What has great taste and zero alcohol? A 0.0% alcohol-free malt beverage from one of the largest brewers by volume in the world that just needed to go against the grain of standard marketing and use omnichannel sampling to create buzz.
By partnering with Recess over the past year on distributing 1 million samples of their great-tasting 0.0% beer nationwide, this multinational brewing company showed people just how a beverage brewed with devotion could still be just as good as other alcoholic drinks. Just one sip of the insights they got from this campaign could make their envious competitors see green for months.
Our goals: brand awareness and customer insights to refine strategy
Responsible consumption is key for this brewing company. That means they not only champion responsible behaviors after drinking their alcohol but also have created a delicious alcohol-free malt beverage that honors their brand, heritage, and ingredients.
They came to Recess to increase brand awareness and get insights on how to better promote their 0.0% alcohol-free beer to the right customers. We knew from successes with other brand awareness and new product initiatives that we could help through an omnichannel sampling campaign.
Our strategic six-pack of channels for success
We identified several events and venues that would have their desired 21+ audience looking for a refreshing non-alcoholic drink and executed comprehensive tactics to reach everyone.
Here’s what went into brewing a perfectly balanced campaign:
- Samples to all the right people
- Signage for visibility and with QR codes to collect information
- Physical promotional cards with every sample
- Social media blasts through trusted partners
- Targeted, relevant emails
- Persuasive SMS messages to samplers
Not only were consumers encouraged to try the 0.0% alcohol-free beer, but they were also asked to submit an easy-to-complete survey that revealed significant insights.
The achievements by volume (ABV) of our omnichannel campaign
While the alcohol-free sampling didn’t leave consumers staggering, the metrics we achieved for our client might leave you in that state. Because we targeted the right events and regions, more than one million cans and promotional cards were distributed to the target audience.
Our digital marketing campaign stirred up more than 6,000 social impressions, reached more than 128,000 people via email, and achieved an astounding 85% survey completion rate, of which 92% opted into an email list for future promotions. Pour us another one of these campaigns, please!
Crafting memorable experiences
There are metrics we generally know to indicate success but we really have to raise a glass to this one: 56% of those who received a sample purchased the beverage! This included those completely new to the brand and who had heard about it but never bought until after sampling.
The strong purchase intent proved that the sampling experiences we created definitely left an impression on consumers who appreciated the beverage’s full flavor and how they got to enjoy the refreshment.
“I have never tried a non-alcoholic beer before and now I think it just replaced my preferred alcoholic beverage!”
Consistently positive feedback from the consumers and location partners really invigorated the brewing company and gave them ideas for future sampling experiences.
Omnichannel tactics lead to heady insights on tap
Giving consumers multiple opportunities to interact with the brand was key to increasing purchase intent. What we didn’t know before this campaign was how influential sampling would be, so we also surveyed folks who didn’t get a sample. The result? A 34% lift in purchase intent between samplers and non-samplers!
Additionally, our client was able to learn from the surveys where consumers expected and wanted to find their 0.0% alcohol-free beverage for purchase. Our platform was able to help them determine this down to the specific retailer. We also saw the consumption real-time as one location type ended up distributing 52% more samples than the next leading location type.
To sum that up: they now better know the traits of their ideal consumer, where to find them based on behavior, and where they shop. These results were only possible because of the collaboration our teams had on campaign strategy and the powerful platform and network Recess has at the ready for our clients.
Want to brew up a successful sampling strategy of your own?
Recess can take you to the next level. With more than 15,000 opportunities for sampling which you can filter by consumer demographic, customer behavior, location, proximity to retailer, Recess can support your unique brand activation and sampling event execution in turnkey, measurable, and scalable ways. Talk to a Recess expert to learn more.
