Zepto is here with the internet’s newest sensation, Uncle Ji. This lovable character is always ready to utter his famous catchphrase, “Nahi Milega,” and it’s been impossible to escape his presence online. From memes to reels, gifs to stickers, Uncle Ji has taken over our digital world and left us feeling both amused and emotionally drained.
It’s been revealed that the lovable Uncle Ji is the face of Zepto’s new brand campaign. The campaign highlights the brand’s promise of unlimited free deliveries, with the message that while not everything in life is attainable, this one perk certainly is.
Conceptualized by Youngun and Zepto, the film opens with two men in a crowded bus, discussing whether they will be able to secure a seat. One of them tells the other that they left early but still couldn’t manage to find a seat, and wonders when they ever will. As they talk, Uncle Ji overhears their conversation and pushes past them, saying “Nahi milega” before taking his seat from the ones reserved for senior citizens. A voiceover then suggests that even if you can’t always get a seat on a bus, you can always get unlimited free deliveries on Zepto. The film cleverly plays on the everyday struggles of commuters and positions Zepto as a solution to these problems, reminding viewers that they can always count on the brand to deliver their favorite items right to their doorstep, without any added fees.
Even Bollywood Versatile Actor Boman Irani also took this to his official Twitter account.
Life is a race, if you don’t run fast, tumhari bhi seat chhoot jayegi. pic.twitter.com/GDuiV2bikw
— Boman Irani (@bomanirani) March 23, 2023
Zepto took an edgy approach when they enlisted the help of Uncle Ji, an uncle from Delhi, to create their brand campaign. The strategy was simple – to use Uncle Ji’s sassy personality, blunt truths, and catchphrase “Nahi milega” to shatter hopes on social media. And it worked like a magic.
Uncle Ji quickly became a trending character, with popular meme and reel pages hyping him up and influencers and audiences creating their own relatable versions of him. He became India’s favorite reality check, and his character received solid organic traction, with 10 million impressions and 10% engagement across all social media platforms.
Uncle Ji even trended at #6 on Twitter and was shared by popular Twitter celebrities such as CricCrazyJohns, dudeitsokay, and shreemiverma, as well as Instagram meme pages like Trolls Official, Emo Bois of India, Log Kya Sochenge, Ghantaa, and Adult Society.
Saksham Jadon and Parul Agarwal from Youngun said, “Since life isn’t perfect, we are all well versed with the emotion of ‘Nahi Milega’ and the crushing feeling it leaves behind, whether we are 5 or 50 years old. In this campaign we decided to convert this hard-hitting feeling into a brand theme “___ mile na mile, Zepto pe free delivery pakka milega”. To establish it, we needed someone who has experienced all ups and downs of life (i.e an old Uncle Ji) and position him as an internet guru dropping truth bombs about life with a ‘Nahi Milega’ twist as a build up to the brand films”.
Anant Rastogi, Associate Director – Brand Marketing at Zepto, said, “Creating this campaign has been an exciting experience for all of us at Zepto. We wanted to bring to life our ethos of making things possible – like unlimited free deliveries – for all our customers. With Uncle Ji’s internet-first personality, we were able to strike a chord with our young audience and drive home the brand message. We are certain Uncle Ji will win hearts, and mostly break some, too.”
Sapna Singh, Director, EarlyMan Film, added, “It was as unexpected as it was interesting to integrate a regular seeming Uncle Ji into the films as a strong recurrent character in various whacky forms. Going further with his appearance and demeanour while keeping his trademark simplicity helped add the quirk these films needed conceptually.”
As part of the campaign, Zepto plans to utilize outdoor media in major cities where it operates, as well as promote the campaign through its app. In addition, the brand will feature a grocery recommendation list curated by Uncle Ji himself, further reinforcing the campaign’s messaging and creating a more personalized experience for users.
