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X User’s Post About Food Delivery Startup’s Human Ads In Bengaluru Goes Viral; Some Netizens Call It, “Dehumanising”

A food startup from Bengaluru, Swish had human ads walking around the streets of the city.

by Sanjana Shenoy
X User’s Post About Food Delivery Startup’s Human Ads In Bengaluru Goes Viral; Some Netizens Call It, “Dehumanising”

In this day and age of social media, what makes one startup stand apart from the other is its marketing tactics. From AI-fuelled billboards on highways to viral campaigns on social media, the most creative and eye-boggling campaign wins. This time, a marketing strategist took to X to share a photo of ‘human’. Swish, a food delivery startup employed men to walk across the streets of Bengaluru while lugging massive advertisements on their backs. Netizens had mixed reactions to the human ads in Bengaluru.

Human Ads On Bengaluru Streets Receive Mixed Reactions From Netizens

Taking to X, Roshan’s picture shows three men walking down the streets of Bengaluru while carrying green-coloured illuminated advertisements on their backs, promoting Swish’s 10-minute food delivery. The vertical billboard highlights the details of the food delivery startup. Roshan joked about the [possible marketing strategy deployed by the company in his caption.

He joked about a venture capitalist (VC) asking the startup about the required funding. The startup answered, “$5 million.” The next question by the VC is about the startup’s customer acquisition plan. For which the startup answers “human ads.” The VC readily said, “Take my money.” The sarcastic comment and joke highlight the unusual yet questionable tactics a company deploys to market their product or service.

Also Read: In Pics: Bengaluru Streets Turned Into A Racing Ground With Indian Racing League’s Formula 4 Event

Some People Called It “Dehumanising”

While human billboards aren’t a new thing as they have been used in advertising shops and other offers since the 19th century, this post did attract mixed reactions from Netizens. Human billboards came into existence to combat the rising costs and taxes of wall spaces. Over the years, these human billboards transformed into illuminated electronic boards that can be carried on the back to grab the attention of passers-by.

Many Netizens on social media labelled the practice of human billboards as “extremely dehumanising.” A Netizen commented that it made her feel sad as she empathised with the men for carrying the heavy billboards on their backs for a long time. Another called it the worst kind of advertising. An X user stated that Swiggy deployed a similar marketing tactic 10 years ago.

Others recollected seeing human ads in Delhi and Hyderabad. A person called it their “bread and butter.” Some even pointed out that it has been in existence for a long time and is a source of income for some people.

Also Read: Zomato Delivery Man Rides Through Flooded Bengaluru Streets To Deliver Food Amid Pouring Rain

Meanwhile, what is your take on the “human ads” in Bengaluru?

Cover Image Courtesy:

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First Published: December 10, 2024 1:16 PM