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Google is taking a pretty unique approach to promoting its messaging app Allo in Wisconsin. The app, which was originally launched in September 2016 has largely failed to gain ground in the messaging market, despite an initial surge in user interest shortly after launch. Recently, the internet giant has chosen to advertise at individual university campuses but now it looks to have taken a very different approach that involves grilled cheese.
As part of the new promotion set up by the Silicon Valley-based company, a bus that has been refitted to accommodate everything a typical food truck would include has been parked up somewhere in Madison, Wisconsin. The truck is covered in promotional banners for the messaging app and offers any passersby the chance to get a free grilled cheese sandwich, along with a free beanie by simply following the steps mentioned on the truck. In order to receive the grilled cheese sandwich, passersby need to download the app from the Google Play Store, while those on the street will need to start a conversation with at least three friends in order to be given the accompanying free beanie hat. The objective of the promotion is clearly to entice new users onto the platform in the wake of a relatively small user base, while making the most of the group chat feature which could not only be useful for students but for everyday users wishing to communicate with a group of friends or colleagues. The latest update to Google Allo introduced selfie clips and group admins in order to control group chats. Nonetheless, with the future versions of the app, Google looks set to introduce even more features. Among these are a number of Snapchat-like face filters, as well as typical color filters for images.
The American company also seems to be planning a multi-photo sharing feature, audio transcriptions, contact cards, in-app file sharing and possibly even image search. All of these features would put the app on par with Facebook’s popular alternatives, while also giving it some unique additions to help it stand out from the crowd. In a market dominated by the likes of WhatsApp and Messenger, if Google can grow Allo into a worthy competitor, the company would have a very powerful product under its umbrella. It’s certainly going to take a lot more than free grilled cheese to entice big numbers, though.