In the days of a spurt of online startups with few distinguishable features, and insta-ROI driven marketing strategy, the tried and tested methods like print ads, PPC campaigns and sponsored posts on Facebook and Twitter campaigns just don’t cut it anymore. The market is cluttered and the ad networks are expensive. Winning on discounts may bear short-term gains but isn’t sustainable in the long run. Companies are thinking out of the box, with ever new ways to woo the customer. Innovative OOH advertising ideas, cashing in on topical issues are some way to gain eyeballs.
Online restaurant finder and (now) online food ordering biggie Zomato would know a thing or two about the power of creativity over a reckless ad spend. Zomato’s built a huge and loyal community largely due to its witty and design-intensive posts on social media. Looking to promote its online order service, in a stiff battle with Foodpanda & many smaller players due to a late start, Zomato decided to “play dirty”.
Based on the assumption that a huge number of Indian populace is online late at night surfing adult entertainment sites, Zomato decided to target these users to get them to click on late night food delivery services. Backed by stats like these, Zomato decided to tie the food porn association into its marketing strategy.
A number of naughty, double-entendre banners – all aimed at titillating a user who’s “worked up an appetite”, to order food – were placed on a select inventory of porn websites between 11am-4pm.
Not only did the little experiment succeed by getting the ads a large number of click-throughs at relatively lower costs than Facebook or Adwords, but also helped the marketing team gain and share some valuable insights into the Indian “porn consumption” behaviour.
Looks like Zomato’s little experiment with advertising on porn websites may have opened new avenues for others looking to make the advertising rupee stretch, with a little creativity, and a very dirty fertile mind.