The 3rd ad from OYO's new campaign is about those cheeky moves that always work

They say couples stop being couples once they’re in a long-term relationship. Gone are the efforts to pamper and spice up their partner’s lives and they are instead stuck in a monotonous routine.

If we’re to go by OYO’s third ad for its #YeRishtaHaiKhiska campaign, there is still hope. Featuring actress Neena Gupta and lyricist/writer Swanand Kirkire as a couple, in a long-term relationship, cooped inside an OYO hotel room.

Kirkire, the husband/partner asks Gupta if she will something “amazing” he viewed on his phone. When she takes the phone from him to see what it is... Turns out he’d switched on the selfie camera and Gupta is looking at herself. Cheesy? Yes. Does it work? Of course. While some would disagree, the pride on Kirkire’s face when he remarks, “I’m smooth right? Right!” takes the cake.

It’s these small moments that are reflected in the hotel chain’s new campaign. Not only do the ads depict a middle-aged couple’s chemistry while travelling but it is also symbolic of the long-term relationship people have come to share with OYO.

There are four ads in this campaign (three are out) and a few days ago we saw the second ad… To go out for a candle-light dinner or to order in, that was the question. The first ad, released on 8 February 2021, celebrated the spark that keeps long-term relationships alive.

Both the concept of the campaign and the script of the films were written by OYO’s in-house global brand team, with support from Oink Films on production.

As much as the campaign is centred on this middle-aged couple, it’s also a call for travellers to start again and choose the places they’re familiar and comfortable with.

In a previous chat with afaqs!, OYO's global brand head Mayur Hold had said, "Leisure tourism is picking up, and so are visits from groups and families, alongside the brand’s core audience, i.e., 18-25 year olds."

The hotel chain towards the end of 2020, as people began to travel, urged them to visit the beaches and pahads in two spots. And to reassure travellers of safety and hygiene protocols, OYO, last year (2020) announced a tie-up with consumer goods giant Unilever, wherein the former would use the latter’s home and personal hygiene brands to clean and disinfect its properties.

This partnership was meant for the OYO’s ‘Sanitised Stays’ initiative. The properties that clear background checks for sanitisation, hygiene and protective equipment can use this tag. In November last year, OYO also rolled out ‘Contactless Check-in’, where guests can choose to check-in from anywhere using the OYO app and, therefore, eliminate the need for a physical check-in upon arrival.