SAMPLING IN THE SUN

JULIE GALLAGHER

Rather than make a beeline for the post office or head out to their local elections office on Oct. 5, Austin, Texas residents seeking a last-chance opportunity to register to vote in the presidential election might wind up at an unlikely destination: the parking lot of a nearby H.E. Butt Grocery store.

On that day, 37 area stores will play host to Sweet Leaf Tea-sponsored outdoor sampling events aimed at quenching shoppers' thirst while they attempt to break the record for the most voters registered in a single day. The date is significant, since it's the last day that voters in Travis County can register in order to vote on Nov. 4.

As it prepares to leverage its outdoor venue, H-E-B joins a growing list of retailers that are building excitement, inciting trial and driving traffic to their stores through parking-lot sampling events. Rather than appealing to consumers who are already shopping inside the store, these events present an opportunity to engage the entire community, said Mary Smith, executive vice president of Mass Connections, Cerritos, Calif., which facilitates such events.

“When you're doing it outside, you're gathering attention and drawing people who never had the thought to be at the grocery store,” she said. “The kids see the fun and say, ‘Oh, can we stop,’ and the next thing you know they're trying a brand, tasting a product and even going inside to shop.”

Tying special services to these parking lot demos only enhances their appeal, said Ted Taft, managing director of Meridian Consulting, Wilton, Conn.

“It's combining two things that each on their own are effective,” he said. “Sampling has always been effective, because you get people to try new products and, assuming they're great, people will want to buy them. Then you have services, whether they be flu shots or voter registration — those are also effective, so by combining the two, you're enhancing value.”

With its voter registration event, Sweet Leaf Tea hopes to build brand awareness among its core 18-to-30-year-old demographic.

“We'd like to latch onto something meaningful, and that's getting young people to register to vote,” said Michelle Weisblatt, vice president of marketing for the Austin-based drink maker. “There are a lot of people here from the University [of Texas] who've never been eligible to vote.”

Sweet Leaf plans on occupying a 10-by-10-foot tented space in each of the parking lots during operating hours on the day of the events.

“It will probably be really hot and still, maybe even 100 degrees,” noted Weisblatt.

Travis county will provide voting registrars for the day, and registrants will be asked to fill out a form attached to a tear-off pad. Rather than registrants having to mail in the form themselves, the folks from Sweet Leaf will hand-deliver them.

“We may do something where the first 100 people will get a free bottle of tea, and then the next wave of attendees get a sample and a BOGO coupon, while the next get [a sample] and a 50 cents off coupon,” Weisblatt said. “We won't just give away free bottles, since we're trying to support the retailer” and encourage in-store purchases.

Sweet Leaf approached H-E-B with the idea to partner because of its significant presence, and because the retailer already serves as a voter registration center.

“It was a natural choice, since they've got more retail locations than any other supermarkets in the county,” said Weisblatt.

Austin's mayor will attend one of the events, and Sweet Leaf will contact local news stations for press coverage. It may also arrange to have a radio station broadcast from one of the locations.

“It will create visibility and excitement that will help the brand and H-E-B,” said Taft.

Leveraging similar tactics, an A&P Food Basics banner store drew a couple thousand people to its North Bergen, N.J., parking lot during its annual Family Festival & Pig Roast, which it held one Saturday last month.

“Pretty much it was the place to be,” said Liz Lucadamo, community relations manager for the chain.

CULTURAL FESTIVAL

With its Hispanic theme, the festival helped Food Basics make an emotional connection with members of the local community.

A demonstration hosted by renowned chef, author and television personality Jose Hernandez, also known as “Chef Pepin,” served as the focal point.

“He is considered the Emeril [Lagasse] of Cuba,” said Lucadamo. “He signed autographs, chatted with customers, did demos and entertained the crowd immensely.”

Chef Pepin showed attendees how to use a La Caja China to roast a pig.

“It's a square box with charcoal in the bottom, and you put the pig in the box and roast it,” said Lucadamo. “Way before the event started, we were blowing them out of the store, because with a purchase [of $75 or more] they were half price” at $99.98.

