Nabisco gives out free cookies on Facebook, with a catch

Usually the “become a fan” button does little on Facebook besides get your friends to make lewd or derisive comments.

However, in a style of promotion that is doubtlessly becoming more common, Nabisco is giving away cookies on their Facebook fan page. First barrier of entry is that you must become a fan of Nabisco Cookies on Facebook- an easy task that can be accomplished by following this link.

There’s a catch, though- coupons are only accessible if you have a working printer. As we all know printers only work when they absolutely must, this will keep a lot of people from accessing the promotion. I am a person who cannot seem to come into possession of a working printer, and have given up. Companies like Nabisco really should come around to the mobile coupon concept sooner rather than later, because nothing makes me more annoyed with a promotion or transaction as when printing at home becomes a necessary part of participating. I feel left out. No cookies for me. (The acceptance of mobile coupons varies from retail location to retail location, too, with some stores gamely trying to interpret these newfangled smartphones and others basically calling security on you. But I digress, print this or no cookie.)

Furthermore, only 500,000 may claim the cookie deal before it expires. 500,000 clicks? 500,000 downloads? 500,000 print dialogs? 500,000 redemptions? This is unclear from the caveat, which simply states:

March maximum 500,000 coupons while supplies last. Limit one per household. Coupon only available for 24 hours to download on March 1, 2010 and must be redeemed by March 4, 2010.

Also? You only have 24 hours to find and download the coupon, and only three days to redeem it. Oh, and you have to buy a gallon of milk or no cookies either. (In my region, a gallon of milk is considerably more expensive than a box of Chips Ahoy cookies.) All in all, a lot of hoops for a very minor reward. Considering the relative cost of printer ink, Nabisco’s free cookie push over social media may be a wash.

It would be very cool if companies began rewarding the types of people who embrace technology (and in turn, often evangelize their favorite products) rather than unleashing half-baked (har!) promotions that don’t utilize the awesome technologies present to their best capacity.

[Facebook]