The Rise of Sampling as a Brand Experience

The past month has been a busy one for Mango, organising brand sampling activations for two of our newer clients – Goodman Fielder and Nestlé. Both briefs were driven by NPD, but both executions were more than a distribution mechanic.

Product sampling conjures up images of pop up stands in supermarkets where brand ambassadors hand out samples for consumers to try. While still effective, we have found that a brand focused experiential approach to sampling helps capture a new audience, and often one which might not have otherwise tried your product. This updated approach to sampling also allows us to create a point of difference, make the brand memorable and create a positive brand association.

The two sampling activations we’ve done over the last six weeks have been very different in style and execution, but what they did share in common was providing a real brand experience.

First, we worked with Goodman Fielder to create a three week nationwide tour of a yoghurt station sampling new products from three brands – Meadow Fresh Kalo, Naturalea and Puhoi Valley.

For our yoghurt activation we built a substantial 6m x 6m stand with stylised yoghurt cart, interchangeable signage and brand specific dressing. These interchangeable elements allowed us to sample a different brand each day giving a different look and feel to the space each time. Return visitors would find a space that looked familiar but had personal touches aligned with the brand. Over the course of nine days we distributed over 34,000 samples across the three brands.   

Conversely, on the first weekend in December we worked with Nestlé to introduce their seasonal Starbucks At Home range. Taking a ‘Christmas at home’ theme, we fitted out a container where guests could get a Starbucks-branded Christmas photo taken and printed for free, and walk away with Starbuck sample pods. Open to the public from Thursday afternoon to mall close on the Sunday we saw over 6,000 people snapped and sampled.

These personal touches allowed us to create something utterly unique to the brand, providing an alternate approach to sampling with equally successful results. In both these examples, consumer engagement was massive, brand recognition grew and we received plenty of positive anecdotal feedback.

Often we find that brands can be cautious to invest in the more bespoke style of sampling but we know it offers better ROI across the board. In a cluttered market, having a point of difference sets brands apart. While the ultimate goal of sampling can stay at the core having that surprise and delight factor gets our consumers not only telling their friends and family, but also drives them to remember the brand at point of purchase, and helps with brand loyalty.  

When the focus changes from simply getting product into hands to giving consumers an enjoyable experience we find that we have far greater success.