“There’s space for two or three more travel portals”: Manu Monga, Musafir.com

A new entrant to the online travel portal space in India, UAE-headquartered Musafir.com, has rolled out its launch campaign for its India foray. The campaign has been created by Publicis Ambience and features brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar.

The TVC shows a couple running into a photo studio and getting themselves clicked in front of a model of the Eiffel Tower. Tendulkar is the photographer. More instances are then shown where families come to the photo studio to get themselves clicked at different international tourist attractions. Tendulkar then reveals a new way to travel, introducing Musafir.com. 

The TVC is expected to go on air in two to three weeks.

Campaign India caught up with Manu Monga, vice president and head, marketing, Musafir.com, to learn more about the portal and the campaign.

What’s the idea behind launching Musafir.com in a cluttered environment?
I often get asked that. But I disagree with that point of view. The category itself is only seven years old. I don’t believe it’s a cluttered market. E-commerce is at a point now where telecom was in 2000. I’d say there is enough room for atleast two or three more websites in the travel space.

What’s your differentiator or USP?

For us the differentiator or only USP is the consumer experience. We are a platform who buys tickets from ‘User A’ and sells it to ‘User B’. Our UI (User Interface) has already received very positive feedback through research that we have conducted. We’re only looking at a superlative consumer experience, through which we want to make transactions simple.

What’s the idea behind hiring Tendulkar as brand ambassador?

The reason we hired Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador is because he stands for consistent and superlative performance. We wanted to position Musafir.com in the same possible way for consumers. Sachin represents India. His integrity is something that is unparalleled. These are the qualities of making a champion. We’re a company in its nascent stages in India and are planning to launch in a few more countries soon, and I think this is a good stepping stone.

When will the campaign go on air? For how long will it run?

The TVC will go on air in the next two to three weeks. The digital campaign went on air on 23 October.

What’s the plan ahead? Can we expect to see a mobile app launch?

Yes, that’s the idea. We’ll be launching our application for the mobile platform in the coming quarter.