Why is this year's Haggadah different from the one distributed all other years?

You don't have to be a coffee drinker to be familiar with Maxwell House Haggadoah. The paper-backed English versions of the classic seder liturgy have been been a staple of the spring holiday shopping scene since 1932. It holds a place of distinction in the Haggadah chronology, which shares some insight about its origins.

The Haggadah was the brainchild of the Joseph Jacobs Advertising Agency of New York City. This was content marketing before the term was likely even used, building up an association between the holiday with the greatest focus on food and family in the Jewish calendar with a major brand name that wasn't even Jewish.

Why did Maxwell House do it? Maxwell House Coffee was kosher for Passover certified way back in 1923. Coffee itself is not a product subject to leavening or classified with legumes, though instant coffee may contain maltodextrin, which can be derived from both of those categories. Most major brands of coffee produce instant coffee that is acceptable for Passover, although none have linked their name with the central text of the seder in the way Maxwell House has done.

Consequently, the translation of the traditional Hebrew (with some Aramaic) text adopted by the Maxwell House Haggadah  held sway over many Jewish American homes for a large part of the last century. . It remained fixed until 1998 when it was first revised and then again in 2011 when the text was further updated, dropping antiquated expressions, as well as references to four sons in favor of gender neutral children.

But this year's Haggadah is different from previous ones because it includes a a special limited edition  available for orders on Amazon. This Haggadah declares it to be a "new edition: not for 2019 but 1958. That's because it's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" edition. Just as in stores, this Maxwell House Haggadah is free with purchase of the coffee, which would have to be ordered on Amazon.

So now we have a multiplied content marketing effect: the Haggadah that promotes coffee is also promoting a show on Amazon Prime. Or maybe it's the show that would end up promoting the coffee, as fans likely will order some coffee just to get their limited edition Haggadah. Considering the fact that the free Haggadah is currently listed for sale on eBay for $1202.53, it would seem a wiser move to lay out $6.02 to get it along with some coffee with your Amazon order.

P.S. A couple of days after I posted this, I got an email informing me of a significant price drop on this Haggadah at eBay. Here's what it said:

From a relative position $60.47 appears to be a bargain -- were it not for the fact that you could still get it free from Amazon. But Amazon also has some sellers looking to take advantage of consumers who would be willing to pay for a free item. It also has the Haggadah listed for sale, and the price is still lower than than the eBay's listing even after the price cut.