A free sample is the first step toward changing a consumer's brand preference because it lets the consumer try and test a product without a purchase requirement.
The packaging for that sample plays a key role in what choice the consumer makes. After all, packaging is the spokesman for the brand. It helps a company communicate a brand's uniqueness and importance.
At a time when retail shelves are flooded with thousands of new products and about 70% of purchasing decisions are made in-store, the role of sample packaging is growing in importance. Successful sample packaging can help marketers break out from the clutter.
"There's more of an interest in having sample packaging that looks like the product that's on the shelf," said Michael Foy, account manager, Glenroy, Menomonee Falls, Wis., a manufacturer of packaging materials. "Eye appeal is more important now than it used to be."
Since they're frequently viewed as free gifts, samples are valued, which can help build brand loyalty. This, in turn, often encourages the consumer to make a full-size retail purchase.
That's why packaging for product samples should reinforce the brand's equities, including color, logo and iconography, said Lee Sucharda, chairman of Design North, a Racine, Wis., package design firm.
"The brand should always be front and center, even on product samples," he said.
While the brand is sometimes relegated to lesser importance, the brand drives product recognition, and should be treated accordingly.
A wholistic approach to branding -- and, consequently, packaging -- is needed, said Eliot Schreiber, managing director, Lipson Alport, Glass & Associates, a brand and identity consultancy with offices in New York, Chicago, Napa, Calif., and Cincinnati, among other cities.
"You want it to have as much of a reference back to the full-size product in terms of brand, color and typography," he said.
As for the size and shape of the package, the more successful samples will be those that are portable and can be easily used for travel, said Stuart Berni, president and chief executive officer, Berni Marketing & Design, Greenwich, Conn.
BRAND EQUITIES
While many in the industry view the sample as another way of getting a product into consumers' hands, Berni said his firm sees it as a way to extend the brand preference.
Rather than use many of the stock containers on the market, marketers should create a sample package that's shaped as close as possible to the full-size package. Doing so can go a long way toward building brand recognition for product in marketplace.
Dickinson Brands, East Hampton, Conn., a marketer of witch hazel products, is attempting to do just that with a brand extension.
About 600,000 samples are being distributed to support the launch of a witch hazel-based facial cleanser and toner, both marketed under the name "Nothing But Clean." Targeted at consumers ages 20 to 40, the Nothing But Clean products are free of artificial colors, fragrances and additives. Both contain witch hazel as well as botanical extracts, like lemongrass and chamomile.
To promote its Nothing But Clean line, Dickinson created a 2-ounce sample size to complement the 8- and 16-ounce sizes.
Since the samples won't be sold on the retail shelf, Dickinson felt they didn't have to be a replica of the full-size product. But the company wanted the sample to form a connection in the consumer's mind, noted Bryan Jackowitz, marketing manager, Dickinson.
"We want consumers to develop an association between the sample and full-size product," he said.
Berni Design, which handled the sample packaging project, ensured that the 2-ounce size maintained the look and identity of the full-size product. This meant conveying the "all-natural" aspect of the brand, Jackowitz said. To do so, the full-size product is packaged in a see-through bottle to show the crystal-clear liquid inside. The label is translucent, and the words "all natural" are prominently displayed. An image of the water drop is also visible.
"We wanted to emphasize the clarity of the product on both the full size and trial size," said Jackowitz. "Having a clear bottle gives the feeling of water, which is one of the purist things around."
Virtually the entire label of the full size is replicated on the 2-ounce size, including everything from the words "all natural" to the image of the water drop to the see-through packaging. Even the Dickinson logo, which reads "Original Dickinson's Witch Hazel," was retained.
Due to cost restraints, one of the only differences between the sampling and full-size package is that the label for the sample size is opaque, not translucent.
Dickinson also kept costs in check by putting a label on only the front of the sample pack. (The full size has labels on the front and back of the package). Copy is printed on both sides of the label, and is magnified when viewed from the back of the bottle.
CONSISTENCY
The limited space on a sample package often means that certain aspects of the main package design must be omitted. In such cases, certain parts of the copy should be the first to go. Brand managers sometimes don't want to do this, and try to squeeze in all the information from the full-size package. But this could have a negative impact on the effect of the sample package, said Stuart Berni from Berni design.
"You just can't keep it all," said Berni.
It's important to know what to cut and what to keep. In general, consistency is key. This means that any aspect that will help consumers recognize the full-size product on the shelf should be retained, said Russell Napolitano, executive vice president and partner, Bailey Design Group, Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
Napolitano has seen some marketers make the mistake of cutting key recognition elements rather than copy.
"You want to make sure your message is consistent so that consumers will recognize you in the actual retail environment where you're sold," Napolitano said.
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Co., Skillman, N.J., paid close attention to consistency in the sample packaging for its new Clean & Clear brand of "daily pore cleansing cloths." Samples are being distributed in the August issue of YM, a teen magazine. They are glued to a full-page, double-sided ad for the cloths. Bailey Design Group created the sample packaging.
The sample pack graphics are consistent with the full size so that the teen can easily find the product on shelf at retail. Both the full-size and sample package tout one of the main features of the clothes: "micro-scrubbers that gently scrub pores clean." The sample package even contains an illustration of the micro-scrubbers.
Today's marketers have more packaging options than ever before, as the market is being flooded with innovations in materials and shapes. For instance, reclosable sample packs are now commonplace.
Regardless of which innovation is used, Napolitano said it's important to be loyal to the brand, retaining the logo, type and color -- and even brand icon.
Just Born, Bethlehem, Pa., the manufacturer of such confections as Marshmallow Peeps and Mike and Ike, did just that by featuring its brand icons on sample packaging for its Zours chewy sour fruit candies. Bailey Design created the sample package.
To mirror what the true package looks like, the sample features the characters Zapple and Watermelon. The full-size package's distinctive yellow swirl was also retained.
"Our samples are mini-versions of what the package looks like, so people know what to look for in the store," Matt Pye, group product manager, Just Born, told Brand Marketing.
Just Born also paid close attention to package size. It did so because it wanted the package to be large enough so that the consumers could get enough of the product to sample. Each pouch contains between five to seven candies, and features a tear notch so that it can be easily opened.
