06.10.09
| Unit dose packages made with foil laminate from Unette. |
Sample Sale
Today’s sampling constructions offer beauty lines exciting branding opportunities that build loyal customers and drive sales.
By Leah Genuario, Contributing Editor
When Beiersdorf’s Nivea for Men brand set out to launch its Energizing Hydro Gel, the brand tapped Klocke of America’s sampling expertise to create a replica of its full-size retail product. The resulting rigid, unit-dose blister was formed and decorated to provide immediate brand and product recognition. With its signature blue graphics and distinct shape, the mini size was an instant standout and an obvious reminder of the salable full-sized version.
In addition to its aesthetics, the sampling campaign’s return-on-investment was equally impressive. “The Nivea for Men blister promotion was one of the most successful launches in Target stores in [terms of] sell-through of retail product,” says Don Hopta, vice president and general manager of Klocke of America, Fort Myers, FL.
Nivea for Men’s experience is not an exception in the world of marketing. Sampling campaigns traditionally yield impressive results. Backed by numerous studies as well as personal experience from “those in the know,” samples have proven their merit as high-impact marketing tools.
They are especially effective in the case of product launches. “Sampling methods remain an excellent approach to product introductions, and we have many repeat customers as a result,” explains Mike Mackey, president of American FlexPack, Green Bay, WI.
Samples can drive sales of product launches as well as established SKUs. “It’s great for product introductions of course, but that doesn’t mean you neglect what’s out there already. Sampling has always been one of the best marketing methods for any product that needs to be touched or felt,” says Michael Rossi, vice president of sales for Telmark, Matawan, NJ. “What we are finding is that the companies that have the budgets are actually increasing their sampling campaigns. For the same money it costs to put an expensive ad in a consumer magazine, you can put 200,000 samples into 200,000 people’s hands.”
Data tells a similar story. Arcade Marketing commissioned a 16-week study of 5,600 consumers, evaluating consumer behavior with a pre-purchase sample versus no sample. The results detailed “statistically significant improvement across every marketing metric” for brands utilizing samples, says Debra Leipman-Yale, president of Arcade Marketing, New York City. Findings also revealed that “the entire brand jumped, not just the sampled product,” adds Diane Crecca, the company’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Why Sampling Works
It should come as no surprise that sampling campaigns are effective.
| Beiersdorf Nivea for Men partnered with Klocke of America in a highly successful sampling campaign. |
Who doesn’t like receiving something for free? Before the product is even opened, the brand has established a positive platform in which to tout its latest launch or its perennial bestseller. This feel-good emotion doesn’t end with the initial handout either. A sample allows consumers to try out the product on their own terms, something today’s independent customers prefer.
“More and more, women don’t like using testers,” says Dwyer, referring to the open displays often seen nestled within beauty aisles or on top of retail counters. “Sampling programs give you a more attentive consumer. A tester does not provide a positive engagement. Sampling is a more positive interaction.”
Samples can be applied in the appropriate conditions and timeframes, which can be important for products such as nighttime face creams or sun care lotions and sprays. It also enables complete privacy and a moment alone.
“Sampling allows the consumer to experience the product on their time, in a leisurely setting. It is less likely to compete with other advertising materials,” adds Steve Greenland, senior vice president of research and development for Arcade Marketing.
There are other benefits. The economy has also cultivated an increasingly cautious consumer. Pocket cash has dwindled, and consumers spend their hard-earned money on sure things. They aren’t as willing to bet on a product they’ve never tried before. Sampling resolves this challenge as well.
“With less disposable income, consumers are wary of new products. The ‘try before you buy’ scenario provides tremendous return on quality product launches at no risk to the consumers. Campaigns also add bounce-back coupons or sale of trial sizes with bounce-back,” says Hopta.
It’s also a vote of confidence from the brand. In Arcade’s market research, the company’s test group “felt that if you received a sample of the product, it signaled that the manufacturer really does believe in the product. It gives the message that once you try it, you are going to like it and you are going to buy it,” says Crecca.
