What's All The Noise Over Latest Zomato Ad?

Zomato Sparks Controversy: Zomato said on August 30 that its advertisements featuring Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif were well-intentioned and had been misinterpreted by people after facing widespread criticism from the industry for hiring highly paid actors at a time when delivery executives are complaining about low pay.

"These ads were conceptualised six months ago (long before any social media chatter around gig worker payout/working conditions) and were shot two months ago," according to the company's Twitter account.

According to Zomato, the aim behind the ad was to, "make delivery partners the heroes of the ad and reiterate that every customer was a star for us and no less than Hrithik or Katrina."

Roshan refers to the delivery guy as ‘Jadoo' (an extraterrestrial character from his film ‘Koi Mil Gaya') in the ad campaign titled ‘Har client hai star,' which was published earlier this month. He is seen asking for a photo with the delivery person after miraculously delivering the goods on time amid heavy rain. Unfortunately, another order arrives, and the agent is forced to return without a selfie with the star.

In the second ad film, which again stars Katrina Kaif, a similar narrative is portrayed. This time, the delivery agent was unable to accept Kaif's offer of a slice of birthday cake.

The advertisements generated an uproar online, with many claiming that Zomato is using this ode to its delivery employees to hide actual concerns.

Zomato also claimed that its net promoter score has risen from 10 to 28 as a result of its efforts to address delivery partner concerns.