Much like a typical 16-year-old celebrating their ‘Sweet 16’, Zomato also went all out for its 16th birthday. Yes, Deepinder Goyal’s Zomato, which is also India’s one of the biggest online food delivery apps, has turned 16 today, July 10, and its celebration is all that people can talk about. However, more than the occasion itself, what made a buzz on social media was the way Zomato’s birthday advertisement was shared. Taking the ages old ‘political approach’, Zomato went ahead with a typical birthday message in Hindi, that was heavily inspired by how political leaders advertise their birthdays; hoardings and billboards.

The said ad was in Hindi, which read, “16th janamdin par aap sabhi ko apna pyar barsane ke liye koti koti dhanyavaad (On our 16th birthday, a big thanks to all of you for showering us with love).” The advertisement took the entire first page of a newspaper, which had a typical desi format and colour scheme. Apart from Hindi, the same was printed in Tamil language as well, for readers in Chennai.

Needless to say, the advertisement went viral as people loved the marketing tactic and found it somewhat relatable.

“What a fun ad @deepigoyal @zomato and team!” a user said.

“Totally corny, but made me laugh. It's also very un-brand if you go by Zomato's usual style or template, but that's perhaps intended - the very idea is to lampoon political flex banners/print ads. That they managed to do it across two languages is commendable (even though I could point out a couple of inconsistencies and errors in the Tamil version),” wrote another.

“Zomato does it again,” added a third person.

“Mad respect for the marketing team @zomato and @deepigoyal for the crazy activation done for Zomato’s anniversary,” added another.

“@deepigoyal how to join Zomato marketing team. This is too good. Sometimes I wish my clients were more experimental with their brands,” added another.

ALSO READ: Viral Video: Two Pakistani Women Ruthlessly Beat Shopkeeper After Argument; Internet Wants Justice

Going a step further, Zomato is also offering impressive discounts and other schemes for the day that are equally attention-grabbing. The company was founded in 2008, by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, only the name was rather different; FoodieBay. However, in a short span of time, the name changed to Zomato, and the app became one of the most used in more than 1000 cities in India.

ALSO READ: Delhi Metro-Like Drama Erupts In Bengaluru Metro As passengers Fight Over Push And Pull | Viral Video