Opposing Trends
As is often the case with packaging, sampling trends fall on opposite sides of the spectrum. Some brands are currently trimming back sampling budgets, while others see an opportunity to make gains in brand visibility and potentially capture market share. In an innovative and paradoxical twist, some brands aim to do both.
| Cosmopak worked with the Cowshed brand to create miniature tube samples distributed on airlines. |
Others have noticed an opposite attitude prevailing with some brands. SD Int’l, Wayne, NJ, recently partnered with a brand to release a foundation blister sampler featuring four foundation shades, plus a mini-tube with face primer.
The company notes “a trend in deluxe sampling and kits that contain several vehicles for testing,” comments Dominick Montano, owner and vice president of sales and marketing. “Based on this trend, we are currently seeing expansion to include small jars, reclosable tube strips and mini-sprayers.” Montano adds these are for use as promotional giveaways.
American FlexPack has also noticed an upswing in more sophisticated construction requests. “Combinations of materials and packages continue to grow, with numerous shapes and diecut opening mechanisms and even dual-channel packets for two complementary content items such as pre- and post-spa lotions or towelettes,” says Mackey.
Although not every brand is recruiting consumers to recoup the cost of sampling, a growing number of beauty companies have found a successful compromise between free samples and sale of full-sized products. Propelling the trend toward multiple-SKU sampler kits is their salability factor. It is becoming increasingly common for brands to combine several sample packages together, selling the multiple miniatures as sampler packs or travel packs.
“Multiple products combined together is a big movement,” comments Rossi of Telmark. “This has really picked up in the last few years—all different types of sample packs.” This works especially well, says Rossi, for beauty lines marketed as regimens. Vehicles run the gamut—from pouches held together in a carton to resemble a deck of cards, to an ornate presentation utilizing miniature tubes and bottles, thermoform trays and fabric makeup bags.
| American FlexPack’s pouch packs promise product protection and freshness. |
New construction and decoration trends are not the only noticeable shifts within the sampling industry. Sample distribution—although still dominated by magazine distribution—is also seeing new trend patterns. “The Internet continues to grow as a source of information, leading to an increase in sampling via the Internet,” says Leipman-Yale. Arcade Marketing is currently piloting a new program specifically tailored for Internet campaigns.
Suppliers also affirm the trend toward selling samples in a retail environment. “Since budgets are tight, we are seeing a lot of instances where samples are sold to the consumer. This allows sampling and allows the brand owner to retrieve their cost,” says John Lamie, managing partner for Asia Dispensing LLC, Old Greenwich, CT.
| Arcade Marketing’s Clear Touch Technology offers an alternative sampling technology for magazine ads. |
Portfolio of Samples
Brands have a variety of decisions to make in terms of amount of product to include, chosen distribution channels and branding priorities. Fortunately, samples come in many shapes, forms and materials. Given the variety of sampling constructions, there’s an option for every brand.
Beauty Packaging asked sampling suppliers to share their bestselling or most innovative constructions. Responses ran the gamut from laminates to vials to blisters. Here’s a roundup:
Extended Use Flexibles
Tear n’ Tuck from Unette Corporation is a flexible package with an extended use feature. The packaging utilizes a tear-top tube with a precision application tip. The tip can be reclosed after product is initially dispensed. “We have always thought that sunscreen or an eye cream would be a perfect product for this type of package. A consumer would see the results of multiple applications of the product and increase the chances of purchasing the full-size package,” says Kris Bromback, sales manager for the Wharton, NJ-based company.
| SD Int’l Sampling Stix are injection-molded containers perfect for sampling a variety of beauty products. |
Eco-Friendly Sample
Amcor Flexible’s E-H2H (Hand-to-Hand) Light is a packette construction for environmentally conscious brands. The laminate construction utilizes polyester for its outside layer, followed by a reduced-gauge aluminum layer reducing the carbon footprint from the traditional structure by 12%, as well as an inner liner of polyethylene. The company says the packette offers ease of opening, superior chemical resistance and the ability to be easily diecut. To bolster brand recognition, the samples can be diecut to specification and decorated with a variety of colors and finishes. For those environmentally conscious brands that want to up the ante even further, product line extensions include ECO-H2H Light, which replaces the outside polyester layer with a post-consumer recycled polyester.
