TEXT OF STORY

Scott Jagow: So, the Boston Red Sox are World Series champions again. And that means, free tacos! Someone stole a base during the series, and as promised, Taco Bell will give away free tacos tomorrow. As Amy Scott reports, Taco Bell is really the one getting the bargain.

Amy Scott: The giveaway could cost Taco Bell more than a million dollars, by one estimate.

Chump change, compared to the free publicity. Like when Fox broadcast a pair of Boston players chatting about the promotion.

Eric Wright measures sponsorship impact for Joyce Julius and Associates. He says this is the future of sports sponsorship.

Eric Wright: More and more, the demand is gonna be there from these sponsors who are paying large amounts of money to become a part of the broadcast, not just there as window dressing.

For Taco Bell, the strategy is already paying dividends.

Customer Phil Wingard got confused, and stopped into this Manhattan branch for his freebie on Friday:

Phil Wingard: Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I came here today, I thought it was supposed to be today.

He bought something anyway, and says he’ll come back for the real giveaway tomorrow.

In New York, I’m Amy Scott for Marketplace.