Does Product Sampling Work for Juices?

A few weeks ago, at the kind invitation of Coca-Cola’s agency Fulford PR, my colleagues and I were given a juicy treat of about 3 dozen bottles of the new Minute Maid Pulpy juice. I also received a brightly coloured package which came in cheerful splashes of orange.

Apparently, this was part of the new launch by the world’s number one fruit & vegetable juice brand, Minute Maid, which incorporated pulpy fruit sacs into their new juices. Part of the Coca-Cola company’s stable of products, the beverage giant has undertaken its largest sampling promotion campaign ever for Minute Maid.
The newly launched pulpy juices come in two flavours. Orange…

…and Tropical Mixed Fruit:

If you’re keen to check out their taste, you can look out for its range of outdoor and instore sampling and promotional activities throughout the year. This will take place at various locations across Singapore in Orchard Road, the CBD area and the heartlands. In fact, there will be a huge Minute Maid truck going around.

Look out for its interactive outdoor panel at selected bus stops. There you can collect tokens can be exchanged for a free bottle of Minute Maid Pulpy from nearby sampling teams.

So what’s inside the package? Well, there was a bottle of Minute Maid Pulpy juice and a CD ROM of images and a press release like so.

As I was studying the box (I love to read food packaging – a habit picked up from young), I noticed a 3-step process in drinking the juice. This was part of the company’s attempt to make juice drinking a complete sensory experience involving sight, scent, sound, taste (sweetness and texture of the pulp), as well as touch.

So how were our verdicts like for the taste of the juice?

Well, some of my colleagues found that the texture of the pulps were a nice sensation in the mouth. They also relished the fact that the new product contains Vitamin C, a useful aid for those with colds and flus. While the taste was refreshing, it also wasn’t as “real” as say other expensive brands like Tropicana.

Personally, I found it a little too sweet for my liking, although it may probably taste better with ice in a glass. However, my son Ethan truly loved it and finished very quickly in a gulp!

Other than its ambitious sampling exercise, Coca-Cola wil also be launching a huge island-wide Minute Maid Pulpy television advertising campaign. This will include posters at bus stop panels around Singapore, as well as communication materials in-store. The sampling extravaganza will also be covered by radio DJs who will ask consumers about their Minute Maid Pulpy moments.

Does samping work then?

Well, as you can see from our collective reports above, different people will have different taste outcomes. Some will enjoy the experience, share it with their friends, and help to spread positive word-of-mouth. Others may be more ambivalent about the product. A third group may be even deterred from making the first purchase as a result of their taste preferences.

What an island-wide exercise like this does, however, is to strengthen mindshare and top-of-mind-recall. Unlike pure advertising alone, sampling incorporates elements of experiential marketing which engages the senses. By doing so, a company can immerse its consumers more holistically in a complete aesthetic experience involving design, logos, copy, colour, taste, scent, sound and texture.