If you’re stepping out into the world of sampling, you don’t necessarily have to create a campaign on a huge scale or give away millions of your products. Small and quirky can be just as effective and persuasive, particularly when it’s backed up by an awesome online campaign.
There are some great examples of smaller-scale sampling campaigns that have really resonated with audiences and created a stir online and offline. One great example of these – albeit not a traditional sampling campaign – came from the UK’s Badger Brewery over the summer.
The beer connoisseurs partnered with digital content gurus, Unilad to create a sampling campaign with a twist. It all started with a competition to design and then win the Ultimate Beer Shed.
Thousands of Badger drinkers entered their ideas to combine two typically British favourites: a good beer and a garden shed. This campaign celebrated and epitomised the British summer time perfectly and at the same time it showcased the brand’s commitment to ‘making beer time better’.
Who doesn’t want the ultimate place to enjoy an ice cold beer right in their garden?
Although the shed looks pretty standard at first glance, there’s much more to it than meets the eye. This clever contraption unfolds like a Swiss Army knife to give you the ultimate space for the ideal BBQ.
It’s complete with tool racks, spice drawers, a fold-down food preparation area and two beer fridges complete with refreshing Badger beer (of course).
The campaign was bound to cause a stir, because although it was small-scale, no detail was overlooked when it came to creating the ultimate beer shed. There was a hidden garden games box and dart board, plus a pull-out seating area with an automatic awning. The perfect set-up for a uniquely British bangers and beers al fresco experience.
Although the design was pretty impressive (which is imperative to the overall success of the campaign) the initial idea for the competition was simple and got the target audience on board right from the get-go.
By packing the fridge full of Badger ales the brand brought their product into the home of the competition winner and made sure that friends and family could sample the award-winning beverage.
It might not be a traditional, large scale sampling campaign, but it’s an example of experiential marketing at its best: relevant and refreshing.
Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.
