Makemytrip Ad: Lines one can and cannot cross & pitfalls of moment marketing in the social media age
Experts said social media gives everyone access and a voice so brands face flak for almost everything. But virality can backfire. In this case, some said the context was weak and incentivised a rival’s loss.
MakeMyTrip’s print advertisement targeting Pakistani cricket fans with an eccentric offer – discounts on hotels if their team loses against India – ruffled quite a few feathers. Some netizens suggested the ad, conceptualised by creative agency Enormous, was in poor taste, given the delicate relationship between India and Pakistan. Others said the ad should be taken in jest, while a few looked at it neutrally.
Gauri Dakhne, a brand consultant, said virality isn’t everything and is no measure of how well a brand is doing (even violent videos on the dark web garner views in millions).
Sonia Kapoor, head of Zee Innovation Studio and co-founder of Confluence Studio, said with MakeMyTrip’s Homestay ad, she sensed a noticeable departure from its established persona.
As an Indian, I want to apologize to every Pakistani person for this @makemytrip ad. This does not represent Indian values. It only represents the worst among us. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/xzJ7GWd5hY
— Rahul Fernandes (@newspaperwallah) October 14, 2023
“While the opportunity was ripe, the execution was, regrettably, in poor taste, lacking the sportsmanship that a momentous event like India’s victory over arch-rivals Pakistan deserved. This incident underscores a pivotal distinction: celebrating India’s win and revelling in Pakistan’s loss are two disparate sentiments,” Kapoor said. and added, “Had MMT and the creative team grasped this nuance, they might have crafted a more compelling ad. Our society seems to be gradually embracing a disconcerting trend of jingoism and it’s vital that brands remain cognizant of this shift. The same copy could have been calibrated to applaud India’s triumph rather than dwell on Pakistan’s defeat.”
Joke well told
According to Ashish Khazanchi, managing partner of Enormous, the agency figured it could do something about this moment, which is the biggest in cricket globally – the unparalleled rivalry between India and Pakistan.
“If it is an event of this kind of an intensity and there is communication which takes a stand out there, there are going to be people bound to be on both sides of the fence. Thankfully, there are more people on this side of the fence with a nice little smile on their faces. It’s a joke well told,” Khazanchi told Storyboard18.
Amid all the noise, MMT’s competitor Cleartrip leveraged the opportunity to convey a message about sportsmanship and hospitality and how to be better hosts. Although the ad did not mention MakeMyTrip, the implied messaging was pretty clear.
Harish Bijoor, brand consultant and founder of Harish Bijoor Consults, echoed Kapoor’s sentiments.
“Moment marketing offers many opportunities to the opportunist marketer. Every one of them must not be grabbed. MMT has grabbed one such. I believe it remains one in bad taste. Bad taste when it comes to cricket, the game hitherto played by gentlemen. Bad taste in terms of how we treat our guests in the country. And bad taste in many other ways. When you promote a moment, be aware of the fact that the opportunities your digital agency will bring in will be good, bad and ugly. Try and avoid the ugly ones,” Bijoor said.
“To my mind schadenfreude is a legitimate urge when you are a fan. Your team’s track record is an authentic source of pride. One-upmanship is kosher. I don’t necessarily see it as tasteful or novel, but I don’t think of it as hate or bigotry either. All is fair in love, war and World Cup cricket, I suppose,” said Shubhranshu Singh, vice president of marketing at Tata Motors.
Dakhne cited various examples of moment marketing – taking advantage of an event to deliver a message – and the use of tactical communication to reconnect or strengthen the bond with consuming audiences – the Christmas ads by Harrods and Absolut, the Diwali or Raksha Bandhan ‘Celebration’ ads by Cadburys, and even the ‘Diwali Dhamaka’ offers for local retail stores.
Social media flak
“The keywords to note are ‘celebration’ and ‘euphoria.’ We ensured no one got offended, save the occasional promise that the brand or the offer didn’t live up to. Or maybe the communication was one-sided, and we never quite heard the other side,” Dakhne said. “Social media changes all that. Everyone has access and a voice. And every voice counts. Not being heard or counted is the biggest fear everyone lives with. So, brands face flak for almost everything. For being too forward, for being too regressive. For being too sensitive, for being too mercenary.”
Karthik Srinivasan, brand consultant, asserted that moment marketing is usually relegated to timely communication on a topical event or happening. Given that such events are fluid in terms of how perspective changes in real time, things could get risky or awkward for brands wanting to capitalise on them.
“MakeMyTrip has no context whatsoever to ride on the match. Star Sports, with its Mauka Mauka series, had perfect context – they were going to broadcast the matches. If the brand context is weak or forced, the chances of moment marketing backfiring are a lot more,” he said.
Srinivasan talked about how Star Sports' Mauka Mauka series considered prevailing sentiment and used this insight well. The first of the series merely stated the facts – of India’s winning streak – from a Pakistani fan's perspective. The premise was primarily an ‘opportunity’ or ‘chance.’ That, after a series of losses, Pakistan had a ‘chance.’ So the premise was, ‘Will they, won't they?’ It did not incentivise a rival's loss. It opened the possibility of their winning at the same time.
Dakhne insists that communicators and brand custodians must uphold a brand’s core belief (more than the USP, it is the brand’s stand in the ecosystem), understand the brand’s audience (primary, secondary and the bystanders), stick to the brief and what needs to be said (no brand ever said go and spew hate or offend someone), be truthful, be aware of the current social context and use sensitivity while shaping communication, keep biases out, keep religion and politics out, be human and civil: it is not our job to instigate or fight wars or bring anyone to justice.
Srinivasan suggested that companies should question their creative premise internally or people would do that in very public ways that the brand may not really like.
In the context of the MakeMyTrip ad, he said, “The entire pitch of MakeMyTrip was to merely pretend as if we are great hosts, by even falsely invoking Athithi Devo Bhava. This was because it addresses the imaginary audience of Pakistani fans who are not in India (and cannot be because of visa issues) and it welcomes this imaginary audience and then offers them discounts only if their team loses. This was both convoluted and in poor taste. In comparison, there was nothing convoluted in the Star Sports Mauka series – it played it straight, dramatized nothing but facts (of India's victory in the previous encounters).”
