during the pandemic, which also resulted in many organisations launching free mental wellbeing helpline numbers.”

    We are seeing many organisations leading creative and innovative engagements and collaborations with experts to build the morale and mental wellbeing of the employees. In that sense, Covid-19 has been a mixed bag for issues concerning mental wellness. Awareness and accessibility leapfrogged and taboos surrounding it significantly diminished.

    Hospitality firm Oyo rolled out a set of initiatives for its employees to alleviate their stress levels amid the coronavirus pandemic, including four-day working in a week and flexible infinite paid leaves. OYO Rooms CEO Ritesh Agarwal wrote about the company’s new initiatives on Twitter.

    The online food tech unicorn Swiggy also announced that it will be moving to a four-day work week for May.

    Gi Group Head for Staffing Business Sonal Arora said, “Although raising awareness is an essential part of the solution, the concept of a well-defined action plan has been lacking and a majority still struggle due to restricted sources of assistance.”

    Given the rising anxiety levels among employees, several organisations are revealing their compassionate side by offering staff a much-needed break from work. Many companies acknowledge that in such dark times, it’s essential to go beyond mere words of being a ‘people-first organisation’ and ensure that caring actions towards each and everyone’s well-being are prioritised.

    Realty developer Godrej Properties provided its employees a five-day complete break from office work to allow its teams to “recuperate emotionally” in the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic.

    “The work from home burnout is real and the last thirteen months of Covid and the second wave have taken a toll on people; emotionally and mentally. As a company, it is our responsibility to be with our employees and we understand that in tough times like these, everyone deserves a break,” said Godrej Properties MD and CEO Mohit Malhotra. This applied to nearly 2,000 permanent employees of the company and around 600 contract employees working across all its locations in India.

    Ericsson India has launched an employee wellness programme that is focused on interventions around their physical, financial, emotional, and social wellbeing. In addition, the organisation has set up a 24X7 Employee Assistance Programme to provide one-to-one support to its employees.

    Visionet Systems set up a dedicated helpline for its employees, providing free mental health professionals, via phone or text.

    “We have close to 4500 employees across three centres in India and unless they are all moving in the same direction, are feeling safe, appreciated and financially protected, we cannot expect the company to do well,” Visionet Systems MD and country head Alok Bansal told Businessworld.

    Vestige Marketing started a Covid-19 support initiative, called SAMVAAD- a platform wherein the HR and the management regularly connect with teams and departments to acknowledge their efforts, listen to their concerns, provide support and inspire and motivate them.

    While these and many other companies have set the ball rolling and taken some initiatives towards employees’ mental wellness the question remains, is it enough for a country as vast as India?

    There is a dire need for corporates to factor in mental wellbeing in their regime and inculcate measures for the mental well-being of employees. Covid-19 is a wake-up call for employers to sensitize their organizations and formalize their mental wellness approach.

  • Brands wish Eid Mubarak with messages of hope & togetherness

    Brands wish Eid Mubarak with messages of hope & togetherness

    MUMBAI: Eid ul-Fitr means the occasion of breaking the fast- the day that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan for Muslims around the globe. This year, more than anything else, the occasion serves as a great reminder to be grateful for what we have and to share with those who may be less fortunate than us.

    Here are a few campaigns that are sure to bring some festive warmth and optimism into these grim times:

    Facebook India | More Together. Hum aaj ek-duusre ka saath denge, toh ek behtar kal zaroor hoga. #MoreTogether

    While all of us watch out for the wellbeing of our loved ones, it’s only a few special ones who look out for those not their own. It is this extraordinary message of looking out for others that Facebook’s latest ‘More together’ campaign brings out beautifully in the backdrop of the Eid ul-Fitr festival.

    The film poignantly conveys hope and a sense of community, sending out the message that if each of us watch out for the other, it would be such a wonderful world.

    Kotak Mutual fund shared a real-life inspiring story of Shahnawaz Shaikh on the occasion and inspire others to follow suit:

    “For Shahnawaz Shaikh and his team, this Eid is about taking care of the community. Kyonki #MadatHiIbadatHai #EidMubarak

    They have been doing their part in the month of ibadat by providing oxygen cylinders to #Covid patients. We applaud their noble deed & wish all of you a safe and blessed Eid.”

