What Is Zomato? How Did It Originate?
Zomato presents the perfect case study of a company creating a market by recognising an existing problem and creating a whole new market in the form of a solution. Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah discovered the need for an organised delivery solution.
There were solutions but it was in the form of the restaurants’ own delivery services. There was no standardisation and the delivery charges were outlandish way back before 2008. Then there was the issue of people standing in lines for takeaways.
Out of this need came the opportunity to create a market where people would not only be able to order food but the platform would also serve as a reliable place for reviews.
Launched in 2008 as a food discovery app, Zomato went on to revolutionize the way Indians eat. From helping foodies find new food joints to enabling online ordering (since 2015), the brand has some guts to defy all odds and rise up.
Zomato does a few things that define its market presence and they are the following.
- Food Delivery
- Restaurant Reservations
- Restaurant And Food Reviews
- Food Festivals
It has positioned itself right at the heart of the Indian food scene and has an amazing social media presence which helps maintain its image as the most reliable food delivery partner.
Right market analysis by Zomato helps them to form a business presentation that continues to attract more and more people. Maybe it’s the brand’s quirky sense of humor or plain luck. Let’s find out.
A Brief Look at What’s New with Zomato
- Zomato Gold
Zomato Gold was launched in the beginning of 2023 as a subscription model which allowed users to get perks like free delivery and more priority ordering.
- Blinkit
Blinkit was acquired by Zomato in 2022 which was one of the most consequential acquiring in the year and it helped Zomato get into the grocery delivery market.
- Brand Collaborations
Zomato collaborated with the multinational company Crocs to start an advertising campaign together.
- Expansion
Zomato is now in 24 countries as of 2023 and plans on additional expansions.
Zomato Social Media Marketing Strategies
Targets ‘Hot’ News
When it comes to social media engagement, very few brands have been able to nail it the way Zomato has with their creative social media marketing strategy. It seems like the company just knows what clicks with the audience.
The brand engages with the audience, especially on Facebook by posting on topics that are trending, along with very simple-looking images (quite similar to what Amul does). So, invariably, the audience not only likes and comments but also shares the content again and again.
For instance, Zomato capitalized on the release of Avengers: Infinity War by posting something like this:
Another witty post by the brand to remain in the news was after Donald Trump’s election as the US President and his proposal of building a wall.
The brand had made use of similar posts to be a part of the 2016 Olympics discussion, as well as, Pokémon Go craze.
Zomato creates successful marketing campaign by posting on topics that are currently trending to built connectivity with the audience. To be honest, social media users do not always thoroughly read every post, but when they find something attractive, cute or funny and relating to something that is currently happening, they post such content for sure!
Giving Popular Primetime a Foodie Twist
Zomato knows how to keep the audience hooked with its powerful branding strategies. The brand made use of the popularity of TV shows, such as Game of Thrones, How I Met Your Mother, House of Cards and so on, to be the talk-of-the-town. Their posts looked something like this:
This Zomato social media strategy is absolutely brilliant because every time consumers watch the TV shows, they are reminded of Zomato. Talk about constantly being on consumers’ mind!
Comparison Posts
No matter how much everybody hates being compared, it is a natural instinct to compare people. Zomato tapped into this psyche and created engaging posts citing various comparisons as its business plan, such as:
1. Those who eat and maintain their weight while those who are overweight
2. Girls and boys (a hot topic, which was instantly viral)
3. How people eat
4. 2 ways of eating pizza
The images that the brand used was simple and relatable, which compelled social media users to share, like and comment.
Naughty Sarcasms
There is a fine line between vulgarity and sensuality. Zomato seems to have successfully maintained that and not gone overboard. Secretly, everyone enjoys touches of sarcasm, especially those peppered with a sense of eroticism. Zomato tactfully uses this in their digital marketing strategy to grow. However, on-the-face might offend a lot of people who you wouldn’t want to offend.
A fine example of Zomato’s fine sense of humour and sarcasm is this:
The word ‘nudes’ is enough to make the millennial oil their imagination. And love it or hate it, but the audience simply cannot ignore such posts.
Instigating Posts
A little spice is needed every now and then to keep holding the attention of the audience. After a series of mellowed down posts regarding trending topics, current affairs and debatable topics, Zomato came up with the master stroke of social media marketing in the form of this hoarding:
The hoarding was strategically placed for all to see and even though Zomato pulled down the advertisement and retracted the words said, the hoarding created the buzz that the brand needed. The hoarding became the topic of discussion for days on both Facebook and Twitter. It helps the brand garner a lot of attention from the audience, especially in India and even those who never heard of the brand instantly came to know about Zomato.
Once the brand had all the attention it needed, it openly apologized for the hoarding being in bad taste.
An experienced marketer from a reputed Digital Marketing Company in Kolkata commented on this social media strategy of Zomato as a masterstroke to grow its recognization without losing its brand reputation.
Active Interaction
Where Zomato wins and other brands fail is the constant interaction with the audience. The brand makes it a point to reply to every criticism and praise, making the audience feel special which is a very unique App Marketing Strategy to follow. As the brand gives love to its consumers, it receives double back!
