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Sampling as a promotional tool is on the rise, and despite the extra investment involved with creating and distributing the packages, the response can be significant. Creative fragrance sampling, in particular, is an important weapon in a brand marketer’s arsenal.
Sampling as a whole is seeing notable growth, according to the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) 6th Annual State-of-the-Promotion Industry 2004 Report. In 2003, growth reached into the double digits at 11%, compared with 5% in 2001 and 9% the year before.
The importance of sampling systems is recognized by a variety of industries, but this promotional segment is also weighted down by a negative perception: according to the same report, “sampling unfortunately tends to have the reputation as an expensive promotion tool.”
The investment needed for a sampling promotion is perhaps more significant than other promotional tools, but the advantage of allowing consumers to experience the product cannot be underestimated. And creative sampling programs can create even greater return on investment—propelling a once unknown product into a market leader.
A great example of the promise of sampling comes from a business author. In July 2000, online promotion specialist and New York Times bestselling business author Seth Godin put his marketing beliefs to the test by giving away his book—Unleashing the IdeaVirus—as a downloadable file. The file could be obtained at well-known web sites such as Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.
After offering the free e-book for several months, a hardcover version sold at Amazon.com, followed by a paperback version. The book, its unusual marketing plan, and the publicity that went with it, propelled Unleashing the IdeaVirus to the bestseller #5 on Amazon.com.
Godin’s out-of-the-box thinking did wonders for his product and the lesson is universal. No matter what the industry, creative thinking when it comes to designing and distributing promotional giveaways can be very effective.
“The search for interesting and exciting ways of sampling is key to the growth of businesses. It’s about creating excitement at the counter. We are in the entertainment business. You have to sample when you entertain. It’s called ‘coming attractions’,” said Neil Katz, president and chief executive of Gemini Cosmetics.
With a sample, Katz added, “You are giving the consumer the ability to also experience it in a small way so they know whether they want to get more involved with it and make a purchase.”
Creativity Through Construction
Marketers can make the most of sampling promotional dollars through innovative sampling systems. These constructions aid in making a brand stand out from its competition and serve to strengthen brand imagery.
“My advice to brand marketers is to think outside of the box. Don’t get tied into doing the same thing over and over again. Try something different. Use the services of your sampling supplier to see how things will look and feel. The biggest thing is to think outside of the box because there are always alternatives,” said Jim Gabilanes, vice president of sales and marketing for Flexpaq in South Plainfield, NJ. Flexpaq offers various sampling services, including design, printing, manufacturing, assembly, filling and testing.
Gemini Cosmetics is using several innovative sampling systems for its recently launched fragrances, Tommy Bahama for Men and Tommy Bahama for Women. Designed in-house, one creative sampling system features a matchbook construction with vials of fragrance and golf accessories inside.
Printed by Shorewood Packaging, New York City, the matchbook-shaped carton mimics the graphics on the retail-sized Tommy Bahama fragrances. Inside, recipients are treated to a small vial of fragrance with a spray dispenser, three golf tees and a ball marker with a Tommy Bahama symbol on it. The samples—approximately a million and a half of them—are mainly distributed in-store and given out at special store events.
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| Tommy Bahama fragrance cards from Scentisphere. |
“Tommy Bahama is an elegant brand, very up-market. It appeals to the people who play golf, have second homes, and travel a lot. We wanted to give them something where they can try the product and feel as though they were given something important, in addition to constantly reminding them of Tommy Bahama and its new fragrance,” said Katz.
To reach a greater number of consumers, Gemini Cosmetics is also using several other sampling constructions. The LiquaTouch by Arcade Marketing, New York City, is a flat, patented sampler that seals the actual fragrance between two layers of heat-sealed laminates. The fragrance is applied through an applicator pad.
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| These Tommy Bahama sampling systems feature a matchbox construction, with a spray vial of fragrance and golf accessories. |
The Tommy Bahama brand also gets a promotional boost from Rub’nSmell, marketed by Scentisphere of Valhalla, NY. Printed cards are treated with clear Rub’nSmell over-varnish. When rubbed, the scent is released. The advantage, said Katz, is that testing units aren’t required at the Tommy Bahama presentation. As far as Tommy Bahama is concerned, these samplers work especially well in small boutiques and golf resorts.
