The Value of Sampling

By Victoria Whitley

According to 2007 PROMO Industry Trends Report, “spending on sampling rose 9.4% to $2 billion” due to its ability to “engage consumers, foster brand interaction and measure ROI.” Deemed as “advertrying” in a recent AdAge.com article, sampling has gone through a resurgence in the past few years evolving from a high priced tactic of handing out free products to the new mass media buy. According to AdAge.com, brands like McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks are jumping on board, looking for new ways to target the consumer in a pinched economy. So, why all the sampling hype?

Consumer Engagement
In a recent survey held by the Product Sampling Council of Promotion Marketing Association, nine out of ten consumers say they would purchase a good or service if they experienced it and were satisfied. Consumers are looking to test products before making their purchasing decisions and the more a brand can provide them with a sample trial, the more willing and confident a consumer feels to make a final purchase. Engaging the consumer through trial sampling allows brands the ability to make an impactful connection with the consumer leading to a higher likelihood of a final purchasing decision.

Another aspect of consumer engagement is word of mouth. Even if the consumer does not use the sampling product, they are likely to pass it on to someone else, thus providing a greater footprint for the brand.

Accountability and Effective ROI
In a recent AdAge.com article, Seth Goldman, the founder of Honest Tea was quoted as saying, “We can look at sales numbers in ZIP codes of the areas that we’ve sampled and look for spikes in sales.” Sampling provides an accountability factor due to the ease of tracking the campaign. Whether its coupon samples at a community center or product samples at the local race, local and regional sales responds, thus leaving a clear indication of the success of the program. It redefines “impressions” by creating consumer interaction with the product and measuring the sales impact.

“Did it create effective ROI?” is the determining factor marketers utilize when measuring the success of a promotion and campaign. Of all marketing strategies, sampling continues to be the best route when looking to measure the success of a program. According to Marta Fearson, the director of US-marketing at McDonald’s, “the chain noticed tangible benefits of sampling…resulting in sales that were double digits above expectations.” When ROI is the measurement of choice, sampling simply beats out the marketing competition due to its ability to track sales.

Enhanced Brand Benefits
Sampling in relevant environments where the consumer has an affinity towards the product is important to a campaign’s success. Sampling is an effective marketing tool since the consumer’s association and affinity to the product can be controlled through the relevance of the environment. For example, when a swimmer at a health club is provided a shampoo sample in the locker room after a workout, they are much more likely to test the product due to the relevance and timing of its distribution.

Another sampling benefit to the brand is the increased opportunity of a “halo effect”. A “halo effect” is where the perceived positive features of a particular item extend to a broader brand. Sampling increases the likelihood of a “halo effect” due to its ability to have the consumer test the product, increasing the awareness of the brand and the brand’s other available products. Once the consumer is able to identify the brand's name, as well as create an affinity to the brand, they are more likely to test out other products of the same brand.

Marketing campaigns all come down to effective ROI and with the controlling and relevant benefits that sampling offers, it’s hard to deny this re-emerging marketing tactic.

Sources:

(2007). Try It: Sampling is showing up everywhere. PROMO Industry Trends Report.
Bryson, Emily and Zmuda, Natalie. (2008, May 12). Sampling: The New Mass Medium. AdAge.com.
Martin, Brian F. (2007, October 22). Give it a Try: Put Brands in Consumer’s Hands (Literally). AdAge.com.