India recently celebrated its 68th Independence Day on August 15th. As much as it may have been a day to recollect and commemorate the brave souls who helped us get independence, it was a day to relax and spend time with the family. While some stayed glued to their sofas watching the prime minister of India deliver his I-Day speech and subsequent programmes, many stepped out with their family.

It will not be too hard to guess where most of the urban population would have gone. Since the last decade, malls have sprung up across the country, especially in metro cities. Last year, one report estimated that malls have grown two-fold in the last 5 years and the footfalls in these malls have been steadily increasing. Given any weekend, one can easily see how popular malls have become. It comes as no brainer that marketers target malls to get visibility and conduct on-ground activities.

As much as marketers benefit from the high footfall in malls, the mall owners themselves would want the high in-flow of consumers to continue and grow further. Anticipating huge crowd on the eve of India’s 68th I-Day, many malls were decorated with the I-Day theme and activities were arranged to provide engage and entertain visitors. All these experiential activities were aimed at providing positive experiences to bring visitors back to the mall in the future. EE looks at some of the most prominent malls in the capital and its surrounding to examine what they did special this I-Day.

Ambience Mall, Gurgaon - Haryana

Located at the Delhi-Gurgaon border, along the National Highway 8, Ambience mall offers 1km of shopping area on each floor and is quite popular among Delhiites and Gurgaon residents. On I-Day, Indian Post organized ‘Get yourself stamped on a stamp’ campaign at the Ambience mall. The activity allowed people to get a photo snapped of themselves then get a stamp created out of it, followed by which they could paste it on a postcard along with a valid stamp and send it to anyone within India, for free of cost. The photo stamp booth also sold some of the stamps.

The activity booth also displayed boards that had facts on the history of Indian independence and stamps. A cut-out of a huge stamp themed photobooth was also created so people could get their photo clicked by posing behind the stamp themed frame. Participants also stood a chance to win exciting prizes.

Ambience also organized ‘Colours of India’ art competition for kids, primarily meant for kids and teens. The best paintings were put up on a whiteboard in the mall premises and prizes were given.

Ambience mall also organized Astro World for astrology lovers who are abundant in India. The south side of the mall's ground floor had about 10 counters with astrologers, tarot readers, face readers, gemologists advising clients. They also had a board placed next to each counter advertising their services with contact details. People could be seen flocking these counters waiting for their turn.

Select CityWalk, Saket, New Delhi

Counted among the largest malls in India, Select CityWalk receives high volume of footfall round the year. Keeping in mind the popularity selfies have become and the amount of photos people love to take in and around malls these days, the mall created a number of decorated booths with the I-Day theme perfect for photo ops that the generation craves for, adults and youngsters alike.

A miniature version of bowling board was also seen on the ground floor of the mall, themed around I-Day. People could get their hands on bowling and get photos clicked.

The Great India Place, Noida

Popularly known as GIP, the mall organized stage performances and marching bands were seen playing patriotic tunes on the I-Day.