    Amul released one of its popular topicals to mark the festive occasion of Eid ul Fitr with the creative ‘Eid together, Eat together- Break Fast, Start Feast’:

    Ashok Leyland made a touching film dripping with warmth, that shows how every celebration begins with caring and sharing:

    OYO stressed the importance of vaccination, through its creative messaging: “The Eidi we all need “ #EidMubarak

    #VaccinAid #StaySafe

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     
     

     
     

    A post shared by OYO (@oyorooms)

    Tide India shined a light on those who make this Eid brighter for everyone with the words, “Celebrating everyone who went above and beyond to make the holy month of Ramadan brighter! Eid Mubarak.”

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     
     

     
     

    A post shared by Tide India (@tide.india)

    McDonald’s creatively depicted the brand’s softie ice cream bitten into, to form the shape of the crescent moon saying, “This Eid, stay safe and celebrate with your loved ones at home.

    Mother Diary talked about coming out stronger together through the darkness with its Eid creative: “May this Eid brings us to hope that we see the light at the end of this and come out stronger!”

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     
     

     
     

    A post shared by Mother Dairy (@motherdairy)

    IT giant, Wipro Limited shared wishes on the occasion: “This year, may the end of Ramadan bless you with lots of positivity, courage, and strength to get through the tough times. Wipro Limited wishes Eid Mubarak to all! Stay safe, stay home. #Eid2021 “

    MTR Food Pvt Ltd wished Eid Mubarak to urge everyone to stay home and safe: “MTR wishes you, Eid Mubarak! This Eid, enjoy soft, perfect, and sweet Gulab Jamuns made with MTR- India’s No.1 Gulab Jamun Mix”

    Kansai Nerolac Paints creative spread festive cheer with a dose of care: “This Eid, may the crescent moon shine upon you and your loved ones with blessings of harmony and care.” #Nerolac #ColoursThatCare #EidMubaarak

    Starbucks India and MG India also shared creatives posts on the occasion:

    Attachments area

    Preview YouTube video Ashok Leyland | A Celebration of Sharing | Ramadan 2021 Ashok Leyland | A Celebration of Sharing | Ramadan 2021

  • MPL ropes in HockeyCurve for creative automation

    MPL ropes in HockeyCurve for creative automation

    NEW DELHI: Martech start-up HockeyCurve Technology Labs has won the account of Mobile Premier League (MPL), the fantasy gaming platform with more than 60 million users.

    During the engagement, HockeyCurve will provide end-to-end dynamic creative implementation to deliver high performance digital campaigns for all the MPL gaming verticals. This will also include programmatic ad serving, creative analytics and automating all mainline campaigns into high performance digital sub-campaigns.

    HockeyCurve co-founder and CEO Aditya Jagtap said, "We are really excited to have MPL on board. They have 50+ different games on their platform – which is a perfect recipe for building a true creative automation model for MPL. After deploying SportsPlex for broadcasters like Hotstar, Sony, ESPN, we are really kicked about expanding the product into the fantasy and gaming domain". 

    As a part of their recently launched IPL campaign, HockeyCurve deployed first of its kind real-time key player statistic based ads for MPL’s fantasy league. These ads were an instant hit with 3X increase in user engagement compared to standard banner ads and uplifted the programmatic advertising efficacy by almost two times compared to direct buy campaigns.

    "With HockeyCurve ad-server, we got a three-in-one solution that offers personalised creatives, dynamic optimisation and granular analytics, which is super scalable for our growth team. This custom setup ensures our product offerings get seamlessly extended into our advertising across our digital media campaigns. We look forward to bringing more such automation campaigns in the coming months to enthral our users,” said Arpit Awasthi, MPL’s head of digital marketing.

    Founded in 2016, HockeyCurve Technology Labs offers proprietary digital marketing products for programmatic media buying, dynamic creative optimisation (DCO) and other custom automation services to e-commerce, sports and OTT brands including Flipkart, Hotstar, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, Sony, Zee5, Voot, Oyo, Grab and others.

  • Oyo’s Gaurav Ajmera joins Pristyn Care as head of business growth

    Oyo’s Gaurav Ajmera joins Pristyn Care as head of business growth

    NEW DELHI: Former global revenue head for Oyo Gaurav Ajmera has joined Gurugram-based healthcare start-up Pristyn Care as head of business growth. He will be responsible for evangelising the organisational roadmap for new products and existing verticals. 

