Zomato Kochi launch: how creators made it the #1 food app in Kerala
A hyperlocal creator blitz across Kochi's lifestyle, food, and family creator network drove a 280% lift in order volume and toppled the incumbent within 8 weeks.
What we were up against
When Zomato re-entered Kerala, an incumbent player had already locked in 60% market share. Zomato needed to flip Kochi — the gateway market — within a single quarter. The catch: traditional digital ads weren't moving the needle in a market where word-of-mouth and Mollywood culture drive food discovery.
How we attacked the problem
- 1
Built a creator network specifically for Kochi: 80 food vloggers, 40 lifestyle creators, 30 family/comedy accounts
- 2
Avoided the influencer playbook of "review my dinner" — instead positioned creators as Kochi food guides exploring the platform
- 3
Activated regional festival timing (Onam) with a 30-day Onam-themed campaign trail
How it played out
- 01
Phase 1: Identity reveal — Top 10 Kochi food creators announced "Zomato is back" with city-specific food maps
- 02
Phase 2: Daily discovery — Lifestyle and family creators ordered live, building the "everyone's using it" social proof
- 03
Phase 3: Onam push — Festival-tied campaigns with restaurant partners offering exclusive Onam menus only on Zomato
What actually happened
Order volume grew 280% in 8 weeks. Zomato became the #1 food app in Kerala by week 7, displacing the incumbent. The campaign's Onam-week alone drove 1.2M orders in Kochi.
The speed is unreal. From brief to 80 creators posting live content — 9 days. Our ROAS was 5.2x on the first campaign, and Kerala is now our #2 state by velocity.
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