Kellogg's 1907 'Wink Day' Got Women Free Cereal

Imagine walking into your local grocery store in 1907, catching your grocer's eye, and delivering a cheeky wink—only to walk out with a free box of cereal. That's exactly what happened during Kellogg's audacious "Wink Day" promotion, one of the most unusual marketing stunts in American advertising history.

The campaign was simple but brilliant: women were told to "wink at your grocer and see what you get." What they got was a complimentary box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes, no questions asked. The promotion ran on a specific Wednesday in 1907, turning grocery stores across the country into stages for playful flirtation—all in the name of breakfast cereal.

Why Women? Why Winking?

In the early 1900s, women were the primary grocery shoppers and meal planners for their households. Kellogg's recognized this and targeted their campaign accordingly. The wink itself was cheeky enough to be memorable but innocent enough to be socially acceptable in the conservative Edwardian era.

The campaign also played into the novelty of women having more public presence and agency. While a wink might seem forward by 1907 standards, it was framed as harmless fun—a small act of boldness that came with a tangible reward.

Guerrilla Marketing Before It Had a Name

What made "Wink Day" so effective was its experiential nature. This wasn't just a newspaper ad or a billboard—it required participation. Women had to do something unexpected to get their prize, creating a memorable experience that turned customers into storytellers.

Grocers were prepped in advance with free sample boxes, and the campaign generated buzz through word-of-mouth long before social media existed. It was guerrilla marketing decades before the term was coined, proving that Kellogg's understood consumer psychology better than most of their competitors.

The Corn Flakes Empire

By 1907, Kellogg's was still establishing itself as a household name. The company had only been selling Corn Flakes since 1906, so creative promotions like Wink Day were crucial for building brand recognition and getting their product into American kitchens.

The stunt worked. Kellogg's became synonymous with breakfast cereal, and their willingness to try unconventional marketing tactics helped them dominate the industry for over a century. While modern campaigns might use influencers and viral videos, the spirit of Wink Day lives on—get people talking, make it fun, and give them something worth remembering.

Next time you pour yourself a bowl of cereal, remember: it might exist because someone's great-great-grandmother had the courage to wink at a grocer over a hundred years ago.