Ola recently sent a push notification which read ‘8 missed calls from mom’, with netizens calling the push notification a “terrible clickbait” attempt. Ola user across the country were surprised to read the push notifications with several taking to Twitter and claiming that the push notification was anxiety inducing to them.

For millions of youths and even individuals in their forties and fifties, a missed call or two from their mothers can actually be a cause of concern. This is especially true for those who may be living away from their parents who may be aging or have not been keeping well. Ola’s attempt to catch its users’ attention through the ‘8 missed calls from mom’ push notification proved to be an anxiety inducing experience for those people.

In a bid to do something “out-of-the-box”, several startups across the nation are falling into the trap of doing something too quirky for their own good. Eventually they end up receiving flak for their attempt and receive negative feedback for the same.

Contents hide
1. The Facts of the Matter
2. Netizens Call Out Ola’s Clickbait Push Notification
3. “Strikes a Poor Chord…”: COO On LinkedIn Lashes Out
4. Flipkart was Also Scrutinized Earlier this Week

The Facts of the Matter

Imagine yourself living in a different city as your parents. You wake up from your afternoon or morning slumber and check your phone first. As you clear one notification after the other, a notification reading “8 missed calls from mom” catches your attention. After initial few seconds of panic, you end up realizing that this was nothing but a push notification from a cab aggregator that is trying to make you click the notification and view it.,

Several people across the nation on Wednesday went through the ordeal mentioned above. On March 9, cab aggregator Ola sent a push notification to its users which read, “8 missed calls from mom”. Below the bold text, the notification text read, “She wanted to tell you that there’s a 40% off on fruits and veggies at Ola Dash. She also wants you to eat bahar ka khana so much”.

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Netizens Call Out Ola’s Clickbait Push Notification

Several netizens took to Twitter and called the company out on its clickbait push notification. They also added the screenshot of the notification. “’8 missed calls from mom’, followed by a 40% off promo! This is a terrible clickbait by Ola,” a netizen wrote.

“Who tf in the creative team of Ola thought it’d be nice to send a notification saying “8 missed calls from mom”???????”, another netizen tweeted.

Another Twitter user summarized the feelings of several people who may have received the notification and wrote, “@Olacabs Stop this kind of silly & pathetic notifications. There is a way to do marketing. Not by panicking someone such as 8 missed calls from mom. Do you think this is funny? What if someone is going through problems and waiting for mom’s call and suddenly see such notfn?”

Another netizen similarly opined, “@Olacabsdont send this kind of notification? You can think with different notification. What is the meaning of 8 missed calls from mom ? Strange !!. Should think before sending this kind of notification.”

Also Read: Woman with Two Uteruses Becomes Mother of Two Babies in Just One Year!

“Strikes a Poor Chord…”: COO On LinkedIn Lashes Out

Interestingly, Kartik Bhatt, the Chief Operating Officer of Sharaf Retail took to LinkedIn and called out the company’s marketing ploy. “Imagine the impact of such an advert on people like me who recently lost their mothers/ or people who live away from their ailing mothers …. The advert is a click bait tactic – but strikes a poor chord and leaves a very bitter aftertaste,” he wrote.

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Flipkart was Also Scrutinized Earlier this Week

Ola’s epic misfire comes just a few days after online delivery giant Flikpart also irked netizens across the country for its Women’s Day campaign. Earlier on Women’s Day, the company sent a marketing text message to its customers which read, “This Women’s Day, let’s celebrate you. Get kitchen appliances from ₹ 299”.

After it received incredible amount of flak on social media by netizens who called the brand out for reinforcing negative stereotypes about women, the company issued an apology. “We messed up and we are sorry. We did not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments and apologise for the Women’s Day message shared earlier,” the apology read.

 

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