06.03.08
| ThermaFuse has introduced travel-approved sizes for all of its hair care categories. |
Sample and trial sizes are growing in number—and yielding big results.
By Leah Genuario
Contributing Editor
Blame it on the tank of gas consumers bought on the way to the mall. Fuel prices, a sluggish housing market and layoff worries have given way to bleak 2008 retail forecasts. Back in January, The National Retail Federation forecasted a scant 3.5% increase in retail sales this year.
Actual first quarter sales proved to be a bit more sobering, with March retail sales increasing 0.1% unadjusted year-over-year. Personal care fared better than other categories, however: The National Retail Federation reported a 2.8% rise unadjusted from last March.
The current economic climate has brand marketers scrambling to make the most of every dollar spent on promotions. Costs versus returns are weighed even more carefully than before. While sampling programs can add additional costs to marketing campaigns, they can also yield impressive results at the checkout line.
“Sampling is becoming more and more critical in reaching the end consumer, affording a means to trial before you buy. With the state of the economy, consumers are more and more reluctant to trial a new product in its retail size without first trying it,” says Don Hopta, sales manager for Klocke America, Fort Myers, FL.
A sampling initiative, done well and distributed strategically, has a track record of results. In the case of magazine distribution, “we know for a fact that using a sample increases sales versus a run of book ad. Depending on the type of sample, we can see double digit increases,” says Diane Crecca, vice president sales, marketing and business development for Arcade Marketing, New York, NY.
“Samples distributed in the right place can have a major impact on sales. We have some customers who started ordering their samples in lots of 10,000, our minimum order, that are now ordering millions. And in many of those cases, the method of distribution was very important,” says Anthony Gentile, director of art and marketing for Xela Pack, Inc. in Saline, MI.
Samples within Magazines
Distributing samples through magazines remains a popular way to reach target audiences with a new personal care product or fragrance.
| Flexpaq's Stickpaq can be used as a unit dose package or a sample. |
What type of sample constructions work with magazine distribution? There are many, including the venerable fragrance-scented strip. Invented by Arcade Marketing in 1979, “Scentstrip is still the most popular form of scent sampling in the industry. It is inexpensive, and is, in fact, an encapsulated version of the actual fragrance oil,” comments Crecca. “It can be run in magazines, catalogs, as well as being used to hand out in store.”
Scentstrips also have a proven track record. In its Women’s Fragrance 2005 report, market researcher Mintel reports: “18 percent of women say that they tend to buy a new fragrance after they have smelled it on a scented strip.”
But with fierce competition, brand marketers continue to look for new and innovative ways to reach audiences through sample magazine distribution.
Hot Off the Press
Crecca reports increased interest in “multi-dimensional sampling,” which she describes as “a sample with a pop-up or a sound chip.” For example, Arcade Marketing recently completed a project for the new Gwen Stefani fragrance.
Consumers who curiously unfold the ad are greeted by a pop-up of Gwen Stefani and Arcade Marketing’s Scent Seal sample. The Scent Seal is “a pull-apart technology that provides the consumer with a moist, wearable fragrance trial,” says Crecca.
Indigo by Valois also made waves in the world of magazine sample distribution with its introduction of Imagin several years ago. Imagin can be presented flat for magazine insertion, but the construction is expandable after a consumer pulls it off the ad, delivering sprays of the real fragrance. Imagin first commercially debuted with an Estée Lauder Pleasures ad featured in Us Weekly.
Sampling Through Taste
And if all this olfactory and tactical sampling isn’t enough, one supplier entices consumers to trial through taste. It may seem a bit surreal for a consumer to pluck something off a magazine page and insert it into her mouth, but it is already reality.
| First Flavor's technology allows consumers to go ahead and eat the ad! |
“The real art is that we make them taste exactly like a food, beverage, flavored lipgloss or toothpaste. We can match the flavor very accurately. That’s no small matter,” says Jay Minkoff, president and CEO of First Flavor, Inc., in Bala Cynwyd, PA.
Although food and beverage marketers are the most obvious candidates for the new promotional tool, First Flavor’s Peel ’N Taste strips are catching the eye of a few beauty brand marketers as well.
“It’s about how to get your ad or promotion noticed,” says Minkoff. “Hey, wait a minute. I’ve never tasted an ad before.”
Peel ’N Taste is packaged as a single piece of edible film enclosed in a foil pouch. The product is mainly distributed through print advertisements, direct mail and point of sale promotions.
Arm & Hammer Advance White Brilliant Sparkle toothpaste recently tested Peel ’N Taste at the point of sale, trialing a dispenser in Wegmans markets this fall. According to an independent analysis, the promotion delivered a 66% unit sales lift, says Minkoff.
Creative Distributions
There are many other ways to deliver trial sizes to target demographics. Xela Pack, for example, has seen a healthy interest in event distribution.
“We are finding that many companies are releasing products and marketing them at major events that are focused towards a similar target market,” comments Gentile. “We have produced samples that companies have distributed at major events such as awards banquets in Hollywood, black tie affairs and even concert tours.”
Flexpaq Corporation, South Plainfield, NJ, offers customers the Stickpaq, an alternative to a packet. The film lamination can be printed using flexography or rotogravure processes and is available in either opaque or clear.
“The Stickpaq is ideal for use as a unit dose package or a sample. It can easily be packaged in a secondary container and offered at retail. Its narrow profile also allows it to be used as a cross-sample package that can fit in the corner of a folding carton or other secondary package,” says Jim Gabilanes, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Flexpaq.
