In a recent turn of events, comedian Samay Raina‘s roast of Zomato has been leveraged as a marketing opportunity by its rival, Swiggy. This was revealed by Harshil Karia, founder of the ad services company Schbang.

What Happened: Karia revealed that Raina’s roast of Zomato, where he humorously criticized their services and even revealed a Swiggy t-shirt, quickly became a hot topic online.

In a LinkedIn post, Karia explained that Schbang saw this as an opportunity and orchestrated a response from Swiggy Genie on the post, even involving other brands in the conversation. This move was well-received by the audience, driving engagement and creating a buzz.

“The audiences are seeing them in the right place and the right time and probably saying – ‘hey these brands are cool – they get me,'” Karia wrote.

According to Karia, the interaction each brand received was potentially equivalent to their daily engagement. He pointed out that brands can be part of creator conversations if they engage wisely and maintain a consistent profile that aligns with the tone of their comments.

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Karia also highlighted that this incident demonstrates the right ways for brands to become relevant within content and the power of working with an agency to create a multiplier effect. The Schbang team was applauded for their innovative approach.

Why It Matters: This incident comes at a time when Swiggy is preparing for an expected IPO later this year, with early investors diluting their stakes in secondary transactions.

Moreover, the food delivery market has been witnessing intense competition, with Zomato investing heavily in its quick commerce division, Blinkit, to fortify its position against rivals like Swiggy and Zepto.

Against this backdrop, the roast and the subsequent engagement have provided a unique marketing opportunity for Swiggy, especially when reports suggested that Swiggy’s growth was slower than Zomato’s.

It is worth noting that Karia had previously apologized for a controversial stunt orchestrated by Schbang involving Indian model and actor Poonam Pandey who posted a hoax death news on her Instagram account to raise awareness for cervical cancer.

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Image: Shutterstock/ Memories Over Mocha

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari