Thank you, marketing professionals, for the free stuff!


Marketers know that college campus’ are one of the few places in the world where a specific and highly coveted demographic is concentrated in one small place. Moreover, they know this demographic is very receptive to free things.

POM was on campus today, handing out free iced coffee beverages to passers by. Caffeinated substances are particularly popular amongst promoted products at USC (remember when Monster was here?), presumably because college students are assumed to be constantly stressed and in need of stimulants. Which is true.

Imagine if it were legal to pass out other things college students are stereotyped as loving: we wouldn’t be able to get Natural Light spokespeople off our backs.

When it comes down to it, college students will take just about anything that is being given out for free. I know Jews who go to Christian meetings for free pizza, and there are people who buy memberships at Costco so they can float around there on the weekend eating samples of Hot Pockets.

If Pom had been handing out freeze-dried prune casseroles, they probably would have gone like hot cakes. Or Hot Pockets.

1 reply
  1. Michael Bina
    Michael Bina says:

    FOLKSIE: Here’s some “FREE” Money (but it’s not like “Free” Hot Pockets at Costco – you have to work for it). The iOme Challenge is a contest for US College Students to redesign the US Retirement System: $20,000 first place prize plus a trip to Wash DC to present winning ideas to policywonks.

    We don’t have a Trojan team – yet! Maybe you can promote it for us? :) Thanks, Folk Laura

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