Other Samplers for Maintaining Brand Identity
Aside from cards and vials, packettes are familiar constructions that help ensure a brand maintains its brand identity. Diecut packettes in particular—packages cut in custom shapes—are an increasingly popular way to package a fragrance sample.
“A lot of marketers recognize the fact that for brand recognition, rather than use a rectangle or a square, a diecut packette in the outline of your uniquely shaped bottle or cap will stand out amongst other samples,” said Gabilanes.
Diecut packettes are often more expensive than a standard shaped packette, but cost can be controlled with a few considerations. That’s because cost is based on the amount of film waste in the packette creation process, said Margery Woodin, vice president of marketing and sales for Indentipak in McAllen, TX. “If your original design is tall, skinny and horizontal, that probably means you won’t be wasting the edges. If you start thinking about circular shapes, then you are going to be wasting corners. So extra expense (as compared with standard packettes) can range from about a single percent to 30%.”
Despite the cost increase, “I suggest that brand marketers do choose a diecut package. They are taking the image of the brand directly to the consumer. That’s why I think imitating the shape of the actual container in the pouch shape is one of the best sampling systems,” said Woodin.
Diecut packettes aren’t the only sampling constructions that enhance brand image. While an innovative sample can be a standout by itself, some brand marketers pack extra sampling punch by grouping samples together.
Victoria’s Secret Beauty, for example, asked supplier Valois, Congers, NY, to produce a presentation box of samples. The box featured five 2ml Teleglass Sprays, decorated with an invisible Sampl’Stick label developed by Valois.
The Teleglass Sprays are Valois’ classic sample bottle design. Each bottle is filled with a different colored juice, and when grouped together in a decorated box it creates a smart presentation for Victoria’s Secret Beauty.
Creativity Through Distribution
Familiar methods of sample distribution include department store giveaways, direct mailed samples and magazine inserts. These distribution methods can quickly reach a broad audience. Some marketers, however, choose a more targeted campaign — grabbing consumer’s attention through unusual distribution channels.
Sampling system supplier Rexam Dispensing Systems challenges customers to find unusual venues to distribute samplers, mainly because specialty spots can attract more targeted audiences.
“We encourage our customers to organize sampling in original spots like night clubs, spas, concerts and airplanes,“ said Eric Desmaris, marketing manager for the Purchase, NY-company. “For instance, if you want to target people between the ages of 15 and 18 who like a certain kind of music, you should consider sampling at a concert where the singer sings that type of music. Then you can be sure you are in touch with your target audience.”
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| Coty Beauty is using the Internet to distribute samples of Celine Dion Parfums Belong. |
Distribution through the Internet is also an increasingly popular way to reach targeted audiences. There are many online sites where people exchange personal information in return for free samples. Other brand marketers choose more controlled distribution, offering free samples through their brand web sites.
For its launch of Celine Dion Parfums Belong, Coty Beauty’s sampling strategy was to reach a broad number of consumers. “We feel very strongly about the scent, and when a woman opens up the scent we are confident the woman will be inclined to purchase it,” said Marcie Davidson, senior marketing manager of Coty Beauty Global Fragrances.
The company decided on traditional distribution methods for its current sampling promotion, using 13 million fragrance scented strips in May and June magazines and six million fragrance scented strips in in-store catalogs.
Aside from traditional distribution channels, Coty Beauty is also using the Internet as a tool in its sampling promotion. Consumers can request samples through the brand’s web site, www.celinedionbeauty.com. Once requested, consumers will receive a handsomely printed card featuring thin packettes of two different fragrances.
The fragrance, according to Coty Beauty, is intended to celebrate the everyday moments in Dion’s life. The front cover of the sampling system enhances this image, featuring a laughing Celine Dion in what appears to be a spontaneous, casual pose.
Another innovative way to distribute sampling is through cross marketing, where a sample is grouped with a different retail-sized product. While its common to pair two beauty products together, some campaigns take cross marketing to a new level.
