What is the longest-running sponsored content (sales promotion) in the history of marketing?
I’ll give you a hint. The Jewish holiday of Passover kicked off last night. And the answer is …
Maxwell House which has produced the Haggadah — the text that walks everyone through the Passover story and Seder ceremony — for roughly 100 years. Of course, sponsored content wasn’t exactly a thing back in the 1920s, but an ad guy named Joseph Jacobs saw an opportunity to clear up a myth that coffee wasn’t kosher for Passover. That’s when he came up with the idea for Maxwell House to sponsor the Haggadah.
As a result, Maxwell House has enjoyed a seat at Passover dinner for 50+ years. Mr. Jacobs deserves a plaque in the Sponsored Content Hall of Fame. To understand the scale of this sponsored content, the company has printed over 55 million copies over the years. I’d love to see the spreadsheet that quantifies the ROI of the campaign.
Not content to rest on its laurels, Maxwell refreshed the campaign last year with a touch of levity. The company offered a limited-edition Haggadah based on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” the Amazon show that my wife and I have deemed must-see TV.
Talk about the perfect jolt.
Genius!
Comments
Marsha Collier
This year the partnered with Maneschewitz to sell co-branded macaroons. I have a picture if you need it!
Lou Hoffman
Absolutely!
Send it my way and I’ll update the post.
Merci.