3. WORD-OF-MOUTh NETWORKS
OUR MISSION
ACTIvATING GRASSROOTS NETWORKS
bRAND AMbASSADORS
PRODUCT SAMPLING
STREET SAMPLING specializes in building and activating grassroots networks to execute non-traditional marketing
initiatives and embraces word of mouth to market your brand. Street Sampling’s expertise is in the understanding of street
psychology and how word-of-mouth networks and buzz hierarchies begin and spread.
Street Sampling hires the best people to serve as brand ambassadors and field marketing managers for your products and
services. Street Sampling approaches staffing with an eye toward matching the brand ambassadors to your target audience.
The brand ambassadors take your message to the streets and make your marketing events successful. Street Sampling’s
STR E E T SAM P LI NG
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brand ambassadors outgoing, energetic, attractive, and connected to the local scene. They are trendsetters and spotters
who share a common voice with your target audience members, making them a trusted source of opinion and information
among your demographic.
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4. ONE TO ONE MARKETING
STREET SAMPLING OFFERS POWERFUL WAYS TO CONNECT WITh CONSUMERS
AND DELIvER YOUR MESSAGE IN AREAS LOST TO TRADITIONAL MEDIA.
Street Sampling creates lasting impressions and a relationship between consumers and your brand. We deliver message
saturation at targeted locations using our friendly brand ambassadors. Street Sampling’s creative staff, top field marketing
managers, and experienced models work together to exceed your expectations. Street Sampling produces campaigns full of flair,
originality, and substance. Let the buzz begin as our team of models representing your brand pass through the crowd for the first
time. Street Sampling creates powerful relationships one consumer at a time for less than the cost of a billboard!
Some of our marketing mediums include:
G L A S S T R U C K S , S EG WAYS , P U b L I C I T Y S T U N T S , b I K E S , S C O OT E R S , A DvO C A CY
If you are looking for an experiential marketing solution that is multi-channeled, dual-focused, and synergistic, then Street
Sampling is the choice for you. Street Sampling combines veteran account managers with exceptional brand ambassadors to
STR EcreateSAM Pstreet-oriented, peer-to-peer experiences. From the formation of your marketing campaign to its execution,
E T unique, LI NG
I N YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
the professionals at Street Sampling see to it that each element of consumer touch is executed with precision. Our marketing
managers identify audience targets, and design an original experiential marketing campaign that delivers your message through
multiple channels in a memorable way.
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5. INTERCEPT MARKETING
WITh INTERCEPT MARKETING,
CUSTOMERS INTERACT WITh ThE bRAND
There are no limitations on who can add intercept marketing into their advertising mix. Anyone who uses advertising—retailers,
consumer brands, technology companies—can take advantage of this word-of-mouth medium to communicate their message to
potential customers.
bUSINESS-TO-bUSINESS (b2b): ON ThE STREETS, ON-PREMISE, WORD OF MOUTh
bUSINESS-TO-CONSUMER (b2C): TRADEShOWS, PUbLICITY STUNTS, GRAND OPENINGS
In recent years as static advertising has come into question, intercept marketing has been heavily embraced by brand managers.
With intercept marketing, customers interact with the brand. In addition, intercept marketing is lower in overall costs while
STR E E T SAM brandNGopportunity to touch the consumer one-to-one.
providing the P LI an
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6. ThE TEAM
ThE STREET SAMPLING DIFFERENCE
PEOPLE + PLAN + ExPERIENCE = RESULTS
CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR The campaign director is responsible for overseeing the entire campaign from start to finish. Based in-house,
the campaign director oversees the execution of the entire marketing campaign.
FIELD MARKETING MANAGERS Market managers are the extended arms of the campaign director, supervising city teams on the
local level. The marketing managers help the campaign director plan a calendar of events specific to their own team’s goals and act
as leaders in the field. Specific duties of the marketing managers include: recruiting/interviewing, calendar planning, motivating/
leading the team, training, and day-of decisions regarding foot traffic. The marketing managers are the eyes and ears in the local
scene; they are the ones who bring together the entire marketing team to capitalize on promotional opportunities.
bRAND AMbASSADORS Brand ambassadors are the direct communication link between the brand and the consumer. They are
STR Eenergetic, outgoing individuals who mesh with target audience members. Brand ambassadors introduce the brand to the market
E T SAM P LI NG
I N YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
in a non-threatening manner via peer-to-peer relationships and word-of-mouth advertising. Specific duties for brand ambassadors
include: direct promotions through nightlife, event and street outlets, educating consumers, and creating an exciting atmosphere
around the brand.