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| Arcade Marketing’s Glow by JLO samplers were included with Jennifer Lopez CDs. |
When Glow by JLo was launched in 2002, fragrance samples were included in a number of CDs by recording artist Jennifer Lopez. The sampling system was a small folded piece that included Arcade Marketing’s DiscCover label, a technology where essential fragrance oil is trapped between two film layers. The construction can be resealed and reopened for multiple uses.
“When her music fans would buy the latest Jennifer Lopez CD, inside would be our DiscCover sampler,” explained Louis Zafonte, senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development for sample supplier Arcade Marketing located in New York City. “They were able to tap into a consumer who was already predisposed to the brand.”
Suppliers foresee other creative cross-marketing ideas. Valois’ Clic and Dream could be cross-marketed into clothing, said Ed Quinn, national director of sales—perfumery and cosmetics. The Clic and Dream features a plastic packet with a spray dispenser, housed in a curved paperboard envelope that can be printed.
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| Sampling systems Rexam created for Estée Lauder, alongside retail-sized products. |
Considerations for Fragrance Samples
When choosing a sampling system, Woodin of Indentipak said customers should decide upon two other items first: “The main issues are how much product do you want to give away, and how are you going to give it away. What’s going to be your method of distribution?”
For Woodin, whose company focuses on flexible pouches, the answers to these questions effect package design. For example, a pouch created for direct mailing must use a thicker film than is need for other types of packettes. And fragrances with over an ounce inside, she stressed, warrant a large packette that would be hard to mail without a secondary package.
Distributing through the mail requires other considerations. “You have to design a package that will maintain its integrity. When constructing the package, outside forces such as increased pressure from shipping and processing, must be considered,” said Gabilanes of Flexpaq.
Aside from construction considerations related to distribution, fragrances can sometimes be a challenge for packagers as they are sometimes classified as hard to hold.
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| Glenroy produced and printed the pouch material for Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea sample. |
“The fragrances offer a different set of challenges for flexible packaging companies. Some of the active ingredients that are contained in fragranced lotions, gels, conditioners, ointments, etc. can react with the components of the package,” said Gary Bobko, vice president of marketing and sales for flexible packaging manufacturer Glenroy in Menomonee Falls, WI.
Compatibility issues must be accounted for in sample design. Rexam Dispensing Systems, for instance, has developed the SP5 pump for the Sofilux spray sampler. The pump features a glass ball instead of a metal ball, and a spring outside of the dosage chamber.
The pump is configured in this way because metal can react badly with some fragrances. “In some fragrances, the metal part can rust. The rust can affect the fragrance smell and the color. It can also stain clothes,” explained Desmaris. “The quality of the sample should be a reflection of the quality of the retail unit. It’s a mini-product, it’s not only a sample.”
Fragrances can also take a toll on flexible packaging materials. If it reacts with the first layer of material — often a polyethylene liner, said Woodin — it can cause migration, weight loss, product evaporation and de-lamination. None of which earn any points with the consumer.
For these reasons, testing is crucial. Many suppliers, such as Glenroy, offer comprehensive databases of fragrance ingredients and compatible packaging materials. Glenroy and other suppliers can also test fragrance compatibility to ensure the best possible sampling promotions.
A good sampling strategy provides for time to test properly. “One suggestion I have for brand marketers is to allow for time to test the fragrance for compatibility, because testing for anybody is a minimum of six weeks,” said Woodin.
The last major consideration is the demographic a brand marketer is trying to reach with the sample, and what constructions and designs work best for that group. For instance, “if it’s a younger demographic, what do they want in terms of artwork and feel?” asked Quinn. “The younger generation may not want to mess around and try to open a vial. They want convenience, where they can open it, use it once, throw it away.”
Big Returns
According to the Promotional Marketing Association’s 6th Annual State of the Promotional industry 2004 Report, sampling only makes up 1% of promotional spending. But is an important little piece.
“What we talk about is return on investment. Some sampling vehicles return much greater ad recall, which is a key metric. Some of the sampling vehicles return a very high purchase intent figure, that’s also a metric. And thirdly, one of the most important metrics is length of engagement, for instance, how long they spend looking at an ad” said Zafonte. “It’s not so much what the sampling technologies cost, because we have a wide range of prices for the various technologies, it’s the performance of the technology. That’s the important thing.”
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