As Swiggy made its grand entrance onto the stock market on 13th November, long-standing competitor Zomato chose to celebrate rather than sulk, serving up a heartwarming gesture that’s got social media absolutely chuffed.

This is particularly piquant when one considers the recent history between these food delivery giants. Just weeks ago, Swiggy insisted that Zomato’s CEO, Deepinder Goyal, shouldn’t return as an investor on Shark Tank India’s fourth season – a condition of their sponsorship deal that raised more than a few eyebrows in corporate circles.

But in an unusual display of sporting spirit, Zomato posted an absolutely charming illustration across its social channels to celebrate Swiggy’s IPO success, depicting two delivery chaps – one sporting Zomato’s signature red, the other in Swiggy’s unmistakable orange – gazing up at a stock exchange screen announcing Swiggy’s listing. The caption, “You and I…in this beautiful world,” struck just the right chord with netizens.

The post has become quite the social media sensation, racking up a whopping 200,000 likes on Instagram – rather amusingly outperforming Swiggy’s own IPO ad by a fair margin, which managed just over half that number at 100,000 likes.

The whole affair has sparked a proper social media carnival, with brands jumping on the bandwagon faster than you can say “delivery”. Netflix, Uber, Prime Video, and even matrimonial website Shaadi.com couldn’t resist joining the banter, each adding their own playful spin to the newfound ‘bromance’.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Swiggy employees are laughing all the way to the bank, as the company’s shares debuted at a rather impressive Rs 420 on the National Stock Exchange – a 7.7% premium over the IPO price.

The company even marked the occasion with a rather clever 35-second advertisement, with a poignant voiceover that states, “Ghanti bajate bajate kaha pohoch gaye” (“We’ve come a long way while ringing so many bells”), drawing a parallel between the doorbells rung by Swiggy’s delivery executives and the ceremonial bell ringing at the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

The ad even briefly mentions towards the end Swiggy’s offerings, including Swiggy Food, Instamart, DineOut, Genie, and Minis

Author: Sonali Kamble