Brands
Oyo becomes RCB’s sponsor till Dec 2018
MUMBAI: Oyo, India’s largest hospitality company, has inked its first team sponsorship with Royal Challengers Bangalore for this season of cricket’s magnum opus, T20. With this deal, Oyo becomes one of RCB’s direct sponsors until December 2018 and brings an exceptional opportunity to its customers from across Bengaluru to engage more with their beloved team.
Oyo aims to go big on fulfilling Bengaluru’s massive appetite for T20, satiating the sports frenzy among loyal referral customers, by giving away free tickets to RCB matches and hosting screenings across Bengaluru and other cities.
This partnership brings unique benefits to Oyo’s loyal customer base wherein select cricket enthusiasts will receive VIP tickets to RCB matches. The company has already given out 104 normal and VIP tickets for these matches and 10 more are up for grabs for the customers. Furthermore, OYO is celebrating the RCB relationship by painting nation happy and gleefully red – signage and banners of the OYO-RCB partnership can be seen on various Oyo hotels across the city. For customers not watching the match at the stadium, special match screenings and F&B packages are being arranged across hotels in the city – MG Road, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Electronic City and Shanthi Nagar. Similar screenings are being held in Delhi, Mumbai, Gurugram, Kolkata and Agra. With the reach and mindshare captured during the T20 season, the partnership is sure to yield great results in the days to come and expand Oyo’s reach to the right audience and further brand ties.
Oyo chief strategy officer Maninder Gulati says, “Oyo is an urban innovator driven by commitment and passion and continues to create beautiful living spaces as its mission. It is a matter of great satisfaction for us to find a brand that shares the same ethos and energy as ours. RCB is a strong team with consistent performance and we believe this association will help our brand reach more discerning customers in every nook and corner of the country through T20.”
Royal Challengers Bangalore chairman Amrit Thomas adds, “The partnership finds Oyo in perfect brand synergy with the team RCB, which is led by young skipper, Virat Kohli. Oyo is a brand that appeals and connects with the youth with diverse offerings, including Oyo Townhouse, Oyo Home, Oyo Rooms and Oyo SilverKey, and we are delighted to welcome Oyo on board as our sponsor.”
Oyo is India’s largest hospitality company operating in more than 150 cities across India, Malaysia and Nepal. With over 75,000 exclusive rooms in its network, Oyo works in close proximity with its hotel partners while exercising full control over the hotels for ensuring a quality experience for travellers. Its network includes major metros, regional business hubs, top leisure destinations as well as pilgrimage towns.
The company is backed by leading investors, including the SoftBank Group, Greenoak Capital, Sequoia India, Lightspeed India, Hero Enterprise and China Lodging Group.
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