    Ajmera had left the hospitality chain earlier this year, as it extended mandatory leave for its employees and offered them voluntary separation amidst the Covid2019 crisis. He had spent more than five years at Oyo. He had joined as region head – north in 2015, and then was elevated to the position of COO India & South Asia in 2019. He was made the global revenue head in January 2020. 

    Founded by Harsimarbir Singh, Vaibhav Kapoor, and Garima Sawhney in 2018, Pristyn Care works to provide patient-centric healthcare services throughout the journey from disease to health. According to its website, Pristyn Care has an ecosystem of 80+ clinics, 400+ partner hospitals, and 140+ in-house super speciality surgeons for proctology, urology, ENT, gynaecology, vascular, laser, and laparoscopic surgeries. Pristyn Care operates in over 22 cities including Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Indore, Nagpur, Bhopal, Ludhiana, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Kochi, Ahmadabad, Agra, Gwalior.

  • Urban Company humanises face masks with #WearASmile campaign

    Urban Company humanises face masks with #WearASmile campaign

    NEW DELHI: As we all don masks to lead our daily lives in the new normal, in some ways we've all attained a degree of uniform anonymity. With most of our faces covered up, it's as though our true selves – who we are as a human – are also hidden. In light of this, Urban Company’s has unveiled the #WearASmile campaign, which aims to allay the diminished human element between consumers and professionals, by adding a smile to the face mask.

    Under this initiative, all service professionals will be issued face masks with a smile on it. The company believes that while masks keep consumers and service professionals safe, they make people (service professionals) invisible by hiding their faces and humanity. To this effect, all professionals on the platform will be issued face masks with smiles on them – as a small reminder of the human behind the mask, and a way to humanise the mask itself.

    Urban company director – marketing Tarun Menon said, “For our service professionals, masks hide their faces, making them unrecognisable; hiding the individuals behind the masks. Through the pandemic, we’ve heard stories from around the world that have reaffirmed our faith in the indomitable human spirit. Our intent with this small change to the masks our service professionals wear is to make the face mask in itself a little more human, with the smallest of reminders of that unbeatable human spirit – a smile.”

    Brands such as Uber, OYO, Big Basket, Ola Money and Pharmeasy have extended their support to this initiative – some will change their social media display pictures across platforms to their logos with smiling face masks on them in support.

    In addition, Urban Company’s app icon will also change to reflect the new smiling mask being issued to service professionals. At the outset of the pandemic, Urban Company was one of the first brands to add a face mask to their app icon, underscoring its commitment to offering safe services.

    So, be it on the mask or underneath it, smile. After all, a smile is a curve that sets everything straight.

  • Travel brands plan to resume advertising on digital media

    Travel brands plan to resume advertising on digital media

    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.”

  • Hotel industry realigns marketing strategies to manage empty rooms

    Hotel industry realigns marketing strategies to manage empty rooms

    NEW DELHI: Undoubtedly, the hospitality industry is one of the worst hit due to Covid2019. Though the government has lifted major restrictions in various Unlock phases, there has been no significant improvement in the footfall of customers. Small guest houses are on the verge of closing down.

    According to a survey by real estate consultancy firm JLL, just 20 per cent of the operators believe that their hotels could bounce back to 2019 revenue per available room or RevPAR levels within six to 12 months.

    Companies are adhering to new standard operating procedures.

    OYO Hotels & Homes head of global brand Mayur Hola opines that the situation won’t improve straight away, unfortunately. “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. There’s a set of processes to follow to get the Sanitised Stays tag on our app. Slowly but surely our loyal base is returning to the fold.”

    The Park Hotel, which has a robust presence in the Indian market, is undergoing mandatory hygiene, safety, sanitisation and social distancing protocols training.

    Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd corporate director (communication & PR) Ruchita Mehta explains the brand is using this time to prepare strongly, learn new things and come back with a greater understanding of the nuances.

    The brand has launched S.H.I.E.L.D, an all-encompassing program that brings the best of luxury, design, hygiene, safety and service excellence all under one roof. 

    "We have launched our campaign We are Open – where we inform our audiences about the hotels being reopened bolstered with SHIELD. We made our audiences aware about the program through a precursor video, followed by a launch video," says Mehta. 

    She says, “The guest needs to have trust in the brand and any brand which will have a higher trust value in terms of sanitisation will see a faster set of people coming back. We are reaching out to our valued patrons about elevated sanitisation protocols being adhered to through our website, e-mailers, and social media. It is a healthy mix of every platform.”

