Castillo Rancon
Today, promotions are digital and fleeting. However, there was a time when American consumers would walk away with real goods simply to purchase everyday products. Think that’s too generous to be real? Turns out, the age of freebies was very much alive—let’s rewind.
Cracker Jack Invented The Mass Toy Giveaway (1912)
The first Cracker Jack prize was introduced in 1912 to mark the launch of a new marketing frontier. By the 1930s, prizes ranged from tin trinkets to joke books. However, safety concerns in the 1970s forced changes. Today’s prizes—QR codes and stickers—barely resemble the originals.
Appliance Brands Slipped Cookbooks Into Product Boxes
These practical booklets promoted proper appliance use while also encouraging repeat purchases through themed cooking suggestions. In the 1950s, General Electric and Westinghouse included custom cookbooks with ovens and mixers. Recipes were tailored to each model’s features and reflected brand-tested techniques.
Detergent Brands Gave Away Full Dish Sets
In the 1950s, detergent brands like Duz and Oxydol packed dishware into boxes. Housewives collected those pieces weekly to form complete sets over time. Brands used Anchor Hocking and Fire-King glassware. The trend waned in the 1960s as rising material and packaging costs squeezed it out.
Soap Companies Ran Point-Redemption Catalogs (1930s–1950s)
Soap wrappers once featured coupons that buyers could collect and mail in to redeem catalog items like silverware or embroidered linens—popular choices included brands such as Oneida. After 1960, grocers phased out this system and shifted loyalty rewards to in-store programs instead.
Shell And Gulf Gas Stations Gave Away Glassware At The Pump
Families collected complete glassware sets on road trips, one Anchor Hocking tumbler at a time. During the 1950s and 1960s, Shell and Gulf gas stations provided a new glass with each fuel purchase. The tradition ended in 1973 when oil prices soared and rationing began.
Magazines Came With Vinyl Surprises
Magazines like National Geographic and Rolling Stone once pushed creative boundaries in the 1960s and 1970s by including flexi-discs—vinyl inserts with music or odd audio features. National Geographic’s 1969 “Sounds of Space” issue was a standout.
Kellogg’s Revolutionized Cereal Box Toys In The 1950s
Kellogg’s cereal boxes once included working toys, such as baking soda-powered submarines and plastic racers. Children collected miniature kits and assembled them at home. By the 1970s, stricter choking hazard rules and packaging regulations forced brands to redesign or eliminate many of these promotional items.
Post’s Mini License Plate Promotion Peaked In The Late 1960s
Each steel plate, offered through Post cereals in the mid-to-late 1960s, featured official slogans from the 50 states. Kids mailed proofs of purchase and traded the plates at school like prized collectibles. The promotion faded as cereal marketing strategies shifted and production costs increased.
Texaco And Standard Oil Provided Free Road Maps At Stations
Gas stations like Texaco and Standard Oil gave out road maps from the 1930s through the 1960s. Maps featured detailed routing, often guiding drivers past company stations. Rand McNally produced many, but the tradition ended with the rise of in-car navigation systems and GPS in the late 20th century.
S&H Green Stamps Let Shoppers Furnish Homes For Free (1950s–1970s)
Inflation and the introduction of credit card loyalty programs ended the S&H Green Stamp craze by the early 1980s. Before that, around 80% of American households collected the stamps in books and exchanged them at catalog centers for products like kitchenware and electronics, all earned through everyday shopping.
