By roping in Kohli is Uber sending message to rival that it's here to stay?

Uber India aims to reposition itself as an enabler of opportunities and make itself an everyday, aspirational brand

For all that shackles a burgeoning urban India, its desire to fulfil aspirations is unyielding and borders on the restless. Mindful of how that desire fuels a service industry it’s striving to dominate, online cab aggregator Uber has launched a new campaign titled “Badhte Chalein” (move forward).

And delivering the campaign message is Virat Kohli, the Indian men’s cricket team captain who was roped in as the brand ambassador by Uber India last month.

A television commercial of the “Badhte Chalein” campaign was launched last week where Kohli spells out the company’s message by blending several anecdotes from urban India into a single narrative. A narrative in which commute has been used as a metaphor for self-enhancement.

The nearly 90-seconds-long commercial showcases four “real life inspired” examples of riders using Uber in different contexts, to pursue what gives them purpose. The ad features a visually-impaired rider, an expectant couple rushing to the hospital, a young female doctor commuting to work and an independent mother taking her daughter to an early morning judo class.

The video captures expressions of relief or happiness of the riders during the commute or upon reaching their destination. All these visuals are interspersed with visuals of Kohli, mostly as a passenger talking to the camera, where he says motivational things such as “sitting idle would not help one’s cause”.

Through the campaign conceptualised by Ogilvy, Uber India aims to reposition itself as an enabler of opportunities in the cities where it is present and make Uber an everyday, aspirational brand for riders and drivers.

“Our new campaign positions Uber as a brand that is beyond transportation from point A to point B. Inspired by the desire for self-enhancement and the burning need to move forward, a generation of young individuals have stepped into India’s widening middle class and are equally keen to step out,” says Sanjay Gupta, head of marketing, Uber India, South Asia.

With such a brief from Uber, Ogilvy created a message where it has tried to rise above selling a product or service and put forth a life philosophy in the TV campaign. “I certainly hope after this campaign they will see every journey they take, big or small, in a new inspiring light,” says Sonal Dabral, group chief creative officer and vice-chairman, Ogilvy.

That said, transport remains an important concern for the demographic Uber is trying to make further inroads ahead of its main rival Ola. As Gupta puts it: “Despite the need, their everyday transport experience is stressful, dehumanising, and a distraction from their larger purpose, ambitions and destinations.”

The multi-platform campaign will will be aired in six languages over six months.

Kohli, a role model for many and arguably the hottest property when it comes to endorsements, becomes an automatic choice for such a campaign. Gupta, however, says they were conscious of the fact that a celebrity often overpowers the message and designed the campaign accordingly.

But by roping in someone like Kohli is Uber India sending a message to its rival and the Indian market that it is here to stay? The question assumes significance as earlier this year, the company had sold off its operations in China and Southeast Asia.

“India is an important market for us with a huge potential to unearth. From a business point of view, we remain committed to India. The recent launch of Uber LITE, which is a light version of the rider app built in India, is a testimony to our efforts of making mobility easy, affordable and reliable for more and more Indians,” Gupta says.