“Duffl Assassins” engages student body

Popular student-run delivery service, Duffl USC, introduced a new marketing outreach initiative inviting Duffl employees, USC students and anyone in the South L.A. community to participate in a game of “Duffl Assassins.” The game began on Sept. 25 and is still going strong with more than 300 people participating.

The rules are simple: participants are given a target every Sunday night and they have one week to squirt them with a water gun and there has to be proof of elimination. Unless a student is in class, clocked into work or attending a USC-sponsored event, everywhere and anywhere is fair game as long as a photo is snapped and submitted to Duffl USC’s Instagram account as evidence.

Duffl will give the last person standing $300 in Duffl Cash, free delivery for a year, AirPods and a $75 901 Bar & Grill gift card. With stakes this high, the game’s Sunday SMS texts where students are given their weekly target are taken very seriously.

Cole Lally, a sophomore studying economics, signed up and put his game face on for Duffl Assassins as soon as he heard about it.

“I really enjoy the thrill I get from finally seeing my target and squirting them and catching them very off guard,” Lally said. “It’s a super funny and awesome encounter and it puts a smile on my face every time.”

From late-night snacks to study break caffeine, Duffl has had the student body covered for over three years. The UCLA-born delivery service was kick-started at USC in 2019 to give students access to snacks and beverages within minutes of ordering.

McKean Farnell, a Duffl delivery rider and senior studying real estate development, has found the game and Instagram documentation of it to be a highlight of the week.

“So far the game has been a blast,” Farnell said. “From social media reconnaissance to paranoid journeys through campus, [Duffl] Assassins has turned friends to foes and strangers into allies. Brilliant marketing, if you ask me.”

As a student-run company, Duffl’s main focus is to engage and involve the student body. Stefano Cafatti, the Duffl marketing admiral and a senior studying business administration, has found the game to be an effective marketing campaign to highlight their unique relationship to the students in comparison to other delivery services.

“At Duffl, we love being connected to our customers. It’s about creating a strong relationship that goes far beyond an order,” Cafatti said. “This game allows us to do that in the best way possible because we want to reward our loyal customers and we want them to feel a part of Duffl in a more engaging and active way.”