During the height of the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent vaccine rollout, numerous businesses initiated promotional campaigns to support consumers and incentivise vaccination. These initiatives, primarily based in the United States, ranged from free food and beverages to discounted services and digital resources. This article details these offers based on the provided source materials, highlighting the types of freebies available, eligibility requirements, and the specific businesses involved. The information is drawn exclusively from the provided context documents and focuses on the programmes as reported.
Food and Beverage Freebies
The most prominent category of vaccine incentives involved food and beverage offers. These promotions typically required customers to present a valid vaccination card as proof of inoculation.
Krispy Kreme launched one of the most widely publicised offers, providing a free original glazed doughnut to customers who showed their vaccination cards. This promotion was valid for the remainder of 2021, allowing customers to redeem the offer once per day.
Other food and beverage companies offered similar incentives. White Castle offered free dessert-on-a-stick to anyone providing proof of vaccination during a specific window from April 22 to May 31. Super Duper Burgers, a San Francisco Bay Area business, provided free fries to vaccinated customers. Nathan’s Famous, an iconic New York City spot, gave a free hot dog to patrons who visited the Coney Island shop on the same day of their vaccination and showed their vaccine card.
Several breweries and bars also participated. Budweiser partnered with various retailers to offer free beer to vaccinated individuals. In various states, including South Carolina, local breweries offered free beers to individuals who received their vaccinations at on-site drives. Market Garden Brewery in Cleveland offered 10-cent beers to everyone who showed their complete COVID-19 vaccination cards. A coalition of over 100 restaurants in Connecticut offered free drinks (including non-beer options) with the purchase of food upon presentation of a vaccination card. Shake Shack provided vouchers for a free burger to anyone who got their vaccine on an NYC mobile vaccine bus, while supplies lasted.
Retail and Service Discounts
Beyond food, several businesses offered discounts on goods and services. The Mint Dispensary in Phoenix offered free weed edibles to customers showing proof of vaccination. Oak & Reel, a Detroit restaurant, provided a 50 percent discount on dine-in meals for customers with vaccination cards. Rumbleseat Bar & Grille in Massachusetts offered a 20 percent discount on food orders on Mondays to vaccinated patrons. Up-Down, a Minneapolis-based arcade chain, gave 20 free tokens to fully vaccinated customers through the end of the summer.
Other retail incentives included a 10 percent discount on purchases after getting vaccinated at participating locations, as well as a 25 percent discount on merchandise and a drawing for a chance to win 50 tickets to Super Bowl LVI. A 30 percent discount for in-stadium merchandise purchases and a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2021 All-Star Game were also offered.
Entertainment and Cultural Incentives
Several cities and cultural institutions used their venues as vaccination sites while offering future incentives. In New York, individuals receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at Citi Field or Yankee Stadium received a free ticket to a future game. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois, offered free admission to visitors who presented proof of vaccination through June; visitors were instructed to select the ticket option “COVID” when booking online.
Large-Scale Sweepstakes and Lotteries
Some of the most significant incentives took the form of large-scale sweepstakes and lotteries. The NFL announced a giveaway for vaccinated fans, with fifty tickets up for grabs for the Super Bowl in 2022, and a 25 percent discount at NFLShop.com for receiving a vaccine. NASCAR offered Daytona 500 tickets, while Major League Soccer offered vaccinated fans a 30 percent discount on merchandise and the chance to win a trip to the 2021 MLS All-Star Game.
Kroger offered a vaccine lottery for people who received their COVID-19 vaccine at Kroger or its family of stores, with a chance to win one of five $1 million drawings or free groceries for a year. Other sweepstakes offered the chance to win free cruises, tickets to Super Bowl LVI, and cash prizes. A $2 million in gift cards to community health centres was offered to incentivise vaccinations. The most debated and successful of these was Ohio’s Vax-a-Million campaign, which allowed vaccinated adults to enter a drawing for one of five $1 million awards, or for residents between 12 and 17 years old, one of five four-year scholarships to an Ohio state school, including room and board, tuition, and books. An Associated Press analysis determined that vaccinations in the state were up 33 percent after the vaccine lottery was announced.
Digital and Service-Based Incentives
Some businesses offered digital or service-based incentives. Participants who received their COVID-19 vaccines could get 400 reward points that could go toward perks like discounts on travel, retail, food, and fitness wearables. Some apps would boost the profile of users who showed their vaccination status on the app, while others offered premium content to users who showed their vaccination status.
Free child care was offered to help parents and caregivers get vaccinated and recuperate. Free rides to vaccination sites were also provided by some organisations.
General Context and Eligibility
The provided source materials focus on the United States. The offers generally required participants to show their vaccination card or other proof of inoculation. Many offers had specific time windows or were valid only while supplies lasted. For example, some restaurant discounts were contingent on mask mandates remaining in effect. A common requirement was that participants had to show up in person to get their freebie; online orders or deliveries were not eligible for some offers.
Conclusion
The source materials document a wide array of promotional offers and freebies incentivising COVID-19 vaccination in the United States. These ranged from daily free doughnuts and discounted meals to large-scale cash lotteries and event tickets. The eligibility for these programmes typically required proof of vaccination, and many were time-sensitive or supply-limited. The information provided is based on the specific reports and offers detailed in the context documents.