Omnichannel product sampling is a valuable way to get consumers to learn about your product. Many companies will try this tactic, so CPG brands have to get creative about how to stand out from the competition and make an impression.
One approach (and it’s a crucial one if your product can’t be left sitting out) is to involve cold storage and serve chilled products. At first consideration, it may seem complicated and logistics coordination might have your head spinning, but fret not. Bring in a partner like Recess that can manage the innovative sampling campaign ideas you have, from beginning to end.
Ice cold sampling success can be achieved with turnkey campaign execution
Partners that have experience in all types of omnichannel product sampling campaigns and sampling strategies know how to navigate precious refrigeration shelf space and venues that infrequently have cold storage options available. They facilitate the management of sampling locations ahead of the events and/or involve the CPG brands well in advance to coordinate prime sampling experiences.
Wondering how this fine art of sampling gets handled? Check out these four outstanding cold sampling campaigns we deployed with the power of execution excellence and the coolest partners.
Cold product sampling craftiness shines for Kraft Homebake frozen dinners
Frozen foods have come a long way for American households over the years, and they truly are for all types of people. One target market that Kraft homed in on for a product sampling campaign with Recess was busy parents of school-aged children for their frozen HomeBake entrees and sides and Mac and Cheese.
The campaign goal was to increase brand and product awareness with this audience, so we partnered with over 1,000 schools in San Diego, Chicago, and Phoenix to distribute more than half a million samples to faculty and parents. Activation points were at school events and parent pick-up locations to ensure that we served everyone.
Access to the refrigeration spaces of these schools for each of the 440 distribution events allowed participants to get their products in their best states: frozen. We were delighted to hear from parents how much their kids enjoyed the samples and that Kraft Homebake meals would become staple parts of weeknight meal plans!
Chilled Perfect Snacks samples led to product sampling perfection at fitness studios
Increasing brand awareness and driving product purchases were top of mind for our Perfect Snacks omnichannel product sampling campaign in partnership with 10 Orangetheory Fitness locations in Florida. These healthful snacks have just the right balance of tastiness and whole ingredients that fitness enthusiasts seek.
To make sure the snack-sized samples would please fitness studio members, our location partners had the products chilled to perfection. After long workouts in the Floridian heat, the members really appreciated cold treats.
We were able to distribute 8,000 bars across all locations and reach tens of thousands more people through pairing sampling events with digital marketing. A big gain for the campaign? Many asked the Orangetheory Fitness staff where they could buy the full products and purchased right after their gym visit!
Frosty Dream Pops make omnichannel product sampling so much sweeter
Tapping into the joy of healthy food lovers at fitness studios was a breeze for Dreams Pops who aimed to bring product awareness to this demographic through product sampling. Participating fitness studios like F45 shared with the CPG brand that members were raving about the samples and motivated to purchase the products using accompanying promotional cards.
What really thrilled the nearly 4,000 fitness studio members we reached with the treats? Making sure all samples were chilled to highlight their delicious flavors and directing people to nearby retailers with promotional coupons. Gym-goers had a frosty pop while on cooldown and then popped over to a store to pick up more frozen delights for later!
Koia plant-based drinks shake up product sampling with refreshingly cold bottles for all
Across multiple venues Koia product sampling events captivated participants with tasty chilled drinks. More than 10,000 bottles were distributed at fitness studios, races, and drive-in theaters; each partner really made the brand activation special.
Key to delighting customers was refreshing samples. Fitness studio members and runners really loved the products as hydrating post-exercise treats, and drive-in attendees loved having a delicious cold beverage to pair with their movies. One gym even noted that their members thought it was the best product they’ve ever sampled.
Looking to make your product sampling campaigns cooler than cool?
Recess can help. With more than 15,000 opportunities for sampling which you can filter by consumer demographic, customer behavior, location, proximity to retailer, Recess can support unique brand activation and sampling event execution in turnkey, measurable, and scalable ways. Talk to a Recess expert to learn more.
