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Swiggy Drops ‘Dilli Se Hu BLCK' Newspaper Ad. No, The Internet Isn't Laughing
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Swiggy made a high-profile announcement on the front page of a leading newspaper to mark One BLCK's arrival in the national capital.
It has been almost half a year since Swiggy launched One BLCK, its exclusive, invitation-only premium membership offering a range of perks on deliveries, dining and more. Now, as the food delivery giant expands the service to Delhi, the move has sparked criticism from many quarters.
Swiggy recently made a high-profile announcement on the front page of a leading newspaper to mark One BLCK's arrival in the national capital, only to face immediate backlash from the public. What caught everyone's attention was a bold phrase that read, 'Dilli Se Hu BLCK," suggestively mimicking a popular Hindi slang.
Notorious advertising, allowed on the front page of a prestigious newspaper. This is a play on an abusive slang. Amazing how all this is cool and normalised. @Swiggy @EconomicTimes. — Sanket Upadhyay (@sanket) June 12, 2025
Journalist Sanket Upadhyay shared the same on his X (formerly known as Twitter) handle, calling out the advertisement as 'notorious." Along with the pictures of the newspaper, Sanket wrote, 'Notorious advertising, allowed on the front page of a prestigious newspaper. This is a play on an abusive slang. Amazing how all this is cool and normalised."
Many took to the comments section and agreed with Sanket's views. One wrote, 'There is a need for a code to put reasonable restrictions on these kinds of abusive advertisements," while another added, 'Newspapers alone should not be blamed for this; those with the power to communicate bear the primary responsibility."
Speaking about Swiggy's One BLCK services, it is an exclusive membership aimed at customers seeking premium convenience and better services. As per the company, the invite-only membership offers a range of benefits like faster deliveries and complimentary drinks and desserts when dining out. Besides, members will also have access to priority support from the platform's top-tier customer care agents.
Apart from the benefits of One BLCK, the upgrade will retain all the features of the existing Swiggy One membership.
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