Along with enough paper to cover 50 football fields, the ads include a $1 coupon. "The challenge
was how to get Viva into people's hands," says Dave Wears, marketing director for Viva. "It's very much of an experiment." But at least one observer wonders how well the approach will work.
"You're expected to use the free sample and say 'You know what? This is better than what I'm using,' " says Dan Howard, chairman of the marketing department at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business. "But with one little miserable piece of paper towel, how the heck are you going to know?"