When Jugaad Meets Madison Avenue: The Zomato vs. Swiggy Billboard Wars ~ A Case Study in Creative Chaos
- Vineet Singh
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
In 2023, India witnessed what marketing historians will likely remember as "The Great Food Fight of the Hoardings." What began as a simple outdoor advertising campaign between Zomato and Swiggy escalated into a billboard battle royale that had commuters treating traffic jams like free entertainment and social media treating every new billboard like a viral meme waiting to happen.
Background: The Birth of Billboard Bollywood
It started innocently enough. Zomato put up a billboard that read: "Swiggy se khaana order kiya? Ab Zomato se try karo" (Ordered food from Swiggy? Now try Zomato). Standard competitive advertising, right? Wrong. This was India, where even billboards have a sense of humor.
Swiggy's response appeared within 48 hours on the very next billboard: "Zomato pe khaana order kiya? Swiggy pe toh reviews bhi dekh sakte ho" (Ordered food on Zomato? On Swiggy you can even check reviews).
And thus began what advertising executives are now calling "The Billboard Serial" – a real-time, city-wide advertising soap opera that had better plot twists than most Bollywood movies.
The Campaign That Broke the Internet (And Traffic Rules)
Phase 1: The Polite Pokes |
Initially, both brands maintained corporate decorum. Their billboards were witty but respectful, like two well-educated aunties having a passive-aggressive conversation at a society meeting.
Phase 2: The Gloves Come Of
By week three, the billboards were getting personal. Zomato's "Delivery time 10 minutes. Swiggy time 15 minutes. Your choice!" was met with Swiggy's "Quality over speed. Your food, not a race."
Phase 3: The Meme Apocalypse
The Plot Twist: When Competitors Became Collaborators
Just when the war seemed to be escalating toward nuclear proportions, both brands did something completely unexpected – they collaborated.
A joint billboard appeared in Mumbai: "Bhook lagi hai? Zomato ya Swiggy, bas khaana order kar do!" (Feeling hungry? Zomato or Swiggy, just order food!)The nation was confused. Twitter was in chaos. Had the war ended? Was this a trap? The reveal came the next day: Both brands had jointly launched a campaign for responsible food delivery during monsoons, and the "war" had been an elaborate setup to grab attention for a social cause.
India collectively said, "Arre yaar, senti kar diya tum logon ne!".
Social media exploded. #BillboardWars started trending. People began planning their commute routes around the latest billboard installations.