People are hating Grab’s new ad in Indonesia

A scene from Grab’s new social media ad launched in Indonesia yesterday.

“Disgusting,” “scary,” “unethical,” “is this a zombie movie trailer?” – these are some of the ways people have responded to Grab’s new video ad for Indonesia.

Not the kind of reaction you want from potential customers. The ad is part of Grab’s campaign #PilihAman – “Choose Safety”.

“This ad is disgusting huh, makes me not want to use it.”

“So Grab campaigns for #ChooseSafety with an ad full of blood.”

“Why are you making a scary ad? Is it for zombies or for a service. Are you not able to try something more brilliant.”

“Grab’s #ChooseSafety ad on youtube has more dislikes than likes.”

Before I explain why people found the video so gross, here’s some context: Grab offers on-demand motorcycle rides that can be ordered by app.

Motorcycle taxis are common in Indonesia, they’re a faster way to get around in congested cities. They’ve existed as an informal service long before the advent of startups like Grab and Go-Jek.

Now to the ad. It shows a young lady walking around what looks like a university campus.

As she walks, one side of her body gets increasingly covered in cuts and scars. By the time she reaches the exit, she basically looks like a bloody zombie. Some motorcycle taxi drivers are trying to catch her attention, but no – she opens Grab’s app and orders a GrabBike. As she gets on the GrabBike, she looks normal again.

The storyline insinuates that had she chosen another motorcycle taxi, she would have gotten into a terrible accident. Choosing Grab, she was safe.

Safer or not?

People have two problems with the ad. First, they think the imagery is unnecessarily gory. Should this even be circulated without a warning?

More profound though is the question whether Grab’s claim that it’s less accident-prone than other options holds true.

It’s not as if Grab has a 100 percent clean track record.

There was a fatal GrabBike accident last year. I myself have been in a little accident while riding Grab – luckily it only led to scratches. I didn’t even report it because it wasn’t the driver’s fault. I’m sure there are countless incidents like that.

Grab’s ad ends with it saying that all its drivers pass a safety training, that it requires them to have proper documents like a driver’s license, and that bikes undergo regular checkups.

That’s standard procedure for all app-based motorcycle hailing services in Indonesia. Despite precautions, accidents, including fatal ones, occur. UberMoto – Uber’s version of it – had a fatal accident in August.

There’s not enough data to deduce whether ride-hailing startups’ safety procedures make their motorcycles the safer option. Informal motorcycle taxis aren’t registered, so we don’t know how many of them get into accidents.

According to Indonesian traffic police, 27,000 people died in road accidents in 2015. The majority of them involve motorcycles.

Whether ordered by app or not, motorcycles are a risky mode of transportation.

Insensitive ads

The ad fell through with the Indonesian audience because it uses fear to draw attention to Grab’s brand.

It’s not the first time Grab finds itself at the center of a shitstorm over an ad. In 2015, it’s “Love boobs?” ad – launched to raise awareness for breast cancer – was heavily criticized.

A Grab spokesperson told Tech in Asia the “Choose Safety” ad has so far only been launched on social media, not on TV. The company wasn’t immediately available for further comment.

This post People are hating Grab’s new ad in Indonesia appeared first on Tech in Asia.

from Tech in Asia https://www.techinasia.com/grab-choose-safety-ad-backlash
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