The event also featured fun activities like Procter & Gamble's inflatable bungee run, where participants were harnessed to a bungee and tried to reach a flag.

Also featured were a Pantene photo booth and the NASCAR No. 47 Clorox Ford race car. Tickets for baseball games were raffled, and John Gilkerson, a player for the New Jersey Red Bulls soccer team, made an appearance.

Sampling was an important part of the festivities.

“We pretty much opened up participation to all of our vendors,” said Lucadamo. “We even had vendors on the morning of the festival asking if they could distribute samples, and we said, ‘The more the merrier, find a spot.’”

Among the items demoed were Goya refried beans and tortilla chips; Coca-Cola's Fuze fortified beverages; Bimbo's pound cake, cookies and other Hispanic desserts; Cibao Meats' cured meats and ethnic salami; Manzanita Sol's apple soda; and PepsiCo Frito-Lay's potato chips.

Food Basics also built awareness of its national-brand equivalent America's Choice store-brand items.

“We had a carnival wheel that shoppers spun, and we gave away different corporate-brand products,” said Lucadamo.

Bottled water, cookies, soft drinks and frozen novelties were distributed.

Lucadamo would not comment on whether Food Basics noticed a lift in sales on the day of the festival or during subsequent weeks.

Instead, the event “focuses on the fact that this is wonderful for the community,” she said.

Indeed, “parking lot samplings build a retailer's goodwill image,” said Smith. “They help say to the community, ‘We care about you beyond just wanting your money.’”

PLANNING AHEAD

Still, many events require hours of planning and countless resources.

PCC Natural Markets begins planning six months in advance for its Healthy Living Fairs. The annual two-day event, held in the parking lot of its Issaquah, Wash., store, runs for a total of 12 hours and features samples of about 600 products.

“Our events are very successful and much anticipated by our shoppers,” said Diana Crane, spokeswoman for PCC. “They just take months of planning and adequate staffing to make certain any glitches don't escalate into disasters.”

No matter the amount of planning, unforeseen circumstances sometimes arise.

“We deal with surprises such as people who bring their dogs through the event, which is very offensive to some people who don't want dogs near food, and bees who are attracted to the smell of outdoor grilling,” said Crane. “Weather is also a huge issue, and there is a cost to renting tents, ice machines and generators to power grills, microwaves and blenders, and other equipment to keep the food and atmosphere pleasant and safe.”

Traffic control can also prove challenging.

“Signs and temporary fencing help, but there can still be problems with getting people to drive — and especially park — safely,” Crane said.

“It's definitely a learning experience,” added Tom Monahan, community relations specialist for PCC.

This year's Healthy Living Fair will take place Sept. 13 and 14.

“We open it up to any vendor that has products in the store,” said Crane. “In March they start the process of reserving a spot, then we get health permits squared away and work toward setting up special promotions.”

In addition to leveraging patio space, PCC sets up three large tents in its parking lot to protect attendees from the elements. The fair has been known to draw as many as 7,000 people.

Because PCC has tightened its sampling policy, this year's event will only feature about 75 vendors.

“In the past, we allowed these companies to hire a third party to engage the customer, but that limited the quality of the interaction,” said Crane. “It's a little smaller this year, since we asked for real participation. Customers are likely to have a much better exchange, and that presents the opportunity for building a better relationship.”

On Oct. 5 and 6, PCC will also host fair trade parking lot events at its Fremont and Issaquah locations.

Usually between 350 and 500 shoppers attend, depending on location. A number of fair trade and equitably traded coffee, tea and chocolate suppliers, including Equal Exchange, Choice Organic Teas and Green & Black's, will sample products during the event.

In addition to making sure things run smoothly outdoors, PCC bulks up its in-store inventory in preparation for both events.

“We don't want to sample something and then have the customer come to the store and it's not there,” said Crane. “We attach shelf tags to everything that's being sampled.”

The retailer is hopeful that the events will drive additional traffic to its locations.

“Ultimately, bringing traffic to the stores and educating and supporting vendors is a big goal,” said Monahan. “Especially when it comes to new vendors, this is a great opportunity to get their product out to people who've never tried it because they can't afford to do a ton of advertising.”