Give Away Giveaways - Yes, but No

When I saw the story headline Give Away Giveaways, I thought yes. Let's get rid of all that cheap crap. It's not really effective is it? It can't be. But, the story is just wrong on so many levels.

Not long ago, I was sitting in a cafe when I noticed the ring tone on another patron's cell phone. The tone played a simple but well-known melody: "Always Coca-Cola." [...] Now that's digital branding. Not only will the phone's owner hear the Coke jingle several times a day, so will everyone around him. That brand's signature tune is a highly effective piece of merchandising.

Well, sure, but how many millions of dollars did Coke have to spend to create so much brand affinity that somebody would consider (even just to be kitsch or ironic) putting Coke's jingle on their phone? This isn't something that Paul's Print Palace down the street is going to be able to manage. The idea that you can drop giveaways, not because they suck, but because you can replace them with cheap digital products is insane.