Brands
Wadhwa Group steers waves on social media to welcome Ferrari in Mumbai
Mumbai: Redefining the skyline of Mumbai with iconic sculptures in residential and commercial construction The Wadhwa Group recently conducted a massive social media campaign to mark the grand launch of the showroom of Italian Supercar Ferrari at Platina in BKC. Playing an important role in this outreach was KRDS India, a leading digital agency who formulated a phase wise approach unveiling this mega launch.
Prior to the on ground launch, a pre buzz social media campaign was conceptualized in order to generate curiosity for the event. Offering a surprise element at the same time engaging with the audience #ItalianIconAtPlatina concept was coined on hygiene social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The challenge was to create buzz without revealing the fact that Ferrari is coming to BKC.
Uploading a series of unique teasers and carrying out contests revolving around the Italian heritage, lesser known supercar facts etc. help the brand to reach out to 2.13 lakh people on Facebook, 10x increase in twitter followers and 35% increase in followers on Instagram. Nearly 7000 fans participated in the contest on Facebook and Twitter. The Wadhwa Group’s Twitter followers increased 10 fold and their Facebook activity reached more than 2 Lakh fans. Moreover, the on ground event was covered live on Instagram and Twitter by KRDS India.
On the success of the campaign, The Wadhwa Group marketing head Siddharth Bhatia says, “The Ferrari launch through our social media campaign saw an impeccable response giving a rise to our digital viewership. We at The Wadhwa Group believe in building landmarks with a passion, which is reflected through this campaign. The results were extremely encouraging, which made this an outstanding campaign for the real estate sector to witness.”
Delighted by the success, KRDS North & West India — business head Achal Deoda says, “The Ferrari showroom launch in Mumbai was a landmark event not only for the city but for India at one of the most iconic properties of Mumbai, Platina BKC. This is a classic example of how social media with the right strategy can augment a city event to being a national one.”
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.
