Sampling Smarts

General Mills wants Hispanic moms to know “What a rich and wonderful life” it is. It sounds sexier and more colorful in Spanish: “Qué Rica Vida,” the tagline for Mills’ campaign launched this month to drive trial via thousands of samples.

Free goodie bags filled with coupons, scrumptious recipes and samples of Honey Nut Cheerios, La Lachera Flakes, Betty Crocker Fruit Flavored snacks, Dora the Explorer cereal and other products are being distributed to consumers by bi-lingual Qué Rica Vida brand ambassadors at 200 retail locations across Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Florida. A free Qué Rica Vida magazine — published by Editorial Televisa, Miami — featuring recipes, educational items and health and wellness tips, is tucked under consumers’ arms.

“As demographics continue to shift, it’s important that our marketing efforts appeal to the growing consumer segments,” says Rodolfo Rodriguez, director of multicultural marketing, General Mills. “Engaging Hispanic women on a personal level and communicating the program benefits in a comfortable and festive environment will work to create a buzz within the community.”

The Mills initiative runs through March 2007 at grocers such as H.E.B., Food City, Ralph’s, Food 4 Less, Foodtown, Fry’s and El Super among others. Market Vision, San Antonio, handles. Retail circulars and Quericavida.com support the initiative.

Hispanics’ purchasing power reached $767.8 billion last year, a more than $200 billion leap from $564.3 billion in 2000, all the more reason brands are crafting sampling programs around the demographic. And if that’s not enough, the number of Hispanics reached 41.8 million last year, a 3% rise over the previous year. The result? Hispanics now represent an 8.9% chunk of the total U.S. purchasing power, according to Hispanic Business Inc. To meet the demand, brands poured $3.3 billion into marketing to Hispanics last year, a 6.8% jump over the previous year.

Tyson Foods is already selling its products in cities with high Hispanic populations: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, New York and Phoenix, but it wanted to enhance its reach and drive trial though sampling. It tapped its AOR for Hispanic Marketing, Lopez Negrete Communications, along with its AOR, Arnold Brand Promotions, Boston, to design a Protein Patrol (think mobile kitchen) that is on the road targeting events frequented by Hispanics.

On Sept. 10 and 17 the Patrol (two 14-foot trailers with the “Powered by Tyson” logo splashed on its side and tail) rolls into Dallas and Houston for the Mexican festival Fiesta Patras. Bi-lingual street teams will hand out branded water bottles, T-shirts, caps and aprons, while attendees enjoy samples of Tyson chicken nuggets, chicken patties and crispy chicken strips. At several stops, celebrity icon and brand ambassador for Tyson’s Hispanic push, Chef Pepin, will whip up samples and chat with event goers.

“You are ignoring a huge chunk of the population if you don’t interact and market to the Hispanic population,” says Tyson’s Brand Manager Chad Fox. “A lot of our products over index with the group. We’re not just trying to translate a general market campaign, but we want to touch on cultural cues to make everyone know that we’re a part of their community.”

Meanwhile, other marketers try to identify the Hispanic market they need to reach: the more traditional Spanish language market, and/or the relatively new, English speaking or bilingual second and third-generation market, Hispanic Business says.

“A Hispanic in Miami is different from one in California, Texas or New York,” says Roy Cook, president, San Francisco-based Impact Media, which runs sampling campaigns.

Mexican food manufacturer La Costeña knows that well. The San Antonio-based company runs a 17-week tour that visits top Hispanic markets across eight U.S. cities to dish out thousands of meals prepared with its products. The tour, dubbed Gira ‘Desafía el Picante sabor de los jalapeños’ La Costeña (La Costeña Feel the Heat Jalapeño Eating Challenge Tour) stops at Cinco de Mayo fiestas, health fairs, flea markets, recreational parks and retail locations.

Its programming, music, activities, samples and premiums “have been created to specifically relate to the Hispanic community and the Mexican culture,” says Clara Carrier, group account manager at Marketing Werks, Chicago, which handles the events.

All aspects, including meals prepared in a mobile vehicle, “showcase the warmth and festive spirit of the Mexican culture,” Carrier says.

The activities “not only create a family-oriented atmosphere that attracts the demographic, but also brings more to the experience than just sampling,” Carrier says. Some 3,500 meals prepared with La Costeña’s jalapeños or the brand’s canned foods are sampled at each event. The result? A 15% lift in sales this year (numbers that can make a brand say ‘Muchas Gracias’). The tour, which rolled through California and Texas since its spring launch, ends in Chicago on Sept. 17, also at Fiestas Patrias.

Others have lined up too to sample to the market. McNeil Nutritionals, LLC’s Splenda brand launches a Moments of Sweetness mobile kitchen tour this fall. The tour targets Latino festivals and retail events throughout Los Angeles. Consumers will sample chocolate chip cookies and tropical punch made with Splenda’s sweetener. In-store sampling events will provide information about the company’s new Spanish-language Web site, SplendaEnEspanol.com.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that the Hispanic population will reach 47.76 million by 2010, representing an astounding 15.5 % of the total U.S. population.

Be sure to check out the 2007 SAMPLING PLANNER online promomagazine.com