It was an amazing morning as I walked across the streets of Delhi. There was a nip in the air, and it was chilly, but the sun was out and leaves were scattered all over the pavements. I walked with gusto, having just concluded a three-month tour across the Seven Sister States. Delhi was merely a stopover as I headed for Dehradun.

But what truly caught my eye was a jazzy auto-rickshaw parked near the pavement, resting in the shade of a tree. The auto was the typical green-and-yellow rickshaw—very common in appearance—but what made it striking and catchy was that it was covered with pictures and images of laughing, happy people: families, kids, and couples. I stopped to take a closer look. Yes, the auto was covered with photographs that appeared to be of satisfied and cheerful customers.

Jazzy Auto

No doubt, this made the auto stand out among the millions in the city. It also served as a powerful form of positive word-of-mouth marketing for its driver, Gambhir Singh, who sat quietly inside the passenger seat, enjoying his lunch of poori, vegetables, and dal. I moved closer to inspect the posters and photographs and became convinced that they were all people who had enjoyed a fun ride in this auto. There were also Instagram handles and other social media links of the passengers, along with a symbol bearing the words, “Hare ka Sahara Baba Shyam Hamara.”

The auto driver sat there throughout, his back to me, calmly enjoying his lunch without a bother in the world. He seemed confident in his branding and marketing idea. The auto clearly stood out from the crowd, and I am sure the auto-wala had no reason to worry—he knew he would attract plenty of passengers and run a successful auto business.