Disruptive Mobility Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study on the Brand Development Strategies of Yulu

Abstract

India is home to many technology-based startups in the global economy (Gai & Joffe, 2013) and is ranked as the 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world (Indian Startup Ecosystem, 2022). Within India, Bangalore, the country's "Silicon Valley," was named one of the nine International Startup Hubs outside the United States (Pullen, 2013). Bengaluru is ranked 23rd in an annual analysis of the world's most hospitable startup environments (Business Standard, 2021) and in a silicon city such as Bengaluru, startups emerge, grow, and fall. Yulu is an urban micro-mobility startup that started in 2017 to solve the first and last mile connectivity problems and help the environment. This study intends to understand the various brand development strategies adopted by the mobility startup Yulu before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mixed methods adopted for the study attempts to analyze the social media engagement of the brand on Instagram and Facebook from 2018 to 2021. The results indicate that the key measures and steps taken by Yulu helped it to rise above the competition and evolve from merely a startup to a brand. The unprecedented pandemic posed challenges to all businesses, but Yulu found its way out through various strategies. Yulu was timely with their social awareness campaigns and content, allowing people to connect and react better. Yulu was also successful in exciting its users with rapid expansions in different zones of the city and across the country.