Global Creators Network, a branded content vertical of OML Entertainment, in collaboration with Swiggy and Warner Music India, introduced a one-of-a-kind partnership, which is aimed at enhancing the food ordering experience with music.
The team at GCN played a crucial role in bringing together the brands, Warner Music India and Swiggy, to create a unique engaging experience for their customers. Up until 7th May, Swiggy offered an intriguing element where the users’ food ordering journey was assisted by music. Global Creators Network expedited this partnership where millions of Swiggy users were able to order their favorite food, through the reimagined UI while listening to the latest single of Ed Sheeran, ‘Eyes Closed’ from his album ‘Subtract’, as they waited for their delivery.
As a part of the marketing strategy, Swiggy’s revamped homepage and the food delivery page integrated the ‘Big Blue Monster’ on a skateboard delivering orders on the Swiggy app. The blue-eyed monster, which is from the music video of “Eyes Closed” is a physical manifestation of Ed Sheeran’s grief and has gained massive popularity globally.
An official statement from GCN, read, “The idea behind the in-app integration, including redesigning the home page and using the blue monster eyes as an icon, was to increase engagement and reach, besides eliminating the user’s boredom as they wait for their food while listening to Ed Sheeran’s song “Eyes Closed”.
Posting a picture of the musician with the blue monster on Twitter, Swiggy also initiated a fun banter with Ed Sheeran – “What’s Ed Sheeran eating here? Wrong answers only” to which the global popstar responded in a witty way – “Chips WITHOUT Ketchup?”. The fun conversation saw various other brands like Disney India and Amazon miniTV join in.
GCN’s core focus is to nurture a synergetic partnership between brands and content creators in the digital space while also seeking to unlock their full potential, empowering them to connect with fans and build a community. With that innovative engagement, Swiggy users were able to take a glimpse of the blue monster from the 5th to the 7th of May while listening and connecting with Ed Sheeran’s deep expression of his adult life and what he describes and feels about.
Devarshi Shah – Senior Vice President & Business Head of Global Creators Network (OML), said, “At Global Creators Network, our focus is on promoting interaction and innovation, which enables both the audience and the brand to experience a fresh perspective. The collaboration between Swiggy and Warner Music India offers an unmatched experience that beautifully captures the intense emotions conveyed in the music. The outcome was enormous, as it engaged the audience to visit the Swiggy app and place an order, while simultaneously increasing the viewership of Ed Sheeran’s recent hit, ‘Eyes Closed’ from his latest album ‘Subtract’ which is out now globally.”
Talking about the inspiration behind the blue monster, Ed Sheeran said, “I wanted to make a video inspired by movies like Harvey, where the main character has an imaginary friend who’s a giant rabbit that no one can see. Often sadness is something that follows you around, engulfing the rooms you’re in, and you can feel and see it, but no one else around you can. So I decided to create my own big blue monster for the video. He gets bigger and bigger as the video goes on, ’til he takes up whole rooms, and is all I can see, just like sadness”