8 Missed Calls From Mom? Ola's Marketing Stunt Draws Twitter's Ire

Nothing could have prepared Ola customers for the alarming notification that popped up on their mobile phones yesterday. The cab aggregator company -- in a move that has been widely criticised on social media -- decided to share a notification reading "8 missed calls from mom" with several of their customers. Needless to say, the clickbait not go down well. Where a single missed call from one's mother is enough to induce anxiety, Ola's notification had people panicking until they realised it was nothing more than a marketing ploy promoting a 40 per cent discount on certain services. 

"'8 missed calls from mom', followed by a 40% off promo! This is a terrible clickbait by Ola," one Twitter user wrote while sharing a screenshot of the notification. 

'8 missed calls from mom', followed by a 40% off promo!
This is a terrible clickbait by Ola.
Pic via @kartik679 on LinkedIn. pic.twitter.com/QBzIF86510

— Karthik ???????? (@beastoftraal) March 10, 2022

Many others on the microblogging platform agreed that Ola's marketing stunt did nothing more than cause anxiety. 

"Why is Ola traumatizing me like this?" a user asked.

8 missed calls from your mom????

Why is @Olacabs traumatizing me like this? pic.twitter.com/YrL0pTAllw

— Anangsha Alammyan???? (@anangsha_) March 9, 2022

"Ola, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" another wrote.

@Olacabs are you trying to give me a heart attack???!!

8 missed calls from mom??!!! pic.twitter.com/R2hV5GLYmX

— M. (@ManishaDot) March 9, 2022

Reactions were similar on LinkedIn, where Kartik Bhatt, Chief Operating Officer of Sharaf Retail, slammed the marketing stunt as distasteful. "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," Mr Bhatt wrote.

A screengrab of Ola's anxiety-inducing notification also reached Reddit, where it has racked up over 24,000 'upvotes'. In the comments section, many called on Ola to show more sensitivity in future ad campaigns.

"Imagine sending this notification to someone whose mom recently died or went missing. Terrible company," one Reddit user wrote. "This is highly upsetting," another said. 

Ola's marketing misfire comes a day after e-commerce company Flipkart landed in hot water for their Women's Day campaign. On International Women's Day, Flipkart sent out a message promoting kitchen appliances which many on social media slammed as sexist.