Why is this work relevant for Direct?

For helping millions of Indian catch Neeraj Chopra winning the gold medal live on television. We created an engagement tool using a print ad. We used simple, everyday technology to jump out of the paper and onto people’s google calendars. We made a press ad into an engagement platform that told people about the events that came up and at key moments also slipped in the chance to come and watch the event at an OYO. Over 49K Indians synced their calendar and help improve consideration on the brands along with it.

Background

OYO is a technology platform for hotels and homeowners on one side and an easy booking app for millions of customers. In the recent past, OYO has been working to firmly establish its technology creds. So when the Tokyo Olympics came around, it was a chance for OYO to perform and showcase its tech creds.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

We turned our press ad into an engagement tool. The ad was designed like a google calendar that listed events India participated in. A QR scan, synched this calendar with the one on your phone and instantly became an engagement tool. We used simple, everyday technology to jump out of the paper and onto people’s google calendars. We made a press ad into an engagement platform that told people about the events that came up and at key moments also slipped in the chance to come and watch the event at an OYO.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

According to our conversations, unlike cricket, people followed the Olympics more with their heart, more out of nationalism than out of genuine sporting interest. As players progressed in their bouts, emotions among those following grew higher. They follow the news on social media and set up alarms to watch key moments.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We had understood people were turning towards certain media segments to stay updated with the country’s performance at the Olympics — newspaper being the most popular one. So we picked up a leading national daily and turned its first page into an Olympics calendar powered by OYO. With a QR code mentioned on the ad, the audience could scan India’s Olympic itinerary right into their smartphone's calendar. A calendar that gave respite from those Zoom meetings, and how!

List the results (30% of vote)

The print ad was able to engage with the audience long after its release every time India competed at the Olympics. With the help of calendar notifications one after the other, we were able to drive 5% higher conversions. Our engagement tool's improved consideration went up to 23%. The effect of the ad was hugely dependent on how India performed at the Tokyo Olympics. So when Neeraj Chopra was on his way to win India’s first Olympics gold in athletics ever, millions of Indians cheered from the TVs at home and at OYO as the national anthem was sung at the Tokyo Olympics. Over the season, the print ad was organically tweeted over 5K times. Breaking the print barrier into pixels.