Let’s start with a question. What do Weight Watchers, Fox’s Biscuits and the Body Shop have in common? Apart from the fact that they are all well-known household brands, they are also huge advocates of high street product sampling.

And many other brands are following suit.

Despite the prevalence of low cost online advertising and e-commerce, product sampling on the high street is still a common sight. In fact it’s almost impossible to pop to the local shopping centre without being offered a free doughnut, anti-wrinkle cream or toothpaste sample.

And the reason is simple: shopping centres deliver a high concentration of visitor footfall. For example, Westfield shopping centre had over 48 million visitors in 2014, and these very same visitors spent £970 million in the same calendar year. And other large UK shopping centres attract a similar number of visitors, such as Essex’s Lakeside Thurrock, Manchester’s Arndale Centre, Newcastle’s Metrocentre and Birmingham’s Bullring, to name a few.

With so many high streets and shopping centres to choose from, and the opportunity to engage with a huge number of potential customers face-to-face, it’s no surprise that brands are continuing to invest in increasingly interactive and experiential product sampling campaigns.

NIVEA

NIVEA for example, recently ran an innovative product sampling campaign to promote their new in-Shower Body Moisturiser, at Birmingham’s Bullring Shopping Centre, and Bluewater in Kent. The experiential activity involved high-impact branded installations that featured fully frosted showers, along with changing rooms where shoppers got the chance to try NIVEA In-Shower Body Moisturiser first hand. Brand ambassadors were available to answer questions and demonstrate that moisturising is now as simple as taking a shower.

Those who were willing to take part received a kit consisting of a swimming costume, a pair of flip-flops, shower caps, a robe and towel, as well as a £20 shopping voucher as a reward.

This product sampling campaign was extremely effective, as it engaged four out of five senses – sight, sound, smell and touch – of a potential buyer. Coupled with this, brand ambassadors were present to engross prospects on an emotional level and drive sales.

Product Sampling with Hotcow

At Hotcow, our extensive experience, along with our intelligent selection of locations means that we can help you create highly targeted promotional product sampling campaigns that will generate sales and boost ROI. Check out some of our case studies if you don’t believe us!

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.