“Sampling has to be a highly experiential, interactive and multi-sensory activity if it’s going to work for a brand,” according to Michelle Toft, Chief Marketing Officer for Coregeo®.
“It’s about introducing consumers to your product, starting a dialogue with them, educating them about the brand and its USP. By encouraging them to connect and engage with the brand and to experience a free sample, the aim is to enthuse consumers in order to drive future sales. It’s of no value to give away thousands of free samples for the consumers to go away and never look at your product again.
“Sampling puts your product directly into the hands, mouths and minds of potential new customers so it’s a great opportunity to secure loyal customers as long as you make the experience convincing, memorable and fun. Sampling can be very effective if it’s used as part of a fully integrated marketing campaign which complements other advertising and PR activities.
“Over the summer 35,000 samples of Tenderstem® were distributed through a specific ‘Meet Your Match’ activity using a branded vintage street food van at prime locations and food-related events. The activity was designed to communicate the versatility and simplicity of Tenderstem® and was linked to recipe suggestions, social media activity and PR-led research. During this time sales rose by 17 per cent, website visitors quadrupled and Twitter engagement increased by 250 per cent. Brand awareness and understanding has increased and the activity has helped to develop the brand’s personality online. Pink Lady® also went on tour in the summer with a four-week Twitter-activated sampling mechanic which delivered more than 80,000 samples through a Pink Lady® ‘Tweet Tree’ and a team of brand ambassadors. Sales of Pink Lady® apples continue to grow by nine per cent in the year to date.”
Michelle said: “We know from experience that when consumers try our products they are very likely to go and buy them again in the future. Our playful campaigns really engaged and delighted our target consumers while enabling us to communicate key messages about our products at the same time.”
