Brands support Samay Raina’s ‘India’s Got Latet’

Samay Raina, the stand-up comedian known for making chess an entertaining spectacle, is back with a new and unusual show. India is hidingwhich is a parody of the TV show India has talent.

The voiceover introduces it as a “mindless reality show”, humorously implying that viewership may be an indicator of the unemployment rate. While the unconventional intro may surprise viewers, it is a hallmark of Samay Raina’s signature style.

Raina has released eight episodes on his YouTube channel, each of which has garnered over 13 million views, with some of the episodes available exclusively to members with a YouTube subscription that costs Rs 59 per month. Raina has so far hosted guests like Siddhant Chaturvedi, BadshahPoonam Pandey, Rakhi Sawant, Vipul Goyal and other content creators and comedians who participated in the show.

India is hiding inspired Kill Tony (a show hosted by American comedian Tony Hinchcliffe), but the show has a unique scoring format: contestants showcase their talents in front of a panel of judges and rate their performance on a scale of 10. If their self-score matches the judges’ average, they will win all ticket revenue from that episode.

Given the show’s massive popularity and episodes consistently reaching number one on YouTube within hours of their release, brands are cashing in on the hype by sponsoring the show. However, Raina, known for his edgy and dark humor, sometimes uses profanity, which may make some brands hesitant.

However, two brands, POP UPI and Spinny, have sponsored episodes that have already been released.

POP, a fintech startup offering UPI app and credit card, sponsored the sixth episode of the show and awarded a prize of Rs 1 lakh to the winner.

Spinny, a used car sales platform, also partnered on the show’s seventh episode, taking a more unconventional approach. Raina, known for his wry humor, introduced the brand during the episode by calling it “Swiggy” rather than “Swiggy”. Spinney.

The comedian capitalized on the humor by announcing that Spinney would be giving away a free “new used car” as a prize to the winner of the show, causing more laughter on stage.

Raina read out all the information about the brand in a mockingly irreverent tone, refusing to wear a T-shirt with the Spinny logo.

While these antics may turn off some brands, Spinney leaned toward the show’s unconventional style and continued to sponsor them.

Talking about collaborations, Aniket Dhawan, head of social media at Spinny, says brands today have evolved and are comfortable enough to take jokes. “For us, it wasn’t so much about being ‘brave’ or ‘brave’ as it was about being authentic and creating a piece of real entertainment. We wanted to give them the freedom to do their show organically.”

Arshdeep Chhabra, general manager of marketing at Spinny, says the goal was not to control the narrative but to stay true to the platform. “If we tried to overdo it, it was often perceived as forced. By keeping it natural, people talk about it organically.”

He adds that the tangible effect was that some customers, when accepting their cars, wrote: “Here’s my new used car,” echoing the show’s humor. “It’s funny and surreal, almost like a moment from a comedy sketch. Such interaction cannot be created,” he emphasizes.

It wasn’t just the exhibition that attracted brand partnerships; even the judge and participants have attracted the attention of brands who are taking full advantage of this opportunity.

1. boat x Maheep Singh

The audio clothing brand has partnered with stand-up comedian Maheep Singh using his popular catchphrase ‘Dashing 98’ from the show. The phrase, which he humorously addressed to the contestant, has since gained popularity.

2. Naman Arora x Swiggy x Sonia

Naman Arora, actor who has worked in films like Jagjagg Jiyo And Mr and Mrs Mahibecame famous thanks to his performance at India is hiding; He currently has around 4.5k followers on Instagram. The food aggregator platform partnered with him for a social media campaign showcasing his rhyming style.

The actor also collaborated with Sleephead, highlighting its mattresses.

3. Keshav Jha x Blinkit x Kicksclub

Keshav Jha, the poet known for his line “Aee Murkh Apni Chavi Sudhar” from the show India’s Got Latent, has seen his dialogues adapted by brands like Blinkit and Kicksclub. They included his catchphrase in their sentences to make their messages clearer.

4. Sharon Verma x OneCard

Sharon Verma, a stand-up comedian who went viral on the internet for calling herself a “weak independent woman”, included jokes about her hometown in Bihar in her video. India is hiding. It recently partnered with credit card company OneCard. In this case, the brand used her dialogue to effectively promote their product.

Here are some examples; some other artists also have huge followings on Instagram.

It seems that modern brands are exploring new formats that are more organic and attractive. Zomato spent hot show to mark its 16th anniversary by inviting stand-up comedians to parody the brand.

The dynamics surrounding these pieces of content signal a shift in how brands engage with audiences, using humor and unconventional collaborations to build authentic connections. New age brands are experimenting with formats which prioritize recognition over traditional advertising.