Digital
Why OpenAI is hiring 100 ex-bankers: Inside the ChatGPT-maker's secret project to automate Wall Street's grunt work
Swiggy Instamart brings baraat to the couple who missed their own wedding reception amid IndiGo chaos
A flight cancellation, a missed reception, and a brand that chose to respond in real time
When a newly married couple missed their own wedding reception due to an unexpected flight cancellation, during the IndiGo crisis, what followed was not a rescheduled banquet or a conventional brand promotion, but a moment of empathetic marketing that has since captured social media’s attention.
The couple was unable to reach their wedding venue on time after their flight was cancelled, forcing them to miss the reception planned in their honour. The situation, rooted in a familiar travel disruption, struck a chord online for its relatability, weddings, after all, are carefully choreographed milestones with little room for error.
Watch the video shared by Swiggy Instamart here:
Instead of a traditional grand welcome, quick-commerce platform Instamart stepped into the narrative in an unconventional way. The brand “delivered the baraat” to the couple, recreating the celebratory spirit they had missed. The gesture was positioned not as a high-decibel campaign but as a quiet, culturally resonant intervention, meeting the moment rather than manufacturing one.
Visuals from the reel show how the brand seamlessly integrated itself into the real-life situation, leaning into warmth and spontaneity rather than overt branding. The storytelling framed Instamart less as a service provider and more as a participant in a life event, reinforcing its core promise of timely delivery, this time, of emotion rather than groceries.
The response online was swift and largely positive. Comments on the post ranged from admiration for the idea to appreciation for the brand’s sensitivity. Users described the execution as “brilliant,” with several noting how the moment reflected what they love about modern marketing, purposeful, human and context-aware. One comment summed up the sentiment succinctly: “This is what I love about marketing… kudos to Instamart to go way beyond.”
“Two drunks leaning on a lamppost”: Sir Martin Sorrell on the Omnicom–IPG merger and the turbulence ahead
In a wide-ranging interview with Storyboard18, Sorrell delivers his frankest assessment yet of how the deal will redefine creativity, media, and talent across markets.