Zomato's self-roast to inspire brands to take the mickey out of themselves?

Typically, when a brand reaches a milestone, it highlights its achievements to customers. However, for its 16th anniversary, Zomato chose a different route by roasting itself. Quite unusual, right?

The food aggregator platform invited stand-up comedians to roast not just the company but also its founders. Comedians Samay Raina, Gaurav Kapoor, Swati Sachdeva, and Shreeja Chaturvedi highlighted several issues commonly faced by customers, such as irregularities in the refund process, platform fee hikes, surge pricing, handling fees, and more. These are problems that companies typically avoid addressing directly.

Things went too far when one of the comedians, Samay Raina, was seen wearing a T-shirt of their competitor, Swiggy. 

We sent an email query to Swiggy to understand, whether their permission was taken before the shoot or not. Till the time of publishing, they haven’t replied.

However, Swiggy Genie commented on the reel, stating, "Hum toh na sehte" (We wouldn't have tolerated it). Many other brands also quickly joined in on the trend.

According to our sources, the brand encouraged comedians to be brutally honest with their jokes. However, during the briefing, they were asked to avoid jokes on company's delivery gig workers and the policy of green dress code for the ‘Pure Veg fleet,’ which was withdrawn just one day after its launch.

Typically, Zomato is appreciated for its copywriting skills in pop-up notifications. This time, they were praised for their bold marketing move of inviting comedians to roast them. 

Many creative professionals and digital marketers on LinkedIn noted that while many clients demand content like Zomato's, they are rarely open to a format like a roast. The usual answer is no. So, before demanding such content, companies should assess their capabilities.

We also reached out to Zomato, but they declined to comment. 

However, the use of explicit and abusive language raises concerns about brand safety. In 2015, AIB (All India Bakchod) faced significant backlash for their roast event. For a consumer-centric brand, the stakes are high.

In the past, Zomato also faced backlash for its Kachra campaign and the short-lived green dress code for its vegetarian delivery fleet.

Amit Wadhwa, CEO of Dentsu Creative India (a creative agency network) states that this is not a brand communication, hence the brand is not making any kind of statements. 

By using this format, the brand is aiming to appear more genuine. "Traditional endorsements about how great a company is usually go unnoticed. This approach feels more authentic," he adds.

He also points out that certain language should be checked and jokes should not cross the line. 

Talking about a comedian wearing a Swiggy’s T-shirt. He believes that it’s a great move as customers know Zomato and Swiggy are competitors, and it’s not a significant revelation. 

“This move portrays the brand as genuine, and makes the brand look more human.”

Aalap Desai, cofounder, tghtr (a creative agency) says the roast could break through the clutter due to its honesty and riskiness. 

“There is fun in a roast that leads to buzz creation. If the format is done well, it will get viral,” Desai highlights. 

Suyash Barve, executive creative director, Manja (a creative agency) mentions that there will be no change in the brand perception due to the roast as trust is gained through a consumer’s experience with the brand, not a social media video. 

"Trust is gained through a consumer’s experiences with the brand, not a social media video. I don’t think consumers’ trust would’ve been massively elevated just because Zomato celebrated their anniversary with a video showing how happy their riders are. Audiences today know the difference between advertising and reality. So with the advertising, you might as well have some fun", he adds.

Can roasting be a strategic marketing tool?

The positive reception of roast shows and their ability to stand out demonstrates that roasting can become a valuable tool in the marketing playbook when executed properly.

CRED took a similar approach by hiring Arpit Bhala and Siddharth Tewatia, also known as Bhappa, for their CRED Only Fridays. In this contest, the winner describes their friend to the rappers, who then roasts them by writing a diss track.

With this, can roast become an effective marketing tool?

Wadhwa says, “Roasting will not become a standard tool in the playbook. It will look refreshing and authentic if done occasionally. Overdoing can become detrimental.”

He points out that the roast can be funny but can’t convey brand information.

Desai mentions, “It’s a great tool, if the brand is willing to take a risk, the same roast can also backfire. If it’s interesting, it will become attention-worthy.”

Barve argues that roasting is not just a marketing tool but one of many ways a brand can demonstrate self-awareness.

“All audiences want brands to listen, to be open to feedback. The roast is feedback in its most entertaining form. If the brand wants to present itself as one that is open to what its customers have to say, a roast can be a comedic device of choice”, he highlights.