A GUIDE TO PRODUCT SAMPLINGtHE BRAND IN HAND APPROACH

59% OF CONSUMERS ARE LIKELY TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT NEW PRODUCTS THEY’VE EXPERIENCED

PRODUCT SAMPLING TAKES MANY FORMS– but all are variations on one simple, powerful premise. The time-honoured proposal of ‘try before you buy’ owes its success to a dual effect - brand in hand tactics not only increase awareness, but also drive word of mouth marketing.

A STUDY BY NIELSEN FOUND THAT:• 59% of consumers are likely to tell others about new products they’ve experienced.

• People are much more likely to purchase a product when they learn about it from friends and family (77%) than through other channels (professional experts 66%, job or workplace 55%, public events 41%).

PLANNING YOUR PRODUCT SAMPLING CAMPAIGN: Target audience and environment

The flexibility to promote in different environments extends your reach - but to be worthwhile a campaign must be relevant.

Choose an environment that resonates deeply with your product and target audience.

To this end, remember that the character of your environment depends heavily on the time of day. Understanding your TA’s schedule and routine is as important as knowing where they spend their time and money.

WE’VE LEARNED HOW TO MAXIMISE THE POTENTIAL OF A LOCATION OVER MANY YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL TARGETED SAMPLING. WE’RE HAPPY TO SHARE A FEW PEARLS OF WISDOM…

Guerrilla SamplingMobile teams (roaming brand ambassadors) can travel to high footfall locations in a quick response time. Our recent campaign for an ambient ready meal brand demonstrates the power of guerrilla techniques in disrupting an audience to bring a product front of mind. (A simple social media mechanic extends reach further, adding a powerful interactive element: a shareable angle will always increase the value of your campaign.)

Train Station SamplingConvert non-retail footfall into brand engagement – and disrupt the daily commute in a good way, for a change! Our extensive study sampled a well-known breakfast brand in four key environments. Ahead of shopping centres, consumer events and supermarkets, train station sampling proved the most effective across metrics of reach, brand positivity and ROI.

Festival Sampling

Unsurprisingly, alcoholic and soft drinks brands often gain the most traction from sampling at mainstream music festivals. On the flip side, the right breakfast brand can also have significant appeal (what would happen to your sales if your customers were hung-over every morning?)

Outside the more obvious areas, so many festivals now have relevance to a myriad of brands. This landscape has really opened up in recent years, with the introduction of foodie festivals like Taste of London and Big Feastival pulling huge crowds. There’s a festival to suit everyone’s taste now – and a rich variety of sampling opportunities to match.

Retail Sampling

When sampling in the retail environment, many key variables lie in the hands of your host store.

Whether you’re dealing with department stores or supermarkets, it’s crucial to build a good relationship with the store buying teams, who’ll help you secure the best site-space and position. A savvy store partnership can also help keep a lid on your cost per interaction.

CASE STUDY:GIVE IN TO GU

Our 7-week front of store sampling campaign for GU toured 30 major supermarkets to raise awareness and drive immediate purchase of the dessert range.

Trained Brand Ambassadors sampled the GU dessert range to customers as they entered the store, whilst in-store price promotions incentivised purchase.

The campaign delivered over 90,000 samples, with a 51% conversion to purchase rate.

OFFICE SAMPLINGIf you wish to target professionals, the workplace is an effective place to start. Be imaginative (not intrusive) and consider how your sampling campaign might transform their lunchtime or break habits. It ’s the perfect opportunity to show where your product belongs in their everyday routine. Our nationwide ‘Biscwit Squad’ did just that for Fox’s Biscuits.

Does size matter?

Brands often default to sampling full-sized products rather than tasters. Surprisingly however, years of research into our clients’ campaigns suggest that this higher CPI approach doesn’t necessarily translate to proportionally greater sales. Quite the opposite: as our infographic demonstrates, taster sampling is not only cheaper but can be significantly more effective at driving purchase.

There’s no general rule that applies to individual brands – your approach will be governed by the objectives of your campaign – but when sampling, keep in mind the fact that bigger isn’t always better.

TAKE THE EXPERIENTIAL ROADA successful sampling campaign is so much more than a giveaway: the real ROI comes from deeper brand engagement. The modern consumer is exposed to constant brand messaging, so to capture their attention a campaign must go one step further - creating a memorable experience.

Remember your sampling campaign isn’t an isolated strategy: use creative elements from your ATL strategy to bring the campaign to life. This not only ensures maximum stand out, but also builds a continuous brand world, in which you can invite the consumer to participate.

Sampling Mechanics

From jet packs to sip stations and pop-up bars, a world of imaginative mechanics are at your disposal for stand out sampling.

CASE STUDY:LIPTON ICE TEAThis year we joined forces with Lipton Ice Tea to transform drab London pavements - creating ‘pop-up parklets’ where Londoners could enjoy a refreshing ‘perfect serve’ of Lipton Ice Tea.

We ‘refreshed the street’ for Londoners, disrupting routine and encouraged them to take five minutes out from their hectic day.

The activation formed part of an integrated campaign, featuring a summer of free morning events hosted by Lipton to encourage Londoners to make the most of their city.

As well as getting liquid to lips this type of campaign embeds lasting associations with a brand – in this case, appreciation, relaxation and a renewed perspective to name a few.

LET THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES: Sampling not only boosts awareness and enhances brand perceptions, but can also have a serious impact on direct sales. Look no further our train station campaign for Alpro.

The campaign generated an average ROI of £1.14 for every £1 spent, with an impressive 20% of consumers going on to purchase within 4 weeks of the campaign.

If you’re considering a product sampling campaign, we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch to find out how iD can help your brand stand out in 2016.

Anna Jones0207 428 1461