'Sab Milke Mazze Karenge': Oyo Rooms Looks To Remarket Itself As 'Family Friendly' Through Its New Campaign; Watch Viral Ad

Oyo Rooms, led by its founder, Ritesh Agarwal, has attained many laurels over the years. The hotel chain enterprise is one of the success stories of mid-2010s start-up boom. In this boom, many scaled the primary pinnacle of being a 'Unicorn', which is a startup with a valuation of over a billion dollars. Oyo is one of them, and it currently has a reported valuation of USD 9 billion. Ritesh Agarwal is estimated to have a net worth of over Rs 16,000.

Startup With a 'Reputation'

In addition, the company is also gearing up for its Initial Public Offering (IPO). The company, however, has also attained some notoriety over the years.

This 'deficit of goodwill' in the business comes from the widely understood belief that the establishments owned or operated by Oyo are often used by individuals, or in many cases, couples, who take shelter in Oyo rooms in dearth of privacy in their own homes or other settings that they may be a part of.

This phenomenon of couples booking rooms for personal use has not only become a widely renowned aspect but has also entered the parlance of popular culture.

In an advertisement campaign that was shared (on X, formerly Twitter) by none other than the company's boss, Ritesh Agarwal, the company is ostensibly looking at changing that very image, mentioned before.

Agarwal shared the said post with the caption, "Did we have you in the first half?"

The post and the caption from Agarwal can be seen as an admission of the reputation of the establishment and its history, by not shying away from the target audience and customers, who have used their services in the past. Here, it is perhaps an attempt to accommodate both the facets of ist business.

In a 30-second video posted on X, a couple discusses the idea of booking an Oyo room, to which the family members (who are older than the couple) are seen turning uncomfortable at the prospect of living in an Oyo accommodation, given its reputation.

'Yeh Vahi Oyo Hai?'

The conversation turns into an exasperated expression as one of the family members admonishes the proposition for the scenes to change. Here, viewers are introduced to the 'changed' shape and face of Oyo rooms. One of the characters is shown rhetorically asking, 'Yeh Vahi Oyo hai' or Is this the same Oyo? underscoring the disbelief of seeing a changed facility.

This is crucial, as it can be seen as a paradigm shift from what apps helped establish. These establishments brought about scope and space in a society, where unmarried couples and consenting couples were proscribed from getting rooms. And, these couples were also subjected to persecution from law enforcement (police), who would often book them wrongfully.

These platforms, therefore, have transformed into a safe space for many over the years. Whether that changes in the near future, is something that remains to be seen.

This campaign appears to be an attempt to make the company and its appeal more 'family friendly' and all-accommodating for the largely reserved and perhaps even conservative Indian consumer. This shift is also seen as a crucial move, as the company looks to expand.

In addition, the aforementioned IPO of the company is also in store. Currently, according to reports, the company, founded in 2012, has an issue size of Rs 8,430 crore.