How do you get retailers to stock your product when their shelves are already full? For Brian Levin, founder of Perky Jerky, it meant talking store managers into letting him give his product away. Perky Jerky is a meat snack with a caffeine kick. Described on the company's website as 'an all natural, ultra premium jerky that is unlike any other!' Perky Jerky 'brand ambassadors' give out trinkets and offer customers tastes of the product in stores. They find that those who try the snack ask the stores to carry Perky Jerky. The company also contributes a portion of sales to two causes:
Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Down syndrome.
Question1. What do you think about giving away a product? Does it build sales, or does it suggest desperation?
Question2. How would you budget for marketing expenses if you had hired sales representatives to give products away?
Question3. Is it a good idea for businesses to donate to charities? If they do. should they publicize their contributions?