Fun Statistics and Facts
We all love and appreciate analytics and data in India and that is exactly what Zomato does with their fun social media posts. They create fun statistics and posts with made-up facts that look similar to fact pages. Users love seeing these posts and helps them take a break and laugh and also think about the brand.
Check out this post Zomato created in the fashion of regular fact pages on social media.
Pop Culture References
Zomato’s target audience is teenagers right up to 35-year-olds. This means cultural references work extremely well when it comes to their social media marketing. As you can see by this example, they have combined the fact that this is very relatable with a pop culture reference of the Golmaal movies. This helps them win quite a bit of popularity among millennials and Gen Z.
Relatability
One of the ways in which Zomato wins hearts is with its deeply relatable Indian flavour of content. This is highly regional and these posts will not be relatable outside India. That is also the reason why they work so well in India because people find it relatable with the culture. Like for example this Instagram post about India’s deep love of cricket along with religious beliefs.
Collaboration with Influencers
One of the reasons why Zomato is always trending is because they never miss an opportunity to collaborate with the most trending influences at all times. They make sure to go into paid partnership post-sharing collaborations. In this example, you can see them talking to the wacky fashion icon Urfi Jawed. She creates garments out of anything she can get her hands on and that is exactly what’s being talked about here.
Trending MEMES
If there is something the Zomato social media team is known for it is memes and memes have the best kind of reach. The thing about the memes is that it is very difficult to use them as a company without being cringe but Zomato does it perfectly. This is a prime example of that where we see the viral meme from a viral video being used in a made-up chat.
Trending Topics
If you want a crash course on how to do trending topics then you should look at Zomato’s social media posts. They do not just post on trending topics but they make sure it is done in a way related to Zomato. If you take a look at their 2016 Olympics post then you are going to find that they did not just do a generic post but actually made it about coffee drinking paired with the Olympics.
And how can we forget Zomato’s post on the Panama Papers leak!
And finally, let’s look at the most trending post of 2016 which was very relatable for social media audiences as it invoked the same feelings that were faced during demonetisation.
Here Are A Few Examples of Zomato Advertising Campaigns
Zomato Vs Zomato
This is one of the most ingenuous marketing campaigns ever thought of by any company out there. The Zomato marketing team thought about a real issue which is the pronunciation of their brand and made a hilarious story and ad out of it.
And they made it into an entire campaign with two cricketing legends. We have included this in the social media marketing blog simply because while this was run on TV and social media but it became viral on social media. The is extremely well put together and you should definitely see it.
Raksha Bandhan Campaign
We bring you another amazing ad by Zomato where they start the ad with two siblings Raksha and Bandhan and how they have to share everything from an umbrella to the TV and even a badminton racket. The ad progresses with them not having to share their Raksha Bandhan treat because of Zomato’s discounts.
The reason why this ad is popular is simply that it is relatable for a lot of Indian siblings who have to share a lot of the things in a middle-class household. This is the perfect positioning of an ad because it deals with multiple aspects coming together.
Humans Of Zomato Campaign
And now we bring you one of the most memorable ad series ever on social media which is the Humans of Zomato ad campaign. These ads are simple because they focus on the most important component of Zomato and pay tribute to the delivery agents. These ads, which are part of a series called Humans of Zomato, talk about their struggle in life.
Zomato AI Deepfake Ad
And finally, we bring you the most innovative ad in India which is the Zomato AI ad. The reason why this is so unique and different from all the other ads is simply because it is customisable. The ad features Hrithik Roshan but they have used AI to change what food he is getting and what he is saying.
They have launched this ad for every city in India which means you will be seeing a different ad based on where you are situated. This level of customizability is only possible through the combination of social media and AI. Check out the original video which we have linked below.
Check Out the Failed Zomato Ad Campaigns
Har Customer Hai Superstar Campaign
When we talk about failed Zomato ad campaigns we can never forget this campaign where Zomato completely miscalculated the response of the audience. The ads feature regular Zomato delivery executives and celebrities but accidentally represents the hard working conditions at Zomato where the delivery boys have no time to wait.
Kachra Ad Campaign
The last failure is nothing compared to this. Zomato’s intention with this ad was to invoke feelings of nostalgia as they brought back a legendary character from the movie Lagaan. But they failed to understand that this had far deeper connotations and that it was going to offend a section of minorities in India. They have since taken down the ad and have issued an apology for hurting the sentiments of different communities.
Lessons to take away from Zomato:
1. Create attention-grabbing, creative images
2. Be aware of what’s happening around you and how you can use it to your advantage – it may be current news, a controversy, a crisis situation and so on
3. Engage consumers and provide them with personalized customer service
4. Make use of a debatable topic to draw attention to your brand
5. Make social media posts crisp
6. The number of active users on Zomato’s social media accounts is constantly on the rise. What only remains to be seen is how the company translates its social success into business leads.
We hope this blog has been helpful for you to understand why Zomato is one of the leading names when it comes to social media marketing.
If you too want to have a 360 social media marketing campaign, strategy and solution that is effective and affordable then we are here for you. We are Think To Share IT Solutions and we are one of the most prominent names when it comes to digital marketing solutions.
We have extensive experience and entire departments of social media managers ready to take over your social media and make your social media presence just as remarkable as Zomato. We welcome you to check out everything we do on our website.
Image Credits: Zomato