Canada Dry’s Free Kitten Promo Boosts Sales 34%

Canada Dry’s Free Kitten Promo Boosts Sales 34%

Bold marketing stunts don’t always pay off, but when they do, the results can be impressive.

Canada Dry Ginger Ale’s recent campaign, “Buy 12, Get a Kitten,” is now widely hailed by marketers as a giant success. The soda has been flying off supermarket shelves, and parent company Dr Pepper Snapple Group reports sales are up 34% since launch.

“If you’re at the store deciding between two different brands of soda, and one package has a free kitten in it,” says Jim Frankel, a marketing analyst with Businessweek. “I mean, come on. It’s a no-brainer.”

Charlie, submitted by Hope Dixon Clinard.