My neighborhood has been absolutely crazy this week as Propel Fitness Water promoters have begun a sampling blitz. These guys are everywhere! They’re at the local beach on the weekends, outside my gym in the evenings, and even stationed on the corner near my local Caribou Coffee. I grabbed a sample, popped open the cap, took a sip, and thought to myself…“hmmm, pretty tasty.”
And then I thought to myself “hey, these Propel folks aren’t that dumb. Their sampling campaign is actually quite strategic and well executed!”
Sampling is Smart for the Right Products
Let’s start with the basics. Sampling is a good strategy if you need to increase awareness and consideration for your product. No, you shouldn’t sample old-fashioned Ivory Soap because most of us have tried it at some point in our life. But if you’re Propel Fitness Water with few consumers that have ever tasted your product then sampling could be a good approach.
Of course there are some product characteristics that make sampling more appropriate: simple trial feature set (providing samples of only a portion of your product is popular in software), ability to reduce sample volume (a popular approach in consumer products), and a popular-price point positioning (stray away from sampling luxury goods for fear that your brand appeal will erode).
Most Important: Have a Good Product
This may seem obvious, but you better make dang sure that your product will be appealing to the folks that sample it. As marketers it’s easy to convince ourselves that the products we manage are vastly superior to competitors’…but often that’s not the case.
My sample experience with Propel was positive because it was tasty (grape flavor) and much better than the unflavored water I expected it to be.
If your product is run-of-the-mill, with little differentiation, think twice before pursuing sampling. People will take free stuff…but your goal is to blow them away and purchase your product later.
Target Your Sampling Demographic…and Own Them
One important thing to understand about my neighborhood is that it’s inhabited by young, successful, single narcissists…a perfect demographic and psychographic target for Propel Fitness Water (with brand positioning that appeals to “active bodies”).
Rather than spread itself over the entire city and hit a wider demo, Propel chose to focus to own my neighborhood over the course of a few days. I’ve probably seen the Propel fellas ten times in the last three days. If I’d only had one encounter it’d be even odds that I’d remember Propel the next time I did grocery shopping. But after ten experiences I’ll definitely remember them during my next trip.
Also, by swarming in and owning the neighborhood over an extended time, the locals have started to talk about Propel casually. One friend asked if me if I planned to “blog about those Propel guys.” Casual conversations about Propel carry a level of implicit recommendation that company-sponsored marketing efforts will never achieve.
Special Note on Measurement
Measuring the impact of this sampling campaign is actually quite easy with. Propel conducted their sampling in a dense urban residential zone with no more than three supermarkets. Many (or perhaps most) of us don’t own a car and do our shopping locally. By establishing a pre-sample baseline and comparing actual sales to baseline projections (without sampling interference) at the local supermarkets and convenience stores, Propel can get some accurate numbers on their sales lift. I love that!
Bottom Line
Strategists: Don’t jump into sampling--it’s not right for everyone. If it’s right for you, carefully consider who you want to sample, how many samples/encounters are necessary to change shopping habits, and devise a sales measurement plan before starting your campaign.
Designers: Sampling involves the experience beyond the actual product. Be sure to plan how your samplers will dress, how they will display your product, and even consider creating talking points that are on-brand and on-message.
