Zomato has put Saif Ali Khan at the centre of its Diwali push with a digital-first campaign called ‘Have a WOW Diwali’. The film, conceptualised in-house, sets up a familiar festive moment—receiving a hamper—and uses Khan’s deadpan to ask whether the gift inside is actually exciting.
The launch
Brand: Zomato. Campaign: ‘Have a WOW Diwali’. Agency: in-house. Director: not named in the source. Release date: not specified, but the film is live for the Diwali season. It runs on Zomato’s official social channels and is supported by influencer collaborations in which creators feature the food-led hampers. Customers can choose from curated hampers offered by select restaurant partners across four formats:
- Mithai hampers
- Assorted hampers
- Dessert hampers
- Chocolate hampers
What the film says and how
The film leans on contrast. Khan receives a series of familiar festive gifts—towels, bedsheets, soaps and crockery—and answers each with the same flat “WOW”. The word is the campaign’s tagline and its punchline: not every hamper earns genuine excitement. The mood changes when a Zomato delivery partner arrives with a Diwali hamper, and his reaction shifts.
The argument is direct: the best Diwali hamper is one filled with food from a mithai shop, bakery or restaurant, not generic household staples. It is a compact celebrity-driven film built on repetition, so the eventual shift in Khan’s response carries the message.
What the brand and agency say about it
Sahibjeet Singh Sawhney, marketing head, Zomato, said:
“Nothing beats a hamper from a mithai shop, bakery, or restaurant for Diwali. This festive season, we’re super stoked to be collaborating with the incorrigible Saif Ali Khan to bring that truth home – in a way that only Saif can.”
The quote frames Khan’s casting as a way to deliver a product truth with personality. Since the campaign is conceptualised in-house, the source carries no separate agency comment; the brand is leading both the creative and the commerce message.
The category context
Diwali advertising often runs on warmth, family and tradition. Zomato’s film is more wry and product-led: it treats the standard festive hamper as a mild disappointment and offers a food-led alternative. The influencer layer extends the same argument, with creators showing the hampers in a festive content format. In a crowded gifting window, the campaign tries to attach Zomato’s name to gifts people will actually consume rather than regift.
What to watch next
The immediate test is whether the hamper range and influencer push convert attention into orders during the Diwali rush. Watch how Zomato’s creator collaborations frame the four hamper formats, and whether “Have a WOW Diwali” returns as a recurring festive platform for food-led gifting.
Watch the original: Zomato on YouTube
Source: Afaqs!
