Retail

Low cost does not mean low quality: Oyo's Aditya Ghosh


Why did you decide to launch a brand campaign now?

Campaigns become relevant and necessary only when there is a specific message to convey to the larger audience. It is that need to communicate which determines the timing of a brand campaign. As Oyo has expanded its reach in various parts of the country, actually more than 500 cities, with multiple brands, we felt that it was necessary to remind ourselves as well as our customers, of the core promises that we are making. Growing up in India, we have all been subjected to the humiliation of having felt cheated by some unbranded guest house or hotel whether it was in terms of the quality of service or the price that we had to pay. The ‘Raho Mast’ campaign humorously picks up on some of these real-life situations and reassures the customer of our brand promise.

Young start-up brands that challenge the status quo also attract a lot of flak and criticism. How much can mass-media campaigns like these help in establishing the brand premise given surrounding noise?

Any new product or service that approaches an old business in a different or innovative manner is bound to upset legacy businesses with vested interests. Therefore, a focused and impactful brand campaign is certainly a very important tool to be able to convey the unique promise of a new brand in the hearts and minds of the consumer.

This campaign seems to be talking to the lower end of the mass-market – at least in terms of the situations and casting. Isn’t that a risky approach and alienates the larger middle and upper layers of the market?

One of the key learnings from some of the best brands that have emerged out of India in the last two decades, is that low cost does not have anything to do with low quality! The largest and fastest-growing segment of the market is always the one where a new product or service can make it far more affordable than before. At Oyo we strive to make access to quality living spaces more and more affordable every day for millions of customers across all our brand categories, whether it is our most affordable brands such as Spoton & OyoRooms or our mid-scale brands like Oyo Townhouse. On a lighter note, I don’t think the “middle and upper layers of the market” are keen to waste their hard-earned money either!

(
Aditya Ghosh, CEO, India & SA, Oyo Hotels and Homes has recently been elevated and will join Oyo’s Board of Directors on 1st January 2020.)





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