Well, this is what I overheard when I last went to see a movie at a cinema hall in CP. What this person probably meant was that a ticket to see a movie in a PVR is cheaper than the popcorn and coke that they sell inside. I learnt that evening that what these people say isn’t incorrect. The only problem is that we all tend to feel hungrier when all we hear is crunch-crunch and slurp-slurp from every side. It is at such moments that even Mastani uttering an earth-shattering dialogue can fizzle into the misty past unheard and unappreciated. Such is the tragedy of a movie-goer. The tummy tommy-guns attention spans.
But where there is a problem, the solution can’t be far behind. I recently read somewhere that BookMyShow (BMS), India’s largest entertainment ticketing brand, has introduced ‘MyCoupons’- free discount vouchers. Have you even noticed that I have used the word FREE there? And FREE in conjunction with a DISCOUNT voucher can actually imitate heaven on earth, right? Now, these vouchers can be availed at popular restaurants & cafes around the cinema you have decided to visit. But there is a catch here… this scheme is valid only in Mumbai and Pune for now. How I wish it reaches Delhi fast! Marzdi Kalianiwala, Vice President – Business Intelligence and Marketing, BookMyShow has this to say, “Usually a movie going experience is coupled with a meal either before or after the show, and this is where BookMyShow wants to add more value for our customers and strengthen the overall proposition. Since we know where and when our customer consumes the content, we can ensure relevant offers are targeted to our users, thus making the overall experience highly contextual.”
Well, Marzdi is also reported to have said that ‘the pilot phase in Mumbai and Pune is tracking a fantastic response and we plan to extend this feature to our app as well as to other cities over the next few months…’ so I have every reason to pray for the success of this scheme. After all, the hundreds of eateries in my city that will include Subway, Café Coffee Day, Baskin-Robbins, Mad Over Donuts, KFC, and Pizza Hut etc. can have such a positive mental effect on the movie-goer! No more grumbling at the sound of people crunching and munching all around you… let them do it by paying more. I will be happily thinking of the free discount vouchers in my pocket!
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Book My Show… the new free discount voucher scheme
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Arvind Passey
02 May 2016
