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Zomato runs logo-free red birthday newspaper ad
Moneycontrol··12 Jul
Zomato marked its eighteenth birthday on Friday with a full-page red newspaper advertisement carrying only the line happy 18th birthday to us and no logo or brand name. The ad appeared on the front page of The Times of India. Social media users guessed Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Coca-Cola, or BookMyShow before the company was identified.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you run a consumer brand, Zomato's experiment shows colour alone may not identify you when rivals share the same palette.
- Newspaper readers without daily app exposure may misattribute minimalist ads to Airtel, Kotak, or Coca-Cola before the brand is named.
- Marketers weighing bold identity bets should test recall beyond digitally engaged followers.
What's Happening
- Zomato marked its eighteenth birthday with a full-page red newspaper ad carrying only the line happy 18th birthday to us and no logo.
- Social media users guessed Airtel, Vi, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Coca-Cola, Netflix, or BookMyShow before Zomato was confirmed.
- Kotak Mahindra Bank posted its own birthday message on X in response to the confusion.
When Red Is Shared Territory
- Several major Indian brands, including Airtel, Kotak, and Axis Bank, use similar red branding.
- The ad ran on the front page of The Times of India on Friday, July 11, 2026.
- Creators and influencers named Zomato online before the print ad itself confirmed the brand.
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