Social Media Campaign Review: Redbus Projects Bus Journeys in a New Light with "What Happens Next" Campaign

RedBus, India’s first, largest and favorite site to book bus tickets, has been using social media innovatively to promote its services. Voted by Forbes as being among the top 5 hottest start ups in India, it is one of the most loved travel websites, primarily for their rare features.

Objectives

A video based campaign was created, which revolved around a couple, named Raj and Simran, who meet at a bus stop (where else) and are going to board RedBus. The objective was to keep RedBus in the spotlight, while at the same time projecting bus journeys in a new light. Using a couple known to everyone familiar with Bollywood and synonymous with love and adventure, RedBus tried to inculcate the thought that bus journeys could now be a source of love and adventure.

Execution

The campaign was launched  with a video and a short update:

Raj and Simran meet for the first time today, at a bus stop. Will sparks fly?
What is the perfect song for this moment? Follow us to know what happens next.

Subsequent updates to keep people interested read,

Will our couple; Raj and Simran get to spend quality time on the road? What do you think happens next? 5 Samsung Galaxy Smartphones up for grabs, click here to make your entry - http://on.fb.me/16w1AcN”.

 

Positives

The campaign stands out as it seeks to project bus journeys in a brand new avatar. Flying is a quicker option, while a longer bus journey might just be the place you find love, and Redbus seems to want to convey that it is the length of the journey that gives you time to connect with your new found love. Their primary aim is to revamp bus journeys as not being boring, but fun.

Status updates were posted regularly to keep people interested and involved which is necessary in a contest that requires participation from fans. Picking up Raj and Simran as central characters also was a smart move as these two names epitomize romance in Bollywood and youngsters can identify with them.

The prizes being 5 Samsung Galaxy Smartphone, were pretty attractive.

Scope for Improvement

The campaign has been well conceptualized and implemented. However, some more buzz on social media platforms and offline integration are the only things I think are missing here.

They could have used YouTube since it is a video based campaign.

Conclusion

Overall the campaign was an innovative endeavor by Redbus which has been using social media as an intrinsic part of its promotional strategy.