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Sampling rebounded slightly after a dismal 2001, up a modest 9 percent to an estimated $1.34 billion as marketers gingerly resumed campaigns.
“Sampling and events are an easy way to get back in the swing without spending lots of money,” says US Marketing & Promotions Partner Mike Napoliello.
A new attitude is emerging as marketers offer samples to reward interaction or begin a conversation. “It’s always been a wonderful tactic for trial and conversion,” says StartSampling.com ceo Larry Burns, who’s also chairman of the Promotion Marketing Association’s sampling council. “Now it’s a lever for beginning a relationship.”
That’s fueled in great part by a surge in mobile marketing events, where sampling seems less sterile (and goodies pique consumers’ participation). Napoliello calls it “educated sampling,” with a sample as a centerpiece of entertainment or education: “It’s sampling as event, not event sampling.” Events afford longer brand interaction, in a fun context: Unilever served Lipton Side Dishes after moms ran an obstacle course in its Dinner Games 2002 tour (via US Concepts, New York City).
“There’s more pressure to close the loop between advertising and product interaction,” says GMR Marketing President Jay Lenstrom. Durable goods like electronics and tools are increasingly showcased in a fun environment. Robert Bosch Tool Corp.’s Big Blue World Tour lets handymen try tools; each hour, staffers drop a tool from a 10-foot ladder to prove it’ll still operate. “You can’t get that across in an ad,” says Steve Randazzo, president of Bosch’s agency, St. Louis-based Pro Motion. “This touches consumers emotionally.”
Samples woo consumers online, too, where they swap data for products. Seventy percent of consumers have completed a survey to get a sample, per a March 2002 PMA study. “Keep the hurdle reasonable and consumers will [give information] because they believe they’ll get more tailored offers,” says Burns.
Nearly all sampling programs foster more intimate interaction with brands. “Research shows that just getting a sample isn’t a meaningful experience, but if it’s part of an experience with the brand’s personality, the chance of recall is much higher,” says US Concepts President Brad Bryen.
In-store sampling increased in 2002 with a big jump in activity expected this year, driven by Wal-Mart and major grocers. “It’s a cost-effective tool for getting incremental displays,” says Promo Works VP Michael Kent. Mature brands support promotional packs with samples; displays lengthen incremental reach. In-store efforts get more sophisticated as teams pitch brands, not just tastings — some grocers even host cooking demos that showcase ingredients displayed nearby. Items too pricey to give away let consumers take a test drive: Clorox Co. used 70,000 demo days to let shoppers try out ReadyMop, launched last spring (March PROMO). As with all in-store activity, labor continues to be a concern for marketers forced to work with retailers’ preferred vendors.
Direct mail and polybagged sampling was flat or down slightly last year; Valassis Corp. attributed its falloff to fewer product introductions.
The sampling lowlight of 2002 came in July, when about 300 unsuspecting Floridians got Prozac Weekly samples in the mail. One woman sued maker Eli Lilly & Co., her doctor, and her pharmacy for invasion of privacy. It seems zealous Lilly sales reps drafted Walgreens to mail samples in exchange for reimbursement via product-sample coupons. That violated Lilly policy, and eight sales managers and reps were disciplined. Florida’s attorney general has investigated but not charged Lilly with any wrongdoing: The civil suit is pending in court.
PRODUCT SAMPLING SNAPSHOT
total spent in 2002: $1.34 billion
Spending on samples up 9 percent last year
Demos deliver brand personality
Samples become a carrot for relationship marketing
