Highlights:
- The latest commercial Zomato, which stars Hrithik Roshan, has sparked debate on Twitter.
- Many internet users have criticised the commercial for praising the overwork of Zomato delivery executives.
- Zomato in statement said, the ad was shot with the intention of making the delivery executive “the hero of the ad.”
Zomato has replied to the strong criticism received on social media in response to the company’s recent ads starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif. The food delivery aggregator issued a statement addressing some of the concerns raised by viewers about the ad.
Zomato’s two advertisements are based on a similar idea. When a Zomato delivery partner knocks the doorstep to fulfil an order, he’s taken aback when he sees Hrithik Roshan standing there. The Bollywood celebrity asks him to wait for a selfie, which the delivery partner gladly does – until his phone rings, alerting him about the delivery of another order. In order to fulfil the next order, the Zomato delivery executive happily relinquishes the chance of a selfie with Hrithik Roshan because “Hrithik Roshan ho ya aap, apne liye har customer hai star” (Each and every customer is a star for Zomato, whether it’s you or Hrithik Roshan).
The commercial was chastised on social media for being tone-deaf in an age when the unfair exploitation of gig workers is under scrutiny. Several users on Twitter pointed out that the advertisements did little more than imply that Zomato delivery partners do not have a minute to relax in between delivering orders, while others suggested the company would rather spend money on celebrity commercials than give its delivery workers a reasonable salary.
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In response to the criticism, Zomato stated that the advertisement was created six months ago, “long before any social media chatter regarding gig worker payouts/working conditions.”
The company also stated that the goal of these advertisements was to make delivery partners the hero of the ads, to emphasise the importance of talking respectfully to delivery partners, to elevate the level of dignity associated with the role of a delivery partner, and to emphasise that every client is a star for the company
“We believe that our ads are well-intentioned, but were unfortunately misinterpreted by some people,” Zomato stated.
The other side of the story… pic.twitter.com/hNRj6TpK1X
— zomato (@zomato) August 30, 2021
The company stated in its statement that it had been noticing the social media buzz around gig workers and their poor working conditions. In recent months, there has been a surge in calls for Zomato and other delivery platforms to take action to protect the interests of its delivery workers, who have complained about excessive working hours, unrealistic delivery schedules, and unfair compensation.
“We understand that you expect more and better from us,” Zomato added.
“Our delivery partner Net Promoter Score has increased from -10% to 28% (and continues to rise). We will also write a blog post outlining why we believe our delivery partners are fairly compensated for the work/time they put in very shortly,” Zomato concluded.
