‘Fuel Your Hustle’
by Zomato
Campaign Context…
The ad features archived, rare footage of Shah Rukh Khan, Mary Kom, A.R. Rahman, and Jasprit Bumrah, showing what it takes to be a legend. It highlights the everyday discipline and unseen effort behind their iconic journeys which made them so successful.
Zomato’s campaign, ‘Fuel Your Hustle,’ explores the backstory of the glossy glamour you see around these stars, peeling back the layers of success to reveal the relentless effort and struggle that define these celebrities.
The campaign film compiles some behind-the-scenes footage from the early days of each figure’s career – the long but not-so-famous grind they all went through.
Commenting on the campaign, Sahibjeet Singh Sawhney, marketing, Zomato, said, “This campaign is for a new generation of doers, a reminder that even the stars they look up to started small, stumbled, and kept going.
It’s a cheer for the millions of Indians building something, following dreams, caring for loved ones and for themselves, even when it’s hard and no one’s clapping. We’re rooting for those chasing what they care deeply about and showing up for it consistently.”
At the centre of the campaign is a simple question: What is the secret ingredient?
From Mary Kom taking hits in the ring and rising again, to A.R. Rahman finding rhythm in solitude, the film draws a line through shared experiences of discipline, failure, persistence, and the everyday hard-work they put in everyday for years.
‘There are no shortcuts, no secret and no magic formulas, just the desire to want it more than anyone else’ – the video concludes as an answer to its introductory question.
By framing its brand within a narrative of discipline and resilience, Zomato steps back from product-first storytelling and taps into a broader cultural sentiment: the admiration for those who persist, especially when no one’s watching.
Our analysis of the campaign…
Zomato is one of the most recognised startups in the country with lot of VC funding and it is regularly covered in Indian media as one of the success stories of our time.
The brand usually run performance marketing campaigns focusing on discounts and offers on food items, the delivery of the food order and more recently groceries and daily use home essentials, with its brand marketing focused on the visual indulgence of a variety of delicious dishes.
But this time, it has taken a break from the traditional approach to go one level up and connect with today’s young generation who aspire to achieve greatness in their desired field but somewhere in their journey, they get distracted, loose focus and often lack the determination to continue to put in effort when they encounter failure on the way to success.
You must understand this – you will fail a lot, things won’t turn out as you wanted them to, it will take longer than you thought, but if you keep grinding and keep in mind that it was never going to be easy (and you knew it from the very beginning), you will keep hustling in pursuit of greatness and eventually win at it.
And nobody you look up to as a successful person in any field, has ever reached that height without their fair share of struggle, everyone has a story that is very less discussed, and you are going through yours, so why not get up and punch the obstacle on the face one more time.
Zomato as a celebrated brand has tried to associate with this idea and more so because a few years ago, they were at the other side of the screen, taking the hit and still showing up again until things clicked for them.
So, they have also experienced the same feeling and now calling upon today’s hustlers who have a fire burning inside them to not loose focus and have a determination so strong that failure fails to shake it.
Seeing a famous brand rise above the product-focused marketing approach and trying to connect with consumers on a much deeper level emotionally by showcasing some of much admired national icons is truly fulfilling and every business, big or small should take a lesson from this campaign.
The campaign is a step in the right direction for today’s consumer mindset who are very particular about their choices, and make their decision to purchase any product Not only based on what it claims and how it is better than the rest, but more importantly they ask if it is ‘my-kind-of-brand’ based on what they have experienced personally (and the opinion of their trusted community).
With so much supply in the market, consumers no longer want the best, they are more keen to buy a product that is best for them (Can they relate to the brand based on their own worldview?) and that’s why startups need to work on building their brand as soon as they can.