Brands
BPCL announces onboards Rahul Dravid as brand ambassador
Mumbai: Bharat Petroleum, the second largest Indian Oil marketing company and one of the premier integrated energy companies in India, has unveiled, cricketing legend and current head coach of the Indian cricket team, Rahul Dravid as its new brand ambassador.
This incredible partnership underscores our unwavering commitment to quality, authenticity, and excellence. Dravid’s remarkable sportsmanship, role model status, integrity, dependability and trustworthiness perfectly reflect the values we stand for and make him the perfect fit for brand BPCL.
Dravid will endorse BPCL’s iconic Pure for Sure initiative and range of MAK lubricants.
Welcoming Dravid, BPCL C&MD G. Krishnakumar said, ‘We are delighted to welcome Rahul Dravid to BPCL family. As one of the greatest cricketers of our time, he stood out not only for his exemplary batting skills but also his strong integrity and dependability. An icon who took Indian cricket to new heights, Rahul truly epitomizes our values of trust, integrity, ethics, service and consistency. His association with BPCL will only serve to emphasise our promise of quality and dependability to consumers across the country.’
Speaking on this legendary partnership, Dravid said, “I am honoured to be associated with BPCL, which is one of India’s most iconic companies with a rich legacy of innovation and integrity. Today, brands like Pure For Sure and MAK Lubricants are a byword for trust and dependability and an integral part of every Indian’s life. I can’t think of a better brand to be associated with and look forward to working with the company as they embark on a new chapter in their journey of growth and success.”
With a heritage steeped in upholding integrity and dependability, BPCL has consistently distinguished itself as an industry leader. Amidst the dynamic landscape of competition, the company’s steadfast commitment to these values has consistently set it apart. The introduction of Dravid as the face of BPCL reaffirms this commitment, reflecting a shared ethos of maintaining the highest standards of integrity and reliability.
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
