The Internet surprises us every day. But this time it surprised the Emmy-winning comedian Vir Das. In an amusing series of events that unfolded a few days ago, there came about a very seamless brand collaboration. It all began when Vir posted a video on his Instagram on Friday talking about how he’s basically turned into an “Indian dad” because he ended up reaching the airport way earlier than his flight departure time – a common trait amongst Indian fathers.
The Problem
In the video, Das says that it’s a very “dad” thing to do to show up early at the airport and have a schedule for everything. Right from security check to grabbing a snack to using the washroom, there’s a designated time for every activity. He humourously adds that if you look at the airport, it’s just full of dads who reach hours before their departure.
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His caption amplified this observation on fathers. It said, “The early bird gets the worm but the early dad wakes up that bird and then goes to the airport” Vir also shared a funny anecdote from back when he was flying to the US for his further education, his dad had dropped him off at the airport at 10 am for an 11 pm flight! He was really paranoid that his son would miss his flight.
The Potential Solution
Vir reached a conclusion for this ‘daddy‘ issue. He said, “Actually Uber can help with this whole thing. Since dads have to do everything in advance, make a special coupon code just for dads that lets them reserve their cabs in advance. Call it ‘Papa Kehte Hain.’ Give dads a discount, make their dreams come true.”
The Actual Solution
Guess what happened next? Vir’s wish was Uber India‘s command. The cab company actually created a promo code for fathers based on Vir’s suggestive video. Just a day after Vir posted it, Uber reposted his video and wrote, “Hey @virdas, this one’s for you, and your dad, and your friends, and your friend’s dad, and your dad’s friends too.” They also commented on his original video saying, “Hello Vir, your promo code has been reserved 😉“
And to top all of that, they got Vir himself to promote the new code! Genius, no? “This is how it’s done, right? Use code PAPAKEHTEHAIN to get 30% off* on booking your Uber Reserve up to 90 days in advance. *T&C apply,” read the caption of this super cool collaborative post. The video begins with Vir Das being taken by surprise given that the company actually heard him.
True to his comedic nature, Vir goes on to say, “Hey Uber, next time I’d love 60 crores in a suitcase please!” He was amazed at what transpired following his random video because usually a brand has an idea and they pay Vir to be a part of the idea. But here, there was reverse economics at play. He then goes on to explain the whole new scheme. Uber decided to launch Vir’s suggested promo code “PAPAKEHTEHAIN” which upon using, can get fathers a 30% discount on their Uber Reserve trips.
A Campaign Starts
Uber then roped in Soharshi and her father to further amplify the campaign using the viral ‘Moye Moye‘ trend. In the collab video, we see Soharshi’s ‘papa‘ go from being normal to a savage dad now who doesn’t indulge in the stereotyped behaviour of typical Indian dads anymore. This sudden change shocks Soharshi who’s left wondering what has happened to him.
After multiple instances of leaving Soharshi surprised, she is in complete disbelief when he hasn’t reached the airport 5 hours before his flight and is rather chilling at home. He then scoffs and reveals that he did the responsible thing of booking an Uber Reserve trip in advance. So he now doesn’t have to worry about not getting to the airport on time.
The code was finally revealed through a cryptic post and reel on Uber India’s official Instagram page.
A Planned Move Or Not?
This whole campaign that began with Vir Das’ rather random Instagram post did raise a question in our minds. Was this a planned move with Vir and Uber both in on it? (That camera quality of his videos?) Where they seeded Vir’s initial rant video and then extended the campaign to make it look like they heard him? Or was this the genuine magic of the Internet?
What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below.