    She affirms that the brand has seen a lot of people traveling via road to its hotels in Jammu, Goa, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Vizag, Serampore – where the COVID2019 situation has been managed well.

    “Times are changing and so are the ways to reach out to target audiences. Now more than ever, the need to adapt to integrated communications has risen. Digital and social media consumption is on an all-time high, which gives brands an opportunity to up their consumer-engagement levels with minimal expenses,” Mehta adds.

    EaseMyTrip founder Nishant Pitti, in a recent interview with Indiantelevision.com, said, “we expect that the new normal shall emerge within this quarter itself and shall remain constant till a cure for COVID2019 is developed, post which the whole sector will quickly grow to pre-COVID level."

    On coming out with new campaigns, Hola explains that mass dissemination of any message/campaign would be wasteful and unfocussed with the uncertainty, restrictions, and lockdown variance across different states. To effectively roll out a campaign that informs and engages our users for Oyo has focused its distribution amongst its frequent user base (referred to as power users).

    “Every single brand in the hospitality industry will have the responsibility to ensure the safety of its guests and inform all stakeholders about the same. There will be a layer of Sanitised Stays on all our marketing efforts going forward,” he adds.

    Business travel is expected to reduce in the post COVID2019 world as companies will rationalise spending on travel. It is also likely that domestic tourism will pick faster as compare to international travel.

    Mehta shares, “We estimate faster pick-up of domestic travel, which in turn, will give the required push to domestic tourism. Local for Vocal aspect is also finding strong grounds, which will help Indian tourism in regaining strength.”

    Festive season is likely to see some people step out for short trips, as per brands.

    Mehta shares, “I would like to believe by the time we reach the festive season we will have much to celebrate and rejoice. But also, a lot will depend on when can one expect a vaccine.”

    Pitti is hopeful that the festive season will definitely bring some positivity to the sector. “There will be an uptick in transactions, but this uptick would be very small in comparison to the splurge that was seen during the festivities of pre-Covid2019 times.”

  • OYO and Unilever partner to lead the way on hotel cleanliness

    OYO and Unilever partner to lead the way on hotel cleanliness

    New Delhi: OYO Hotels & Homes, one of the world’s leading hotel chains has partnered with Unilever, the global consumer goods company, to enhance OYO’s ‘Sanitised Stays’ initiative with the help of Unilever’s leading home and personal hygiene brands which will be used in the cleaning and disinfecting of OYO properties.

    With higher hygiene standards, minimal-touch services, and enhanced credibility topping the list of customer requirements, Unilever’s R&D team will work with OYO to co-create Standard Operating Procedures for cleaning to maximise the positive effects of Unilever products. OYO properties where these operating procedures are used will display a tag on booking pages to show Unilever products have been used in cleaning services. This global partnership will begin in India and then go live across Indonesia, Vietnam, the US, LATAM and Europe.

    Through this partnership, select OYO properties will have Unilever hygiene kits for guests and cleaning supplies for staff, including products from brands such as Lifebuoy, Domex, Sunlight and Cif. To provide a cleaner and more hygienic experience to guests right from check-in to check-out, OYO has upgraded its cleanliness and hygiene protocols to suit the ‘new normal’ with ‘OYO Sanitised Stays’. 

    OYO founder & group CEO Ritesh Agarwal added, “As the world begins to travel again, we must all collectively ensure that health and safety remain the absolute priority. The scientific expertise of Unilever and assurance of their brands Lifebuoy, Domex, Sunlight and Cif are second to none and we are confident that our guests will have a quality and stress-free experience with ‘OYO Sanitised Stays’ with Unilever’s leading home and personal hygiene products. We’re pleased that by partnering with Unilever and providing their trusted products, we are able to help customers, as well as our staff, stay as safe as possible. With our committed asset owners, we are ready to host consumers across the world and we promise to give our customers the confidence to enjoy the OYO experience as we help drive higher standards in hygiene”

    Hindustan Unilever chairman and MD Sanjiv Mehta said, “With Hindustan Unilever’s long history in India, we are determined to do our part to protect lives and livelihoods and are glad to have found a strong partner in OYO who shares this vision. Through this partnership, Unilever is pleased to be able to help, through our known and trusted home and personal hygiene brands and education on correct use. We remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of millions across the globe, and keeping our communities safe during these times.”

