What is Venue Based Sampling Anyway?

Getting samples into the hands of prospective customers is a tried and true strategy for generating business. However, with the large number of ‘freebie seekers’ (we call them ‘freces’!) in today’s technology-driven culture, many sampling efforts are a waste of marketing dollars. It is imperative to get your samples into the hands of your ideal consumer, rather than giving them to someone who is simply looking to get something (anything actually) for free.

This client was interested in reaching
middle school kids and/or their parents.

If sampling is in your company’s marketing strategy and you want to avoid the freces, then venue based sampling must be considered. Venue based sampling is a method in which samples are delivered to brick-and-mortar establishments in order to reach a highly concentrated group of your target demographic. Examples of our carefully curated roster of venues are Daycare Centers, Birth Centers, Pediatric Offices, College Recreation Centers, Dance Studios, Martial Arts Studios, Health Clubs and Senior Centers. In all of these venues, opt-in is provided by the venue director/owner/manager, but the end recipients (your target consumers), are not requesting samples; they are simply the lucky recipient of an unexpected gift that (if properly targeted) happens to be completely relevant to their life and lifestyle.

Because the venues we work with generally serve a very specific segment of the population, samples are able to reach your ideal target consumer without wasting samples on irrelevant categories of consumers. Venues already have a pre-existing relationship with your target consumer so when those venues opt-in to take part in a sampling promotion, their customers truly consider your product, since it has come from such a reliable source. And, since the venues are providing the space and manpower, venue based sampling is significantly less expensive than other options available to you such as direct mail, street team or retailer sampling.