In response to a video that recently went viral on social media platform X, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has clarification about the company's position.
What was the viral video about?
The video showcased a woman, without a helmet, riding a bike in what appeared to be Zomato's attire and delivery bag. Many netizens initially shared the video, believing it to be an official advertisement from the food delivery giant.
The video, which was circulated widely, was said to be from Vijaya Nagar in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
An X user, Rajiv Mehta, shared the video on October 16, suggesting that it was an innovative marketing strategy by Zomato's Indore team. He claimed that a model was hired to ride around the city with an "empty Zomato bag" for promotional purposes.
Indore #Zomato marketing head had this idea. He hired a model to drive around with an empty zomato bag for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. @zomato is on a roll... 😁😁 pic.twitter.com/kuwVpNzewu
— Rajiv Mehta (@rajivmehta19) October 16, 2023
Deepinder Goyal's response to the viral video
However, Goyal was quick to address the matter, stating that the woman in the video is not an employee of Zomato and the company had "nothing to do with this."
He said that while Zomato is proud of the hundreds of women who work as delivery partners, the video seemed like someone was merely "free-riding" on the Zomato brand.
Furthermore, The founder also refuted the claim about having an 'Indore marketing head', as mentioned by the user.
Hey! We had absolutely nothing to do with this.
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) October 17, 2023
We don’t endorse helmet-less biking. Also, we don’t have a “Indore Marketing Head”.
This seems to be someone just “free-riding” on our brand. Having said that, there’s nothing wrong with women delivering food - we have hundreds… https://t.co/xxNPU7vU8L
Zomato Care, the company's customer service handle, also responded to the video, clarifying that they do not endorse helmet-less biking.
Netizens reactions
Before Zomato's clarification, many social media users criticized the video, mistakenly believing it to be an official campaign by the company.
While many find the viral video amusing, others felt it was inappropriate for Zomato to seemingly promote a disregard for traffic regulations.
"No helmet ..no fine??" a user wrote on X.
"Zomato doesn’t care for the safety of the delivery person. Forcing the model to drive without helmet. Challan toh banta hai idhar," another user wrote criticizing zomato's safety policy.
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