  • OYO unveils television campaign ‘OYO – Raho Mast’

    OYO unveils television campaign ‘OYO – Raho Mast’

    MUMBAI: OYO Hotels & Homes, the world’s second-largest chain of hotels, homes, managed living and workspaces, has rolled out its new campaign – ‘OYO, Raho Mast’. The five-week-long burst is LIVE across television, digital and social media platforms.

    OYO was established with the vision of creating affordable, accessible and quality living spaces with standardized amenities and service delivery designed to suit the needs of every pocket. For years, more often than not travelers and city-dwellers were forced to compromise on location, quality, and price. OYO eliminates the price disparity that we have come to expect from the interference of touts and ensures that safe and secure, comfortable hospitality options are available to everyone, everywhere at the tap of a button. Rooted in this thought, the true essence of OYO – Raho Mast comes alive with the idea that OYO exists to help fulfill your purpose to get out there, to travel, to work, to relax, to bond, to just be. To lead a good life. With OYO you find a quality living space in your budget, more options and a chance to dream bigger and better. 

    Inspired by real-life experiences of diverse travellers, the campaign creatively narrates three stories showcasing challenges faced by varied consumer segments. Through a humorous take, three films illustrate the consumers’ behaviours, changing needs and resultant trends; ultimately highlighting OYO’s differentiated offerings for everyone (to live a good life or raho mast). The three films look into the lives of a family, business travellers and couples and subsequently, how they have found the best solution with OYO, during their usually chaotic travel and stays.

    Reflecting on the television campaign, OYO Hotels and Homes CEO, India & South Asia Aditya Ghosh said, “We are excited about this new Raho Mast brand campaign. Great brands are built when you are answering to the consumer's needs, doing it consistently and delivering on your promises. With its funny, quirky and yet relevant approach, the Raho Mast brand campaign reflects on what the average Indian consumer goes through and how OYO can help make the experience hassle-free at every touch-point. The red and white OYO sign stands for our enduring belief that low cost has nothing to do with low quality.”

    Announcing the launch of its television campaign, OYO Hotels & Homes, India  Chief Operating Officer Gaurav Ajmera said, “We are thrilled to launch ‘OYO – Raho Mast’. With this campaign, we would like to strike a chord with our consumers by providing the best hospitality solution to end their travel woes with our standardized and comfortable stay offerings, at good value for money. Our journey so far has been nothing short of exceptional and we truly believe that this has only been possible because of the love our guests have shown us. These TVCs are an ode to our guests, who continue to inspire us in making OYO their most-preferred hospitality partner whenever they travel. We will continue our efforts towards providing a seamless and happy experience to consumers by eliminating the hassles that come along with hotel bookings.”

    Starting 25th November until 3rd January, the campaign aims to build awareness about OYO as a hotel brand through reach based mass approach with high frequency. The three brand films will be seen across multiple television channels including primetime slots, with a major focus on GEC, Hindi Movies, Hindi News, English News, Music and several regional genre platforms. To increase visibility, glimpses of the campaign will appear on popular Indian entertainment shows like Indian Idol, Bigg Boss and The Kapil Sharma Show. With an aim to reach a whopping 75 million consumers across the country, the campaign will go live across digital and social media channels like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, Gaana among many others. Simultaneously, the campaign will be amplified through an influencer marketing campaign with noted celebrities and social media content creators.

  • Brand-building for longevity and future growth becomes major focus for top brands in Brand Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking

    Brand-building for longevity and future growth becomes major focus for top brands in Brand Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking

    MUMBAI:–India’s most valuable brands, many of which have built their businessesthrough disruption, are now looking to capitalise on their achievements and invest in strategies for long-termgrowthand stability.This is a key finding of the sixth BrandZ™ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking, released today by WPP and Kantar. This year’s results revealed a 6 per cent rise in overall brand value to $228.2 billion, a moderate pace compared to previous years, given India’s recent macroeconomic challenges. Despite that, such growth is still in line with that of the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global brands, as India steadily rises in global economic rankings. 

    HDFC Bank, now ranked No. 1 for a sixth consecutive year,has demonstrated the rewards of maintaining a forward-thinking and innovative outlook,withits consistent focus on exceeding the changing needs of its customers. With new financial products, an ongoing drivetowards digital banking and new branches set-up throughout the country, the bankgrew 5 per cent in brand value to $22.7 billion. This is a positive contrast to the 8 per cent decline in value of the top 20 global banks .

    The BrandZ study, which is the only brand valuation ranking to combine companies’ financial data with consumer insight and opinion, shows that trust is key to develop the stabilityrequired for long-term success; highly trusted brands in the Top 75 are worth 129 per cent more than less trusted ones. 