One-on-One Distribution
Professional hair care company ThermaFuse uses sample packaging as a tool for hair stylists to promote their retail business. Its preferred method of distribution is one-on-one.
“Bringing retail to a salon is a bit of a challenge,” says Van Stamey, CEO of the brand. The samples allow a consumer to bring it home and trial it, “and then buy it on the next visit,” he adds.
ThermaFuse offers combined shampoo and conditioner samples as gifts with purchase to salon owners, who then distribute the samples to clientele. Two square packettes, holding 1/3 oz. of shampoo or conditioner, are joined together and encased in a paperboard sleeve. Algoma, WI-based WS Packaging supplies both the foil packettes and the sleeves.
“The sleeves communicate the brand message,” says Joni Rae Russell, president of marketing, packaging and creative services firm Joni Rae Russell & Associates, Encino, CA, who teamed with ThermaFuse on its marketing efforts. The sleeves are color coordinated to the retail-sized bottles and also feature photos of the full-size versions. The packettes, just like the originals, come in four formulas: moisture, volume, color care and strength.
Gift with Purchase
Giving sample sizes away after purchase remains an excellent way to build brand loyalty. Invented in the 1950s by Estée Lauder, Gift with Purchase was a way to treat loyal clientele.
The Clinique brand, launched in 1968, has always made Gift with Purchase programs an integral part of the brand. Its Gift with Purchase promotions often include six product pieces together with a cosmetic bag.
| Sample packages from James Alexander highlight decorating possibilities. |
The company pays special attention to retaining a cohesive image with its gifts. The Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion for example, which is included in many of the gifts, “is an exact replica of the saleable version, down to the silver cap,” says Susman.
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Travel Restrictions No Small Deal
Not everything small is free. Many consumers are looking for good things in small packages because of new travel restrictions or a generally on-the-go lifestyle.
“Single use packaging is on the rise because of restrictions with travel,” explains Bernadette Salerno, sales representative for Unette Corporation, Wharton, NJ.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration mandates that liquids, gels and aerosols carried through security checkpoints in a carry-on must adhere to strict policies.
Specifically, these products must be housed in containers that are three ounces or smaller. The items must then be stowed in a quart-sized, transparent bag with a zip top.
Many companies offer small sizes sold as a kit or individually. ThermaFuse, for example, has a whole line of airline-friendly, 2-oz. sizes. The miniatures are intended for loyal customers who can’t do without their favorite products. Purchased individually, the products are color-coded according to formulation, just like the full-sized product.
Red Light for ‘Green’
There’s another trend afoot within the world of small-sized packages. With popular culture gravitating toward environmental conservationism these days, many companies have tried to provide products and packaging aimed at minimizing environmental impact.
Xela Pack, for example, reports that its most requested sample package at the moment is its 100% PCRP Kraft Xela Pack. “The natural brown look of the material complements natural and organic products very well, and those products are in high demand currently,” adds Gentile.
But aggressive formulations, often found in personal care products, can make ‘going green’ virtually impossible. “We see lots of requests for green structures,” says Chris Rollo, business manager for Glenroy in Menomonee Falls, WI. “But when it comes to shampoo, conditioners, cleaners, facial scrubs and many, many other items I do not see how suppliers can produce a pouch that will not need to contain foil or some sort of a co-extruded laminate. Once these structures are put together, they cannot be separated for recycling,” explains Rollo.
Other suppliers contend that despite the general environmental goodwill, it isn’t translating in reality. “Everyone wants everything to be green, but the truth is it’s a throwaway society,” says Carol Gamsby, sales manager for James Alexander Corp., Blairstown, NJ. “Everyone is on the go now. You want something convenient, you want something you can throw in your purse and take with you.”
Looking Good
No matter how a sample is distributed or what it’s constructed of, one of the most vital aspects of a sample package is how it looks. Suppliers offer a number of ways to make the most of decoration. Among many other decorating options, James Alexander Corp. offers foil caps on its glass ampoules. “Everyone wants something different,” says Gamsby. In regards to foil caps, “it’s flashy, it stands out, it’s eye catching.”
Rollo of Glenroy notices an increasing trend in using four-color process printing. “They would like the outside of the package to look like a photograph,” he says.
Xela Pack developed a new material last year made with 100% PCRP Kraft paper that features an aqueous white coating. The coating allows “more accurate color matching and more detailed graphics than the Kraft material without the coating,” says Gentile.
Gentile also reports the popularity of metallic colors and foil stamping on recycled and sustainable papers.
Brand owners today possess a number of tools to help increase business in a competitive market. Samples will continue to be an integral one of them. “Samples are one of the best tools for strengthening a brand and driving sales. Samples allow the consumer to find out if a product really lives up to the marketing scheme that promotes it,” says Gentile.
Label Fix for Murad Trial SizesSmall packages are getting more sophisticated in order to keep up with growing regulations. Skincare brand Murad recently teamed with WS Packaging on a point-of-sale merchandising project.
While tube constructions are common for small sizes, this project posed a different packaging challenge that required a special solution. “For this special promotion, Sephora requested the products not be packaged with a unit carton,” says Susie Becerra, purchasing manager for the brand. “The half-ounce tubes alone are better designed for impulse purchases than when paired with a unit carton. Unfortunately, there’s very limited surface area to include the required information for regulatory compliance.” The remedy arrived in the form of WS Packaging’s FlexWrap extended text label. Engineered for sizes as small as 3/8 of an inch, the labels feature a multi-ply construction that is also water-resistant for wet bathroom environments. The innovative label enabled Murad to meet regulatory requirements without marring its brand image. |
