Brands React to Cash In on The New Cashless Economy

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, announced the decision to ban existing 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, in a move to combat counterfeit notes and corruption. Many have already dubbed this a move to steal Trump’s thunder.

In any case, I feel very accomplished after making a trip to the ATM and returning triumphantly with crisp 1,000 rupee notes. As I bask in the glory of my blunder, I found support in countless people on social media who were all inconvenienced one way or the other.

Let us take a look at the brands who joined in on the chatter around the currency demonetisation and see how they worked themselves into the conversation.

Bewakoof.com

Bewakoof.com has a penchant for creating content that resonates with their predominantly young customer-base. Here, they created a witty meme alluding to the new denomination of 2,000 rupee notes announced by the PM. This was the most engaging content of the bunch with close to 8,000 Reactions and over 1,000 Shares.

If you liked this Post, then you might want to check out Bewakoof.com’s other content too. Click through to see how they brought in Gangsta Modi, Chikni Chameli and the bus conductor.

Jack & Jones

The apparel brand won with a pun. They tweaked their latest campaign ‘Don’t Hold Back’ to ‘Don’t Hold Black’. The brand quipped ‘Narendra Modi's got our back, just don't hold black!’ with a short video to drive the point home.

Social Offline

The café and bar that doubles into a collaborative workspace advertised this lucrative offer. Social Offline welcomed 1,000 and 500 rupee notes and customers to drown their sorrows in cheap shots. But the catch is that the offer was valid only till midnight on the 8th, in keeping with the declaration. There goes my shot of using my crisp 1,000 rupee notes!

East India Comedy

The Indian Government just declared that Rs. 500 and 1000 rupee notes are invalid. pic.twitter.com/OheqfOJGLr

— East India Comedy (@EastIndiaComedy) November 8, 2016

I wouldn’t expect anything non-hilarious from East india Comedy. They did not disappoint. They made a montage of Sharukh Khan’s unforgettable desperado scenes from canonical movies to depict how the (black) monied class feels now.

Chili’s North & East India

The restaurant chain provided much needed comfort to its audience by welcoming everyone irrespective of differences in currency denominations.

BookMyShow

The only consolation in troubled times is poking fun of those in even more dire conditions. BookMyShow shared a meme that trolled the soon-to-be-married. Right now, getting 1,000 and 500 rupee notes on your wedding day is almost the same as getting an empty envelope.

Chillr

The ban of a couple of currency denominations proved an opportune moment for Chillr, a multi-bank mobile payment app. Several other brands expressed similar feelings. Some of the other brands that celebrated the arrival of the cashless era are Eazy Diner, Jugnoo, Apollo Munich, Kalaari Capital, ICICI and Oxigen Wallet.

Of course, Paytm had the last laugh

With over 19,000 Reactions and 3,000 Shares, this Post beats everything else hands down.

Moneycontrol.com

Jokes apart, a lot of us are considering how the move to demonetize will affect different sections of people. Moneycontrol, the popular financial advisory website promptly published articles on how this move will affect different sectors, like realty. This strategy establishes their credibility as thought-leaders in their industry.

ShopClues

Mere paas 500 hai 1000 hai aur ATM card bhi hai, tumhare paas kya hai? Oye, mere paas Cluesbucks hai #CluesAtRescue #BlackMoney

— ShopClues.com (@ShopClues) November 8, 2016

A spin on the classic Deewar dialogue wins engagement most of the time. Sadly, ShopClues may have got lost in the noise of conversation with the tweet getting poor engagement - a reminder that no matter how on-topic you are, sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

Most of the other brands that chimed in on this news let their customers know that in keeping with the announcement, they would not accept 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. Petrol pumps are one of the very few industries exempt from this rule for a short period. The IOC advised their customers not to panic in the wake of several fights breaking out at petrol pumps with people demanding change.

The Prime Minister’s announcement caught most of us by surprise but brands were quick on their feet to make the
most of this situation. Together, brands gave social media audiences relevant information, solutions and even lightened the mood with some classic humour.