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When it’s time for the Super Bowl, brands pull out all the stops to stand out in a sea of advertising. And for those who like saving money on their groceries, what better way for brands to stand out than by offering coupons for free stuff?

Several companies are trying to capitalize on the Big Game – and the Olympic Games that begin later that same week – by giving away their products to millions of Americans.

The first, and the biggest, promotional tie-in is being sponsored by Kind. The company is offering 3 million printable coupons for a free Kind Bar. CEO Daniel Lubetzky stars in a tongue-in-cheek 90-second video, in which he laments the approximately $6 million price of a Super Bowl commercial this year. “Instead of throwing away $6 million, we’re going to give you $6 million worth of free Kind bars,” he says.

A link at the end of the video takes you to a form, which asks you to sign up for Kind’s email newsletter to access the coupon. But many couponers are already sharing the direct link to the SmartSource printable coupon, while others have discovered that the coupon is sitting right there in the SmartSource coupon gallery.

Typically, coupons for free products (in this case, a Kind bar with a maximum value of $2) don’t last long. But with a whopping 3 million coupons up for grabs, this offer is still available as of this writing.

3 million may pale in comparison to the number of coupons offered by the maker of Arla cream cheese. The company hasn’t disclosed how many free coupons it’s made available since launching Arla products in the U.S. last year. But it seems like somewhere around 3 kabillion.

Over the past several months, there have been printable coupons, digital coupons, store coupons and blinkies for free Arla cream cheese, valued at up to $2.99. If you haven’t gotten yourself a free package or 12 by now, you either don’t like cream cheese or you’re just not trying.

Now, Arla is trying to capitalize on the Super Bowl, with a clever twist, by offering even more free cream cheese – but only to New England Patriots fans.

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Why would the company be choosing sides? Well, because it’s not a fan of “Philadelphia” – you know, the cream cheese named for the city where the Eagles play.

“For any Pats fans that don’t want Philly at their game day parties, Arla is giving away its deliciously simple cream cheese for free,” the company has announced.

Grocery stores with locations in New England, such as Stop & Shop and ShopRite, currently have digital coupons available to clip for free Arla cream cheese. “We want fans to know that they can still make delicious, decadent, cream cheese-centric appetizers without compromising their team loyalty,” said Arla Director of Marketing Mike Currie.

Of course, several other grocery stores in other parts of the country also still have coupons available for free Arla cream cheese. And that’s regardless of which team they’re rooting for in the game.

Finally, Hershey is looking beyond the Super Bowl, to the Winter Olympic Games. Starting on February 9th, the first day of competition in Pyeongchang, whenever the U.S. team wins a gold medal, Hershey will give away a printable coupon for a free Hershey’s Gold bar, valued at up to $1.50.

Hershey has been making a big promotional push for Hershey’s Gold, only the fourth Hershey bar flavor in the brand’s history. The company has offered several coupons, including a buy-one-get-one-free offer, for the caramelized crème candy bar featuring peanut and pretzel bits. Now, it plans to give away up to 150,000 freebies during the Olympics.

Hershey hasn’t said exactly when the offer will go live – the very moment that an American competitor wins gold, or sometime shortly afterward? – but at some point, Hershey will post a link to the printable coupon on its Facebook and Twitter pages. Each time, 10,000 coupons will be up for grabs, while supplies last. Another coupon link will go up the next time an American wins gold, up to 15 times in total.

It’s worth noting that the most gold medals that Team USA has ever won at a Winter Games was 10, back in 2002. But Hershey’s tally will also include the Paralympics, which take place after the Olympics. And American Paralympic athletes have taken home as many as 24 gold medals in past Games. So chances are good Hershey will be awarding all 150,000 of its coupons.

There’s only one problem with these sports-themed freebies – many stores won’t accept coupons for free products without a purchase requirement. So if you score one or more of these freebies, check your store’s coupon policy before you shop. And then, no matter which team is victorious at the Super Bowl, or which Olympic athletes come home with a gold medal – you can be a winner as well.

One Comment

  1. Unless those companies giving out the free coupons educate the retailers, many customers won’t be able to redeem those coupons for free items. Every major retailer in my area has a policy against accepting coupons for free items that don’t have any other purchase requirement.

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