ADVENTURES IN MARKETING: DUANE READE UPDATES “SEX & BEER PONG” DISPLAY

We reported a few months back that Duane Reade had created quite a display in the beer aisle at its store on 76th Street and Columbus.

Hanging right in front of the six packs was a plastic rack filled with condoms and ping pong balls (above).

There could be an innocent explanation for all this: there are people who like to play competitive ping pong when they drink. And as everyone knows, ping pong invariably leads to sex. But more likely, the store was having a little fun with the idea that college kids and twenty-somethings who are still mentally in college like to play beer pong (a classic drinking game), and then pair up and pass out.

Alas, we noticed on a recent visit that the ping pong balls are gone, replaced with a more prosaic tool: lighters (below). I wonder what they could be promoting this time?