Product sampling has emerged as a major sales promotion technique which is preferred to mass couponing and mass advertising. Samples are being distributed at retail outlets, in airplanes, theatres and special events. They also come to us directly through mail and media. Sampling is very common for new products. Sampling helps established products too. It creates brand awareness and builds up brand equity. Sampling is more likely to lead to purchase than distribution of a coupon alone. Coupons could be attached to samples and then redeemed. Such coupling leads to a better redemption rate. Test drives of autos is also a sampling practice. Computer demos are also a sampling practice. In theatre give-aways are becoming popular. Sampling puts food products into the mouth of customers. Sampling keeps products top-of-mind.
Sales Promotion
Below-the-line (BTL) Activities
Advertising and personal selling are above-the-line activities. Sales promotion and use of non-traditional media are below-the-line activities.
Rural markets are traditionally oral cultures. They would like to see, smell and touch a new offering. For them, seeing is believing. The engagement is tactile, interactive and imaginative.
Lavani
The hinterland audience can be reached through the lavani performance. A beer brand Tuborg hitched a ride to the interiors through regional musical events in small towns. The company offered one free ticket to a chowfulla for every beer bottle purchased. The lavani performance was by Suvarna Kale.
Haats
Tata steel’s corrugated tin roofing was presented through the rural haats by setting up stalls. These sheets last a life time. Games were conceptualised using the silver screen’s romantic couples e.g. Raj Kapoor -Nargis or Dharmendra-Hema Malini. This was to drive home the selling point a life-long bond. In South India, they used the local stars instead of the Hindi film icons.
Mobile Vans
Sonata watch by Titan was promoted in Tamil Nadu through promotors riding cycles in the interiors. They had audio adverts, late, flip charts and watch samples. The villagers were invited to a nodal village where a branded van was stationed. A short film was screened to show the importance of the watch. Villagers judge the time linking it with certain events e.g. the arrival of a bus or toll of the temple bell. If the bus arrives late, the child appearing for examination can be late. The film went down well. The villagers could purchase the watch from the mobile van.
Lost-and-Found Stall at Pandharpur
Unique marketing concepts can be built around the brands. Essar Steel sets up a lost-and-found stall on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi at Pandharpur where there is a congregation of a million people.
Health-care
Eye camps could be arranged for automobile mechanics. It helped GSK to get a foothold in this field. GSK also takes a mobile medical van to the hinterland to promote their products. These free camps require pre-publicity for engaging the village audiences.
Sales Promotion
A product is considered in the context of its functional utility, its cost and its psychology. A customer establishes the relationship with a product or brand on the basis of three factors. It has to score over the competing products/brands. A customer’s attitude and behaviour must be appreciated while he buys the product. Sales Promotion is all about behaviour. We have to encourage people to go in for our products. A buyer’s attitude is thus formed or changed. It is hoped that once he tries the product by the encouragement , he will continue the relationship and become loyal to the product.
Sales Promotion is one of the several methods by which a company attempts to change or influence the behaviour of the target audience in the immediate short term. The other communication tools are advertising, publicity, direct selling and direct marketing. All these can be used either singly or in combination to get the optimum effect. Sales Promotion, whenever chosen, may require short-term changes in all the four P’s of the marketing mix so as to bring about a change in behaviour. It is associated with risks — it can succeed wonderfully or can fail miserably. But the rewards of success are high.
The Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP), UK defines it as :
a range of tactical marketing techniques within a strategic marketing framework to add value to a product in order to achieve specific sales and marketing objectives.
In short, SP provides temporary additional value to a brand so as to achieve specific marketing objectives.
Though it is temporary, it shoul be thoughtfully discussed how long SP should continue, so that it does not become an everyday affair. The additional value could be in terms of money ( price-off, free sample ) , kind ( gift or contest ) or intangibles ( personality associations or charity ). SP has to identify the objectives carefully.
Sales Displays
Displays work at the level of the stores i. e. point-of-purchase ( POP ). These help move the merchandise and add to the ambience. Each display should contribute to the store image and must be consistent with its display policies.
A display brings about dealer involvement. It allows sales to take place anywhere in the store. It allows the organisation of product line. It improves brand identity. It is a good input for marketing research.
Principles of Display
A good display is one where the trade channels participate enthusiastically on account of some incentive. In a display, the customer must be brought closer to the product, so that he can physically inspect it, try it and feel it. A display attracts the customers to the retail outlets and builds up traffic. A package must be used strategically to enhance the effect of display. A display should be designed keeping in mind the outlet—say a neighbourhood store or a super market or a shopping plaza. Graphics and copy must be consistent with the advertising. A display should be easy to set up . Some companies provide pre-packed cartons, which unfold into a display. Timing of the display is also important, say Deepavali or Christmas. Product must be emphasised, and, it should not be dominated by the display.
Displays allow people to experience the product and to come closer to it. Packaged products come out of the package, say a perfume spray which must be sprinkled on the handkerchief or the body of the customer.
Mannequins
A mannequin is a silent salesperson who neither argues nor throws tantrums. Garments displayed on mannequins sell faster. There are more mannequins in retail today than in the past. There is a 30 per cent growth in demand every year. The Spanish fashion brand Zara’s mannequins were eye – catching and stylish and found its way into India. These are imported in bulk or copied here and are called Zara mannequins. Mannequins were formerly voluptuous, but are now tall and chic. The faces are oval – shaped or sometimes they are headless. They used to come in various sizes, but have now been standardised – 5 feet 10 inch height with 34 – 24 – 36. vital stats for a female dummy and 6 feet with 38 – 32—38 for a male. Indian-made mannequins cost RS. 2500 – RS. 10,000 while imported ones cost anywhere between RS. 8000 – RS. 50,000. A modern full- bordered mannequin weighs around 10 kgs without a stand and 15 kgs with a stand. Domestic companies sell handmade fibre mannequins. Plastic dummies are imported from China. There are imports from Germany, Japan , Vietnam and France. Shop floor employees nick name the mannequins after their bosses, and ill-treat them to vent out their stress. Visual merchandisers expect the floor staff to respect the dignity of the mannequins while draping them.