Why are brands loving Samay Raina’s roasts of them?

New Delhi: There was a time when brand managers wanted to control even the colours in the frame when it came to their branded content (many still do). 

In fact, during one of the advertising industry events in Gurugram recently, Bhuvan Bam gave an example of how absurd brands can be at times. “I was making a jingle for a brand once, and there was a shot in my video where I was deep-frying my vegetables. The marketers from the brand came up to me and advised me to use red chilli powder instead of green chilli for more impact.”

However, brands are slowly adapting to change and some brands have adapted so much that they are now comfortable being roasted in front of the whole world as well. Leading the change is comedian Samay Raina, who has roasted every brand that has sponsored the show “India’s Got Latent.”

It first started with Raina’s roast of Zomato when he appeared in front of Deepinder Goyal, Founder of Zomato, wearing a Swiggy t-shirt when the brand invited him to celebrate its 10th birthday.

In a twist that's equal parts hilarious and genius, Unacademy was celebrating its 9th anniversary by inviting none other than Samay Raina to give them a good old-fashioned laugh! Raina, with his wit, aimed Unacademy and its rivals, Physics Wallah and Allen Career Institute, creating viral moments that set social media ablaze.

But the pièce de résistance was when Raina showed up to the event with a "Physics Wallah" sticker slapped on his back! The crowd erupted in laughter, memes flooded the internet, and the videos racked up millions of views. It was a comedic masterstroke that had everyone hitting that share button. 

Roasting brands is Samay’s style and brands are loving it.

But the question is, how are brands suddenly getting comfortable with the idea of being roasted?

Answering the query, Saksham Jadon, Founder and CEO of Youngun, who helped Wok Tok collaborate with Raina’s show, “India’s Got Latent” (where Samay roasted the brand again), said, “Gen Z values authenticity and when brands present themselves as authentic, they resonate with Gen Z and what’s more authentic than being roasted. While other brands try hard to present themselves in a positive light, being roasted gives you authenticity.

When Samay roasted Wok Tok, people shared pictures with us of them eating Wok Tok noodles while watching India’s Got Latent and the sales increased dramatically for us.”

Samay Raina's "India's Got Latent" is the talk of the town, serving up a hilarious platter where everyone, including big-shot brands, gets a good-natured roasting! Brands like Spinny, BoldCare, and WokTok have dived headfirst into this comedic chaos, turning the show into a goldmine for memorable brand shenanigans.

Take Spinny, the used-car retailer—they joined the fun and got introduced as "Swiggy" by Raina, who read their brand brief with a straight face before dramatically refusing to don a Spinny T-shirt. 

So, to wrap it up, Gen Z values authenticity and brands that cater to them can reap the rewards by simply being authentic. Being roasted by Raina is just another example of presenting your brand as authentic.