Zomato’s logo free birthday ad leaves readers playing the guessing game

MUMBAI: When a brand disappears from its own advertisement, the spotlight lands on the audience instead. That is exactly what happened after Zomato celebrated its 18th birthday with a logo-free newspaper campaign that turned morning readers into detectives and social media into one giant guessing game.

The full-page advertisement in The Times of India carried a simple message, “Happy 18th birthday to us. Thank you for keeping us in your heart. And bank statements.” Bathed entirely in red and white, the creative omitted the one element most advertisements rarely hide, the brand name.

The gamble quickly paid off in one sense and raised questions in another.

For much of the morning, readers speculated over the mystery advertiser. The reference to “bank statements” prompted guesses ranging from Kotak and HSBC to Coca-Cola, Airtel, redBus and even Kellogg’s. Many admitted they simply could not identify the brand.

The answer eventually emerged as Zomato, helped in part by a push notification sent to users of its app announcing a minimum Rs 180 birthday discount. For everyone else, however, the reveal came through social media conversations rather than the advertisement itself.

The campaign also marked the second time in recent weeks that Zomato has experimented with colour-led branding. Last month, the company ran a largely blank red advertisement in Delhi Times for its Month End Carnival, using a solid red block to mimic dwindling month-end bank balances while again keeping overt branding to a minimum.

The birthday celebrations extended beyond print. On Instagram, Zomato partnered with Feeding India on a carousel featuring children drawing their own versions of the Zomato logo, with one illustration temporarily replacing the brand’s profile picture.

While marketers largely appreciated the creative exercise, opinions were divided over whether the average consumer would instantly make the connection.

Ashwin Sheth Group, chief marketing officer Sudarshan Banerjee remarked that the colour red is hardly owned by a single brand, joking that the advertisement could just as easily have represented Coca-Cola, Airtel or even Spain’s national football team, with the “18” serving as the biggest clue.

Former Cheil India COO Sanjeev Jasani said he initially narrowed the possibilities to Airtel and Zomato before concluding that the latter’s tone of communication, typography and 18-year milestone pointed to the food delivery platform.

Others were less convinced. Rediffusion Group national creative director Pramod Sharma questioned whether consumers outside the advertising industry would associate the creative with Zomato at all.

The campaign also sparked another conversation after the advertisement appeared. As readers attempted to decode the mystery, X was flooded with posts from creators explaining why the advertisement was “obviously” Zomato. The similarity in timing and format of several posts prompted speculation over whether they formed part of a coordinated influencer campaign, adding another layer to the debate around authenticity and disclosure.

Whether viewed as a masterclass in brand confidence or an experiment that relied too heavily on hindsight, the campaign achieved one thing few advertisements manage: it made people stop, stare and talk long after they had turned the page.