    Trusted brands include many of the consumer-facing technology platforms and service providers. Despite owing their success to disruptive beginnings, these brands now also focus on activities to build trust such as ongoing and effective communications with consumers that generate comfort and familiarity with using the brand. With a 30 per cent increase in value, this sector was the fastest growing group of brands in the ranking.

    Notable brands include ecommerce site Flipkart (No. 12), which increased its brand value 14per cent to $4.7 billion, while unicorn brands hotel booking site Oyo($2.0 billion), online food ordering service Swiggy ($1.6 billion) and online restaurant marketplace Zomato ($1.0 billion) are newcomers to the ranking at No.30, No. 39 and No. 61 respectively.

    The fastest riser in the 2019 ranking is telecom provider, Jio, which climbed one place to No. 9 with a 34per cent increase in brand value to $5.5 billion.Itsdisruptive business model has made internet access available to many Indianswho were previously unable to afford it, thereby opening up access to digital platforms and services.Vodafone ($2.5 billion) meanwhile was the top-ranked newcomer at No. 24.

    Both digital and offlinebrandssuch as D-Mart (No. 25, $2.4 billion) have found success as a result of the rise of ‘middle India’; the growing number of people in the country’s second, third and fourth-tier cities and towns that are changing India’s traditional urban-rural divide.  These previously poorly-served segments increasingly have access to a variety of online services, with Swiggy and Zomatobuilding much of their growth on this shift.

    With an expanding choice of offerings to buy, Indian consumers increasingly care more about the quality of service than whether a brand originates in India, as long asit demonstrates that it understands what it means to be Indian. That insight is reflected in the decision by Amazon to launch itself a year ago as India’s ‘neighbourhood shop’.

    David Roth, CEO of The Store WPP EMEA and Asia and Chairman of BrandZ, says:“As India flexes its muscles on the world stage, it faces increased macroeconomic headwinds which have combined with a rise in global trade tensions to create a challenging environment.Successful Indian brands are adapting to these challenges andrecognising that longevity requires them to do more than just disrupt the status quo; long-term brand building requires new strategies that major on stability.”

    BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Indian Brands 2019

    Preeti Reddy, CEO South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar says “Consumer trust is a common thread among successful brands. However, it is concerning that only a few have succeeded in growing trust over the last five years. Those who done so, have done it through open and honest conversations with their customers. Brands would do well to consciously work at building consumer trust – it is the shield that gives a brand the resilience to face headwinds in uncertain times.”

    Vishikh Talwar, chief client officer, Kantar Insights Division, says: “The rise of ‘middle India’ combined with rapid growth of the mobile internet is providing unprecedented opportunities for brands.  But, with an almost overwhelming choice of products and servicesto buy, consumers are increasingly discerning; the Indian psyche requires that brands cater for local needs with offerings that genuinely improve daily life.  Today that’s as much about providing comfort and reliability as it is about generating new experiences.”

    In general, India’s top brands are taking a long-term approach to value creation. Over the past five years, a stock portfolio containing the BrandZ™ India Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands would have increased 33.8per cent in value. This compares to a rise of just 12.4per cent for India’s SENSEX, an index of 30 stocks on the Bombay Stock Exchange, demonstrating that valuable brands generate superior shareholder value. 

    Key trends highlighted in the BrandZ Indian Top 75 study include:

    Mobile internet access: Smartphone user numbers in India increased by 18per cent in 2018 (the fastest rate of growth in the world), mainly due to a combination of Jio’s own low tariffs and the renewed competition causing other telecom providers to reduce their rates.

    Buying power:Retail is the second fastest growing category, with online and offline both growing strongly. New entrantReliance Retail (No. 55, $1.1 billion)opened nearly 500 new stores and usedJio’s service to connect retail shops with grocery deliveries, while D-Mart ($2.4 billion) focused predominantly on offline, rising two places to No. 25.

    The Amazon effect:Amazon and Flipkart compete with many Indian brands across several sectors, with Amazon also opening its largest campus yet in India.  This has increased competition and driven brands to step up their operations to ensure they are meeting customers’ needs.

    A confident country: The success of unicorn brands such as Swiggy, Zomato and Oyo is fostering a new-found confidence in India.  This is augmented with the increasingly global outlook of these new brands as they actively seek to expand their operations outside India.