Scent Strip Alternative
With its launch of Clear Touch in the first quarter of 2009, Arcade Marketing is now providing an additional sampling option for magazine ads. A distinctly different technology, Clear Touch features a flap that is opened to reveal a fragrance on laminate. The sampling device allows graphics “to run to the end of the page, it uses less oil than a Scent Strip and the oil doesn’t need to be altered,” explains Crecca. Choosing a Scent Strip or Clear Touch is a matter of taste; Arcade provides both sampling vehicles plus many more.
| Unette's Tear n' Tuck package allows brands to reclose the structure after initial use. |
Pouch Packs Keep It Fresh
American Flexpack recently announced an expansion to more than 20 production lines dedicated to sample-size packaged cosmetic and consumer products. Constructions hold anything from sample-size wipes, to lotions, to gels, powders or liquids. “Our pouch packs have virtually no chance for product contamination,” says Mackey. “Sample package constructions are mostly dependent on product content. For example, some products with active ingredients may require better package barrier materials like specialty laminates of film/foil for absolute protection and freshness.”
Injection Molded Builds Success
Sampling Stix, offered by SD Int’l, is an injection molded container used for sampling a range of products—from liquid lip products to mascaras. “Since we started filling these units in 2006, we have produced over 50 million units with high repeat order rates, indicating successful marketing promotions and consumer feedback,” adds Montano.
Miniatures Offer Big Impact
Cosmopak offers small versions of retail-sized products, providing miniature tubes, glass vials and 1ml flow-through pens. Beauty brand Cowshed recently tapped Cosmopak’s tubes for a promotional giveaway campaign involving three SKUs. The brand distributed its personal care items through Virgin Airlines.
Rigid Unit-Dose Blisters
Successfully leveraged by Beiersdorf’s Nivea for Men and Unilever’s Axe Hair Care for Men sampling campaigns, Klocke is offering “rigid unit-dose blisters that are formed, filled and decorated to replicate the exact retail bottle, jar or tube providing instant brand recognition of the retail package,” states Hopta. Comprised of various thermo-form materials, the packages can house a variety of products such as fragrance, skin care, body washes, and color cosmetics. Normal shelf life is two years and compatible distribution methods include direct mailings and handouts.
Best-Selling Pouches
Rossi reports that pouches remain a best-selling sample vehicle for Telmark. The company has teamed with several leading printers to offer numerous options for pouch differentiation. Hot stamping, specialty screen-printing inks, varnishes and custom diecutting have been effectively employed by beauty brands. To accommodate the growing “green” trend, Telmark has also worked with clients to develop sample-size pouches with an ecological look and feel, accomplished through the use of paper print-layer film, post-consumer recycled products, matte finishes and rich, earthy colors. Pouches can be distributed separately or compiled together with complimentary products and sold as a sampling set.
Ultra-Luxury Brand Commissions Spectacular Sample
When your product sells for $1,000 per ounce, you need a high-class marketing vehicle to herald its
luxurious nature.
La Prairie turned to Klocke of America to create a dazzling sample for its cellular cream. The full-size retail product—with an outer Lucite mold and a silver container insert—sells for $1,000 per ounce.
| Klocke of America created this sophisticated sample package for La Prairie’s cellular cream. |
The Platinum Cream metallized card is essentially a blister within a blister. The inner thermo-formed blister is printed silver, diamond-shaped and houses the cream product. Made of natural clear stock, the outer thermoformed blister features two formed cavities. The first cavity houses the chrome and brass-styled applicator, while the other serves as a three-dimensional outer cover for the inner, silver product blister.
The dual-blister manufacturing process combined both automatic and semi-automatic manufacturing to accomplish the final blister look. Klocke of America additionally partnered with an outside vendor to achieve the sophisticated card assembly.
