If you’re introducing a new fast-food product, the best way to get it into the public’s hands is to give it to them for free in a massive taste test. That’s the logic that Jack In The Box is using in their promotion for the Double Jack, in which they’re giving away a million burgers to anyone who’s interested.

You may have caught their ad during the Super Bowl, which features a takeoff on the famous scene of George Washington crossing the Delaware River, with Jack as Washington and a giant stack of burgers as inexplicable cargo. Also, there was a talking eagle.

The important question is this: have fast food companies learned their lesson about operating free food coupon promotions since the Great KFC Debacle of 2009? A commercial during the Super Bowl is an even bigger platform than the syndicated Oprah Winfrey Show was in 2009, when so many people printed out coupons for free chicken meals that KFC ran out of food.

The problem then was that franchisees weren’t keen to cooperate with the giveaway offer. Jack In The Box is a largely franchised operation, too, and giving away a million free burgers will require pre-planning and the cooperation of franchisees.

As always, let us know how your free burger missions go if there’s a Jack In The Box near you and you decide to give it a try.

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