Case Studies Product Sampling

Case Studies - Real Crisps

Client: Real Crisps

Agency: SPA Agency

Campaign: The Real Election Crisp Sampling Campaign

Video: Click here to see a video report about this campaign

Brief:

  • To raise brand awareness, prompt trial and drive sales of Real Crisps, using high calibre brand ambassadors and an interactive sampling campaign, utilising branded ‘voting bins’ to distribute samples across a variety of train stations, shopping centres and supermarket head offices. 

High Calibre Promotion Staff

Campaign Description:

  • Teams of high calibre brand ambassadors, held a mini voting campaign outside train stations, supermarket head offices and at high footfall shopping centres nationwide. Passing members of the public were encouraged enticing to “vote with their stomachs” for the “THE REAL ELECTION”, and were asked to take the crisps for the specific party they are supporting.
  • Alongside each pack of “THE REAL ELECTION” crisps, a small A6 promotional leaflet and discount voucher was handed out. These were distributed to further explain the purpose of activity, drive public towards the activity, increase consumer interest to purchase it in future.

Branding:

  • Three different colours with branded “voting bins” and Pop-Up banners were set up in each targeted venue to create awareness to the events. This set up allowed the team move easily and cover the whole venue.
  • Brand ambassadors dressed in branded T-shirts with three different parties’ leader face masks. These make a strong immediate impact to the political events and attracted lots of recipients taking picture with the team while enjoying their REAL crisps.

Locatins:

Supermarket Head Offices:

  • The brand ambassadors were situated inside the main entrance to Asda House and by the main café in the Tesco head office. These were both ideal locations as they were high footfall areas, especially at lunch time which was the busiest period at both locations.
  • The Asda and Tesco head office staff were all very receptive towards the campaign. The vast majority were eager to partake in the “THE REAL ELECTION” by casting their votes with their specific choice of crisps.
  • The staff made positive comments about the flavour, texture and quality of Real Crisps. Typical responses were, “wow these crisps taste good” and “what other flavours to REAL do, and I’m going to have to try them all!”

Train Stations:

  • At all 15 stations, (Clapham Junction, Waterloo, Paddington, London Victoria, London Westminster, Bank, Liverpool Street, St Pancras, Euston, Tower Hill, Waterloo mainline, Reading, Birmingham New Street, Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly) teams of brand ambassadors covered the main entrance / exit to the station or the highest footfall area within close proximity. The activities were especially targeted at the busy during rush hour periods between 07:30 to 09:30 and 11:30 to13:00.
  • Large numbers of office workers and busy professionals who were grateful to receive the samples commented that they would visit the website to cast their vote and get the chance to win prizes, on returning to their desks at work.

Shopping Centres:

  • The activity was covered inside the largest shopping centres across the UK, including Metro Centre, Liverpool One, Trafford Centre, Bluewater, Pallasades, Cabot Centre, Meadow Hall and The Glades.
  • The shopping centres were a highly effective aspect of the campaign; where the highest number of samples was distributed. Many positive comments were received from the groups of shoppers, all agreed that “these crisps are some of the nicest I have ever tried; they have a really nice hand cooked taste”.

Media and Press Coverage Results:

  • A grand total of 600,000 individual crisp samples were handed out across all aspects of the sampling campaign.
  • A huge amount of press coverage was generated across a wide array of newspapers, magazines, TV and on-line media, who all eagerly documented the novel product sampling, as part of their election coverage.
  • The client was extremely pleased with the impact on PR coverage obtained, brand awareness and direct sales uplift, and continue utilise Link communication across their wider brand portfolio.

A REAL Crisps micro site to support the campaign was designed and commissioned: photographers captured the moments and posted images on the website.

Posted pictures included:

  • Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Education) holding up a pack to camera
  • Peter Mandelson (Former Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills) being asked not to rustle his pack of crisps as it was interfering with the sound quality of Radio 5 Live
  • Sarah Teather (Minister of State for Children and Families) waving a pack
  • Kay Burley of Sky News caught live having a quick crisp snack on a live news report!
  • All three packs being held up by Chief Political Correspondent, John Sopel on the BBC TV One O’Clock News

The sampling distribution generated immediately considerable news coverage and boxes of crisps were sent to all national political correspondents, columnists, diary writers and relevant radio and TV programmes.

  • Radio: BBC Radio 5 Live
  • Television: BBC TV Sky News / ITV 6 O’Clock News / Russel Howard Good News BBC
  • Print Media: The Guardian / The Times / The Indipendent / The Yorkshire Post
  • Internet: Twitter / Facebook / PR Week / International Online

Client Testimonials

The SPA Way, PR Agency: “We recently assigned Link Communication to help organize and implement the new Real Crisps, Real Election Sampling Campaign. which created unprecedented levels of press coverage for the Real Crisp brand. The total number of samples distributed was on target and consumers gave brilliant feedback and positive comments which were all really encouraging.”

TAYTO, Brand Owner: “Link Communication impressed us throughout the recent Real Crisps campaign by showing a detailed understanding of our brand direction and the range of critical campaign issues. The strategy they implemented entirely fulfilled the brief within a very tightly controlled set of restrictive budgetary constraints. The teams of brand ambassadors who were critical in bringing the activity to life and communicating the brand proposition to both consumers and targeted journalists were all extremely professional, engaging and well aware of the brand and wider the campaign objectives. Both the sampling and the media coverage results generated with the help of our PR agency, over delivered against our expectations for the overwhelming amounts of positive media coverage it attained.”