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Krispy Kreme is giving away a lot of donuts—and like a parent at a last day of school party, we’re not 100% sure if that much sugar this promo was a good idea.
- If you roll up to any participating Krispy Kreme with a vaccine card until the end of 2021, you’ll get a free glazed donut.
- The donut chain (and AOR FleishmanHillard, which told Marketing Brew it collaborated on the promo) isn’t alone here. Businesses of all sizes—from Uber and Lyft to a Cleveland brewery—are running similar vaccine-oriented promos.
So the question is: Do vaccine promos perform well for marketers?
Maybe yes: Emory University marketing professor David Schweidel thinks they could be an effective customer acquisition tool. “These kinds of promotions might garner the attention of consumers that didn’t consider the brand before,” he said.
Maybe no: ButSchweidel also noted that because vaccines have become politicized, brands risk turning people off.“I would also be looking at customer retention metrics,” he advised.
TL;DR: It depends on your base. Per Schweidel, if much of your “customer base has political views against vaccination,” a vaccine card promo could hurt brand trust more than help it.