4 Creative Food Sampling Ideas for Your New Product Launch

Free food. No matter our generation or taste preferences, it’s a phrase causing both typical consumers and marketing masterminds to salivate. We’ve all been stopped and tempted by brands providing complimentary product samples while grocery shopping. Generally speaking, this strategy works, with on average 35% of customers purchasing the sampled product in the same shopping trip.

However, lifestyle changes brought on by COVID-19 changed the fate of grocery store sampling programs. As a result, brands were forced to get a little more clever and innovate new ways to safely roll out sampling. These four creative food product sampling ideas use experiential and storytelling elements to strike up brand awareness and demand, pandemic or not.

1. Mail “Freebie” Samples and Request Digital Feedback

While delivering samples to consumers’ doorsteps is an easy way to give them a taste of your product, mailing samples alone without inserting them into existing online order shipments can be a costly approach. Including free samples every time someone makes an online purchase to reduce shipping costs can be an impactful means of generating awareness of your new food product. BONUS: Give consumers the option to pick and choose the types of samples they receive during online checkout for a more personalized experience!

To enhance your mailed sampling approach and expand reach beyond existing customers, consider giving consumers the ability to provide feedback on the product through an anonymous survey, or publicly (social media, video reviews, etc.), for an incentive. After all, 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

2. Hop on a Mobile Product Sampling Truck Tour

As sampling capabilities were extremely limited throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, companies were required to think outside the box to determine ways to safely get their new food products to touch the tastebuds and emotions of consumers. Companies like Hormel Foods and Post Consumer Brands put together cross-country mobile truck tours, where free samples were provided food truck-style outdoors.

What makes mobile sampling truck tours effective?

• They’re cost-effective, especially when you partner with a service that leases vehicles.
• You can customize the exterior of the truck to match your brand, making it a mobile billboard while traveling on major highways across states.
• You’re not limited to a few select locations and can instead spread your message in several cities.

By pairing your mobile sampling tour with strategic social media promotions and a clean landing page with a schedule, announcements, surprises, and more, your new product is likely to get off to a great start.

See how we teamed up with Hormel Foods to spread awareness of their new BLACK LABEL™ product while celebrating U.S. healthcare workers on a national mobile sampling truck tour.

3. Build Connections Through Corporate Office Activities

As COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift, the number of companies transitioning back to office life and hosting large corporate events are making a comeback. What better way to add excitement to the workday or a team event than offering samples of your new food product?

Many corporations buy office snacks and beverages in bulk, so providing them with the opportunity to taste your latest and greatest product is sure to generate awareness and excitement. Corporations may continue to buy that product, and employees may enjoy it so much that they begin purchasing it regularly for their families to enjoy at home.

4. Go Beyond the Taste Test and Host an Event

The moment your product first hits their taste buds is a powerful experience for consumers exploring your food brands.  However, their journey can’t stop there. Going beyond just taste by designing an experience incorporating your brand and free samples will create a deeper connection between you and the consumer.

When planning your event, ask yourself “who’s your target buyer, and what are their interests?” Plan an event surrounding their lifestyle and hobbies. Incorporate games, activities, giveaways, philanthropic initiatives, and more that are likely to attract your target buyers. Doing this allows you to go beyond a traditional taste test and create a memorable, branded experience that aligns with your brand narrative, resulting in 65% of consumers purchasing the product promoted at your event.

Helping CPG startups and longstanding food brands share their stories and get their food products in the hands of consumers through creative sampling campaigns stokes our appetite at MorganMyers. Get a taste of the stories we help brands tell and translate into unique experiences by looking at our case study library.