Cans of murukku, that is. I love the festival of Deepavali, even if I’m not of Indian ancestry, because of all the beautiful lights and decorations and the awesome fireworks that our neighbors in Subang Jaya here in Malaysia had last year.
Getting ready for Deepavali
So this year I just had to drag the hubby to the nearest mall to show him the rangolis and the lights and take the requisite photos for the old FB page.
“Hey, what’s this?”
It was a banner saying that one could get one free can of murukku if you scanned this QR code that would take you to the mall’s mobile app.
“What’s murukku again?”
I had to explain that it was a salty, crunchy, somewhat spicy, and very tasty snack like a cookie or a biscuit, but more flavorful because it was fried.
“Ok! Let’s do it!” Husband tapped away on his mobile while I looked at the decor around the mall again.
After a few seconds…
“Eh, it’s not working.”
I amble over and peer into his phone.
“Huh. What do you mean?”
We quickly figured out that it was meant for people who hadn’t downloaded the mall app yet. We both had, so we couldn’t get our hands on the free snacks. I guess their customer acquisition strategy worked because we were ready and willing to start clicking away for the murukku.
Lesson learned: it’s probably a good idea to tie in acquisition efforts with big festivals where your target audience would be. These are peak shopping times for those celebrating Deepavali. The promise of free food seems to work, especially if it’s related to the festival in question.
Happy Deepavali to those who are celebrating. May you all have the best snacks and treats ever with your family and friends!
