Republic of the Philippines
BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY ROSARIO
Brgy. Namunga, Rosario,Batangas
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY, BUSINESS, ECONOMICS AND
INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
MKT 102- CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
CASE ANALYSIS
Chapter 10 – Judgement and Decision-Making based on Low Effort
TRY IT YOU’LL LIKE IT: SAMPLING
Sampling has emerged as a critical marketing technique for a long list of companies, from
Starbucks and Stew Leonard’s to Viva and Vitamin Water. In a bid to broaden its appeal beyond
lovers of espresso and similar beverages, Starbucks recently introduced its everyday Pike Place
Roast coffee with free 8-ounce sample cups in all of its 7,100 U.S. stores. During the same week,
some McDonald’s units in Starbucks’ hometown of Seattle began offering free samples of the
new McDonald’s espresso and latté drinks—an attempt to attract consumers who want
something more than an everyday cup of coffee. This is only one example of McDonald’s using
sampling to encourage trial of a new menu item. For instance, when it offered samples of its new
premium roast coffee, the company experienced a 15 percent increase in chain wide coffee sales.
Many fast-food restaurants have found sampling to be effective in inducing trial and purchase.
For instance, Wendy’s once held a nationwide hamburger sampling tour to attract noncustomers
by giving away thousands of free hamburgers at special events along with gift cards good for
free hamburgers in local Wendy’s restaurants. “It’s one thing to talk about a hamburger,” says a
Wendy’s executive. “It’s another thing to actually try it.” Pizza Hut held “Free Slice of Pizza
Day” not long ago so that customers could try its improved hand-tossed pizzas. On the first day
of spring, Dunkin’ Donuts gave away 3 million cups of iced coffee throughout the country to
signal the start of the iced coffee-drinking season.
Stew Leonard’s, a grocery chain based in Norwalk, Connecticut, always has some sampling
going on in its four stores: free cups of chicken chili or clam chowder handed out at the front
entrance, fresh-squeezed orange juice offered in the produce section, and free cookies piled high
in the bakery section. “It’s an expensive form of advertising because of the extra labor and staff
involved,” says the CEO. “But it’s also good business. We usually double or triple sales of
featured products.” And, he adds, customers who try something and enjoy it may very well buy it
the next time they shop at Stew Leonard’s.
Kimberly-Clark has used sampling to get consumers to feel the softness and strength of its Viva
paper towels. In thinking about how to give away a single paper towel as a sample, the
company’s advertising agency suggesting stitching it into magazines like Every Day with Rachel
Ray and Reader’s Digest so that readers could rip the towel out and try it for themselves. At the
same time, Kimberly-Clark arranged to distribute Viva coupons at supermarket checkouts. These
kinds of marketing tactics have helped Viva boost market share and become the number-two
brand in the paper-towel market behind Bounty, the market leader.
Stores and magazines are not the only places where consumers can experience sampling. College
students on Florida beaches for spring break are a prime target audience for samples distributed
by companies seeking to start or reinforce a brand relationship. Some samples are handed out at
hotel registration desks along with room keys. Others are the focus of contests and experiential
activities. Students who participate in the “Sand Castle Demolition” contest stomp through sand
structures and dig deep for hidden bottles of Vitamin Water, for instance. In Neutrogena’s Acne
Stress Control tent, students can try out Acne Stress Control Power-Foam Wash, register to win a
big gift basket of samples, and stay for a free massage. Marketers also use these contacts as an
opportunity to research students’ likes and dislikes, shopping habits, and brand preferences,
looking for insights that will make their sampling programs even more effective during next
year’s spring break.
Case Questions
1. Why is sampling a good marketing tool to influence low-effort decisions?
2. In terms of choice tactics, explain the risk that Starbucks takes if consumers who sample Pike
Place coffee do not like it.
3. Why would Kimberly-Clark arrange to distribute coupons in supermarkets at the same time
that it had Viva towel samples stitched into magazines?
4. What role might normative influences play in the product decisions made by students who
receive samples during spring break?
