Household brands may be overlooking the potentially huge impact of sampling activity across Europe, just as door-to-door marketing begins to mature. And new research reveals pent-up demand among consumers for more mail-delivered samples. “You can do ‘knock-and-drop’ in Europe. So why aren’t major players using it more?” says Nick Wells, managing director of U.K.-based Circular Distributors.
His company has just conducted research among more than 2,200 consumers in Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Interest in receiving samples was found to be significantly higher than interest in TV advertising. German consumers rated samples highest, at 42%, compared with 14% for TV. In the U.K. and France, samples were rated twice as highly as television commercials.
“There’s a preference for samples that always exceeds exposure,” says Wells. “There is a real business opportunity in Germany, Italy and France.
“Germans don’t get a lot of samples, but consumers want them. Italians are crazy for them,” Wells notes. In response, his company is expanding into Europe through acquisition and partnerships.
Clients have also begun to use the medium more widely. Gillette recently ran a sampling campaign in 25 countries, following a test in the U.K. and Ireland. Using Wells’ firm, it delivered a carrier bag to targeted disposable-razor consumers who were not Gillette users.
They were asked to hang out the bag the following day, when they were delivered a sample Excel razor. The impact was remarkable, with two-thirds of those sampled switching to Excel and 78% saying they would definitely buy it in the future. “It was the best-ever conversion rate Gillette has achieved worldwide,” says Wells.
A similar approach was used by Philips in the U.K. to promote a new line of soft-tone light bulbs. A bag was delivered on the first day, which was then swapped on the second day for a color brochure. “The key was getting people to opt in by hanging out the bag,” says Wells.
Circular Distributors believes it can help meet brand owners’ objectives by extending techniques it has applied in the U.K. to other markets. “In Germany, delivery is generally with free newspapers, but in Italy it’s not. In France you have both, but in Poland you have to go with the post office, because they own the mailbox. [What we have to do is explore] our existing clients,” says Wells.
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