Zomato's ad makes a case for 'safety' while ordering in

The ad is featured prominently in a 'mailer', and reminds Zomato's patrons that it is, indeed, safe to order food, despite the fears surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic.

Zomato's messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on health and safety. But, for the first time, an ad makes a reference to cravings, and addresses the reservations that the 'adults' of the house may have when it comes to ordering food.

In the ad, the messaging is clear. There is a woman (mother) at home, who is willing to prepare food, but the son can't help but crave for 'yummy' dishes. The context isn't too far-fetched, considering that parts of India have been under lockdown for more than 100 days, and people are possibly getting fed up of 'ghar ka khana'.

This is not the first message that Zomato has released since the pandemic began. But, it is the first one that features Zomato's signature sharp, witty style. On the Zomato app, there is a list of eight measures being taken to ensure that food delivery happens in a safe, sanitised manner.

This appears to be a more stylised version of a PSA the company put out a few weeks ago, when the app resumed its delivery services. The video was from a delivery person's point of view and listed out the safety protocol that Zomato is following to keep its riders safe.

This video was released in April when a food delivery personnel tested positive for the Coronavirus in Delhi. This was the time when Domino's also released a statement to assure spooked patrons that it was not one of its delivery staff that had contracted the virus.

Also Read: "We would like to confirm that this delivery person does not belong to Domino’s Pizza"

Domino's also recently released an ad to assure its customers that the act of ordering and consuming delivered food is safe. The ad’s emphasis isn’t on giving the kitchen a ‘break’, but, instead, on how ‘safe’ it is to order pizza from Domino’s. Visuals of the ad show gloved hands kneading and tossing the pizza dough to emphasise that it is ‘untouched’ by human hands. The ad’s emphasis is also on contactless deliveries.

The change in messaging can be attributed to the fact that once the Coronavirus began spreading in India, food delivery apps/businesses saw a noticeable dip in their sales numbers.

The nationwide lockdown came into effect on March 25. On April 4, The Economic Times reported that in just under 10 days, online food delivery orders for Zomato and Swiggy were down by 70 per cent, to under one million orders per day.

When it comes to messaging, Swiggy isn't one to be left behind when Zomato is assuring users of its safety. It roped in celebrity chef Ranveer Brar to demonstrate how users can safely transfer the food to plates, and how to get rid of the containers.