Britannia in the 1990s to Uber in 2019: 'Win a trip to the World Cup' bait still works

Luring consumers to buy a product or use a service with a chance to win a trip the Cricket World Cup is a marketing carrot that has stood the test of time.

Food brand Britannia's cricket World Cup campaign from the 90s just made a comeback. The campaign 'Britannia Khao World Cup Jao' that debuted in 1999 as a special for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup just returned for the 2019 Cricket World Cup to be held in England soon. Customers have to collect 'runs' as mentioned on the packs and can consequently win prizes. Also, 100 customers will "each win an all-expenses-paid trip to watch a match live at the World Cup in England and Wales."

Now, Britannia's decision to re-introduce an old, successful campaign to cash in on nostalgia points makes sense. And Britannia is barely the only brand riding on World Cup buzz to move products off the shelves. That's not what we're excited about here.

Instead, what's amusing us no end is the fact that a marketing tack that worked decades ago for an established FMCG brand like Britannia, which belongs to a traditional segment like biscuits, is also the top marketing strategy for a young, tech brand like Uber that is representative of a mobile-led product group of advertisers from the modern era.

Uber, popular cab hailing and food delivery app, has coined this tagline for its World Cup special campaign – 'Uber Karo World Cup Chalo'. Even the tempo and rhyme scheme is similar to Britannia's line. Interesting, isn't it?

Did I doze off and end up in the 90s again? pic.twitter.com/FVFjqkvBRT

— pathikrit (@BucketheadCase) May 9, 2019

A customer's tweet about nostalgia

Homework or housework, if it's kept pending then she doesn't approve you sitting down to watch the match. But the World Cup isn't just any match is it? This #MothersDay tell her how much you love her but you would love it even more to watch the WC LIVE! #BritanniaKhaoWorldCupJao pic.twitter.com/ptIDYFK1Ei

— Britannia Industries (@BritanniaIndLtd) May 12, 2019

Britannia's ad on social media

According to an official blog on Uber's website, every Uber ride/Uber Eats order will earn a certain number of 'runs'. After collecting a certain number of runs, the user will qualify for a chance to win a 'match package' for the World Cup in England, among other prizes.

If a 100 year old biscuit brand and a tech toddler both think the same wooing strategy works, what does that tell us about the Indian consumer... and the marketing tennets advertisers ought to keep in mind while trying to get them to buy a product or use a service?