Oyo's "assi reach gaye" reaches hearts; promotes nearby stays in endearing way

What are the fondest memories from childhood family trips? The sightseeing trips? The soft hotel beds? The endless playtime? But along with these fond memories are the not-so happy ones- of annoying relatives, tired grandparents and most importantly, bored kids! They would keep nagging the parents all through the journey- “Can I eat this?”, “I want to pee.” “He’s not sharing his toy.” and the most frequent one, “When will we reach?”

These kids have now been stuck at home for the last two years, courtesy the pandemic. And between the online classes and virtual birthday parties, it is getting quite unbearable for them. Now imagine taking these kids on a road trip and expecting them to sit still for endless hours. Oyo, in a hilarious campaign, has portrayed exactly how it goes. What’s more, they are even introducing us to Engjabi with the cute phrase “Assi Reach Gaye?”

The ad shows a family driving away for a holiday. The child sitting at the back gets fidgety and impatient. Hitting, biting and making a mess at the back, he keeps asking his parents “Assi Reach Gaye?” every few minutes. At one point the mother anxiously looks at the navigation board to see that 8 more hours of the journey are left. Tired with the pestering, the mother checks her phone to find an Oyo nearby to halt along the way.

Over the pandemic years, travellers across the world have adapted and evolved their travel habits and preferences. Travellers now place higher trust and confidence in brands that provide flexibility and personalization. With this insight at the heart of its brand campaign, OYO aims to spread awareness about the key features on the OYO App.

Part of a three film- series, featuring actors like Gul Panag, Kalki Koechlin, Chitrangada Singh and Kunal Kapoor, the first film highlights the benefits of the ‘Nearby’ feature. The app allows users to book accommodation on the go with an easy tap on the “Nearby” icon.

Through the campaign Oyo suggests that this is another problem that the brand can solve- a time-out in the middle of a long drive. While it has always been seen as a service at the final destination, with this ad it shows that it can take care of the needs along the way as well. This further stresses its proposition that one will find an Oyo even in the middle of nowhere.

The second film is based on the need for flexibility when one travels and highlights Oyo’s easy cancellation and refund feature, allowing users to modify bookings before their stay. The third film promotes the ‘Search the view’ feature, which lets users discover stays according to any search keywords including the view, be it by the beach, the hills, near the market, close to the airport, or even a golf course view. Throughout the brand campaign, Oyo showcases a diverse customer base, catering to families, discerning travellers, and groups of friends.

Mayur Hola, head of Global Brand - Oyo said, “Oyo truly believes that progress is for everyone. No matter who you are, where you’re from or where you’re headed, we’re all looking to evolve in our lives. That’s the spirit OYO embodies and supports. You could be experiencing a hotel for the first time. You could be relying on a safe and sanitised stay as you go about your 50th sales trip to a far away place. You could be looking for a beautiful home in Europe, a nice hotel in Bali or a premium stay at Jaipur. There’s an OYO for that. At the core of it all is a simple to use app that is backed by some serious tech. An app that enables you to find an OYO right next door, wherever you may be. That helps you keep your plans and life flexible, as we all must today. An app that enables you to step out and reach your next stage of progress. And that’s exactly what this campaign is about. It is about the evolution of OYOs customers, our Patrons (our hotel owner partners) and indeed the evolution of OYO into the global tech-hospitality brand that it is today.”

The concept of the brand campaign and script of the films have been developed and written by OYO’s global in-house brand team. The film is directed by Vishvesh Krishnamoorthy from Corcoise Films.

OYO launched the brand campaign during the India VS South Africa ODI matches on TV. The OYO brand campaign will be seen in multiple channels across GEC, News, Infotainment and the Kids genre. OYO will also release the first film across its owned digital and social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn. OYO will also feature the campaign on its OYO App, Co-OYO App (for Patrons) and across all it’s in house digital communication mediums with customers, patrons and OYOpreneurs.

OYO’s journey with the portrayal of strong women began last year with its ‘In a Long Term Relationship with OYO’ brand campaign starring Neena Gupta. OYO’s 2021 campaign was born out of a simple yet solid insight - women were the key decision-makers when it came to booking a getaway, holiday, or vacation. As per OYO’s study, in eight out of ten cases, women drove the conversation and made the final decision around travel. Keeping these findings at the core of the brand campaign, OYO decided to talk to their core customer cohort and decision-maker - women.

Gul Panag said, “Let’s face it - Travelling with kids can be super challenging, especially if you’re at the wheel all day long, maneuvering across ghats, hills and treacherous roads. And this is just one situation. What if your car breaks down? Or if suddenly travel sickness kicks in? Or if you just love a particular spot along the way? Why wouldn’t you want to pull the brakes and enjoy the sunset? And the list could go on and on. I love traveling and the spontaneity that comes along with it. I was super stoked to learn that travellers have an option to discover stays wherever and whenever they wanted to, on their terms. When OYO came to me with the concept of the ‘Nearby’ feature and the script, it was an easy YES. Because it’s so relatable. Needless to say, Vishvesh and the entire OYO team were a super fun bunch to work with.”

While the ad features Bollywood actress Gul Panag, it is the little boy who steals the show. He brings in the cute quotient and reminds us of another cute sardar boy -the one from the Maruti Suzuki ad who says “Petrol khatam hi nahi hunda”.

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