When Ola got drunk

The brand's funny Twitter campaign sought to discourage people from drunk driving.

Taking its #PeekeMatChala initiative a step ahead, mobile transportation app Ola, took to Twitter to spread awareness about the disastrous results of drunk driving, one such being 'drunk tweeting'!

My dream is to drive, over the rainbow so highhhhhhhhhhh

— Ola (@Olacabs) December 25, 2016

It’s my lifeeee. It’s now or ever. I ain’t gonna drive forever

— Ola (@Olacabs) December 25, 2016

Conceptualised by Happy mcgarrybowen, the campaign sought to provide a convenient solution to discourage drunk driving during New Year festivities - booking an Ola cab to ensure a safe ride back if one is under the influence of alcohol.

Hey @ZomatoIN YOUR CUTE

— Ola (@Olacabs) December 25, 2016

.@AllIndiaBakchod is very Hillary

— Ola (@Olacabs) December 25, 2016

The activity was amplified with the association of All India Bakchod whose advertising agency 'Vigyapanti' created a quirky video #PeekeMatChala for it. But, the real challenge was to engage consumers in a way that could make them sit back and take notice. So, the brand thought of sending out the message in the form of 'drunk tweets'.

Naam toh ek dum pirated hai @Netflicks

— Ola (@Olacabs) December 25, 2016

Several 'drunk tweets' were sent from Ola's twitter handle and brands such as Zomato, Flipkart, Netflix India were also tagged. While many wondered if the social media manager was drunk on the job, and still others questioned if an intern was left unattended, Ola concluded the activity by confirming that the last few tweets were just part of an initiative to discourage drunk driving.

Commenting on the insight and execution, Kartik Iyer - CEO, Happy mcgarrybowen says, "Ola is a brand that lives and breathes on Indian roads. It's a constant effort for the brand to try and improve the condition of people's lives on roads. Drunken driving is a common and very big issue. Ola is not a preachy brand, but one that speaks the language of the people. 'Drunk tweets' was a fun way for the brand to make its point and get people to notice it."

The campaign was finally signed off with online influencers including Varun Thakur, Kanan Gill, Rohan Joshi, Tanmay Bhat, Sumukhi Suresh and Kaneez Surka inviting tweeple to talk about their most embarrassing moment under the influence of alcohol.

We asked Dharit Parikh, business head at Interspace Solutions, a digital agency, what he thought about the campaign. He says, "Ola Cabs' drunk Tweets made a great point about drunk driving. Such contextual campaigns, which are humorous, definitely build a mind space for the message being communicated."

Parikh believes that the campaign had enough virality and the ability to build engagement with customers, but in his opinion, it must be part of a larger digital strategy. "Even though the campaign helps in building a strong buzz, it cannot be the entire strategy," he states.

"The #PeekeMatChala campaign was specially created to encourage Indians to enjoy the holiday season responsibly. It saw good traction. We believe we succeeded as millions of people across the country chose Ola for their commute needs during the year end festivities," adds Raghuvesh Sarup, head of categories and CMO at Ola.