Expecting mothers toast the New Year with free Kedem Celebratory Juices

Beverage firm Kedem Food Products is using e-mail marketing and a free call in hotline throughout the month of December to promote the debut of its sparkling juices offering free products to pregnant women for New Year's.

This holiday season, pregnant women in the Tri-State area who are due within one week of Jan. 1 can call 1-877-DUE IN 07 or e-mail kedem@duein07.com to receive a free sample of Kedem Celebratory Juices.

"Every day Kedem is reaching out online and offline to spread the word, but the reality is that a promotion like this is viral," said Michael Luftglass, director of marketing activities at Kedem, Bayonne, NJ.

"It appears that one woman e-mails, tells a friend who e-mails, etc.," he said. "We are seeing addresses in groups, meaning if one woman from a town in New Jersey writes it, it is likely we will soon see another request from someone in the near vicinity. That leads us to believe word-of-mouth e-mail is a strong tool at play."

The campaign has relied on this word-of-mouth, only publicizing the promotion through message board posts and relying on the networking potential. There is also a Web site www.duein07.com with basic information about the promotion.

Kedem introduced Celebratory Juices as a part of the firm's recent expansion from juice maker to sparkling juice maker.

This new line of sparkling beverages is made from real wine grapes grown in vineyards in California and New York, such as Merlot and Chardonnay, but contain no alcohol, nor added sugar.

According to Mr.Luftglass almost 40 percent of adults do not drink alcohol. Kedem is targeting those designated drivers, pregnant women, and people who avoid alcohol for religious or health reasons.

"Pregnant women fall into the broader category of consumers we are looking to target and we are confident that those who taste it will continue to enjoy the product post-pregnancy," Mr. Luftglass said.