MAM
#BabaKaDhaba, a perfect influencer marketing case study?
NEW DELHI: It started, as many viral sensations these days do, with an Instagram post. Only this time, it wasn’t a celebrity’s staged photo-op or a kitten or puppy’s cute antics, but an octogenarian couple struggling to make ends meet.
Food blogger and Instagram influencer, Gaurav Wasan (@youtubeswadofficial) is usually on the lookout for lesser-known eateries around the Delhi. Earlier this week, he happened to stumble upon Baba Ka Dhaba, run by an elderly couple. The owner, Kanta Prasad, said the pandemic had shattered his small business and there were hardly any customers visiting the food joint even after the unlock phase.
Their despair came to light when Gaurav captured the visuals of the old man breaking down in tears as he related how, even after working for the entire day, he can hardly scrape together Rs 60. Gaurav shared the video on his Instagram page and asked his followers to support the elderly couple, and others in the same predicament, in every possible way.
Within hours, the video went viral – garnering around a million views the same day. People started extending helping hands to support the tiny business. But the real magic happened when Vasundhara Tankha Sharma posted the same video on Twitter and urged netizens to #supportlocal. Sharma’s tweet racked up thousands of retweets, comments, and likes and #BabaKaDhaba started trending. This led other influencers, YouTubers, media houses and content creators to visit the food joint and spread the word. The story got amplified, and long queues were witnessed at the small shop.
The power of social media is truly amazing
What can be better if the power of social media is good for a poor person #BABAKADHABA pic.twitter.com/QKnW9OZXt4
— Raj Nathani (@RajNathaniBJP) October 8, 2020
Experts feel that the hype built around Baba Ka Dhaba will ultimately fizzle out but it has shown the positive impact and true potential of social media.
Mad Influence founder and CEO Gautam Madhavan was of the view that the number of people standing outside the dhaba will go down, but his business definitely improved and picked up pace compared to before. In short, he will earn and live better than yesterday.
People started searching for #BabakaDhaba and there was a massive interest in the audiences around the subject. The interest levels went from zero-to-hundred in no time.
Filter Coffee Co. creative head Rahim Musani said that the video received one of the most organic reactions and struck a chord with the audience, which showed us all the power of social media and over-night virality.
The video made its way into celebrity circle, with actors like Sonam Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Randeep Hooda, Swara Bhasker, Nimrat Kaur, cricketer R Ashwin, and many others stepping up to offer financial help. AAP MLA Somnath Bharti met the elderly couple and assured them of support.
#dilliwalon #dil #dikhao. Whoever eats here, sends me pic, I shall put up a sweet message with your pics ! #supportlocalbusiness #localvendors https://t.co/5DH73wz3SD
— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) October 8, 2020
This is what happens when we just believes on viral things. Nobody noticed that Kachaudi wala in crowd. He might be needed the same help but ..#BabaKaDhabha
Please Be Vocal For Local. pic.twitter.com/bQeXKlDm4g— Sumit Kumar (@MeSumitKumarr) October 8, 2020
Many brands too joined the cause.
Food delivery app Zomato listed Baba Ka Dhaba on its app. The brand’s team is working with Kanta Prasad and his wife to enable food deliveries.
UPDATE: baba ka dhaba is now listed on zomato and our team is working with the elderly couple there to enable food deliveries
thank you to the good people of the internet for bringing our attention to this
— zomato india (@ZomatoIN) October 8, 2020
PepsiCo also gifted the old couple a beverage cooler with free stocks of its line of drinks. In fact, the company saw this as an opportunity and revamped the dhaba with Pepsi branding.
Dating app Tinder said in one of its tweets: “We recommend Baba Ka Dhabha for your next date.”
We recommend #BabaKaDhabha for your next date
— Tinder India (@Tinder_India) October 8, 2020
The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has pledged to improve the infrastructure of Baba Ka Dhaba and make it Covid2019 compliant.
As of now, the food outlet and the elderly couple have been sponsored by a beverage, phone, e-wallet, online food, and brands from other categories. They have completely revamped the look and feel of the outlet.
Although it was very clear that brands simply aimed to hop on the popular trend as it generated great earned media for them at an extremely low cost. The news about their associations was promoted in the news outlets -online and offline, and social media pictures.
In professional circles, however, the overarching impression seemed to be that the lifespan of an overnight internet sensation like Baba Ka Dhaba is limited and the buzz around them will be quite short-lived – unless they find a way to make the most of all the exposure both personally and professionally.
According to Whistling Woods International chief technology officer and vice-president Chaitanya Chinchlikar, the Baba Ka Dhaba video isn’t an ideal example of influencer marketing. “It’s an example of the innate strength of social media platforms and the ability of the right content at the right time to capture the attention of millions and spread globally, practically overnight.”
Monk Media Network creative director Adrine D'mello also doesn't consider it a classic case study, but an instance in which netizens collectively showed that the power of social media is immense. “A video that was recorded to just try and get the elderly couple some exposure through the network of friends and family just got bigger and bigger, with celebrities eventually joining in to support the cause,” he said.
The viral video has also prompted several social media influencers and content creators to look for other such food joints who may need support from the people. One such food joint that emerged during the weekend was from Agra.
On the other hand, Wasan, the Instagram influencer has garnered around 30 million views on the video at the time of filing this story. He’s also registered a massive uptick in follower count – from 26k followers a few days ago to 180k followers now.
The organic reach which Wasan got in real-time is astonishing. This particular case study shows the power of the influencer community, what can be achieved if it’s leveraged properly.
Baba, keep going strong! India's best wishes are with you.#BabaKaDhaba #PaytmKaro pic.twitter.com/Q5z7dcjkiv
— Paytm (@Paytm) October 9, 2020
“The hype around it will settle down in a few days. However, the video and the name will stay with people. Baba Ka Dhaba has become a landmark and will be remembered like that,” D’mello concluded.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