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7. STRATEGIC APPROACh
STREET SAMPLING IMPLEMENTS A STRATEGIC APPROACh TO
IDENTIFYING AND SOLvING OUR CLIENTS‘ MARKETING ChALLENGES.
FACT FIND Street Sampling researches your brand, product category, competitors, target audience, and the marketplace. Our
experienced marketing managers establish your goals and objectives.
ANALYzE After the facts have been gathered, the overall look, feel, and touch points of your marketing campaign are defined
by Street Sampling’s visionary marketing managers.
CONCEPT Street Sampling vets every aspect of the marketing campaign to ensure that your message is engaging and
resonates with your target audience.
ExECUTION Street Samplings prides itself on exceeding client expectations. The experiential marketing campaign must provide
STR E E T SAM P LI NG ROI to meet our standards. When it comes to impressions, quality counts more than quantity.
maximum impact and
I N YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
REPORTING Key learnings are documented, and the entire program is measured and evaluated against the goals and
objectives. This program recap becomes the basis for determining the success of the experiential marketing campaign.
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8. CASE STUDY
PUMA h OL I DAY S h OP P I N G Ev EN T
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YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
Street Sampling teams were deployed in 16 markets
over three weeks to create awareness of an
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experiential VIP shopping event. These events featured
a DJ, Photo Booth, Manicures, Chair Massages and
Open Bar.
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Our teams intercepted 7,265 targeted-consumers at high traffic
locations like malls, colleges, coffee shops, commuter locations
and happy hour spots.
The teams were nimble visiting many locations throughout the day
distributing a total of 12,275 invitations.
9. CASE STUDY
KRISPY KREME G RAN D O P EN I N G
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YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
When Krispy Kreme opened its first location within
Washington, D.C., Street Sampling was called upon to build
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excitement around the event. Krispy Kreme wanted to
spread word of the grand opening beyond its base of loyal,
die-hard fans.
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Street Sampling’s Brand Ambassadors canvassed the
streets on Krispy Kreme-branded Segways to deliver the “Hot Now” slogan
along with coupons for a free donut or coffee. The opening day event drew
record foot traffic.
10. CASE STUDY
LACOSTE G RA N D OPEN I N G
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YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
A fleet of six Volkswagen Beetles
invaded Washington, D.C., to promote
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the grand opening of the Lacoste
store in Georgetown. Street Sampling
branded the fleet of Beetles with the
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Lacoste alligator.
Street Sampling’s stylish Brand Ambassadors created a buzz
around the trendy alligator by parking in high traffic locations and
intercepting consumers with incentives.
11. CASE STUDY
ChEvY SILvERADO b RAN D AWAR EN ESS
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O U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
Street Sampling’s Brand Ambassadors hit the
streets in a Chevy Silverado to raise brand
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awareness of this feature-laden truck. The
Brand Ambassadors attracted crowds with free
coffee and an X-Box 360 playing Ford vs. Chevy
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on a 32-inch flat screen television. Consumers could also collect a scan
card, which they could bring to the Washington, D.C., Auto Show for a
chance to win a Silverado. By tailgating in the streets, Street Sampling’s
Brand Ambassadors were able to provide consumers with information
and show off the features of the truck in a relaxed environment.
Over 68,800 impressions, 8,400 scan cards distributed and over 1,300
consumer leads collected.
12. CASE STUDY
REYNOLDS hANDI-vAC SAMP LI N G O N T h E ST RE E TS
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YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
When Reynolds decided to hit the streets and sample
the Reynolds Handi-Vac food saver system, Street
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Sampling made it happen. Our team of 154-Brand
Ambassadors sampled 863,000 starter kits over ten-
days in eight markets. Driving word-of-mouth, each
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consumer was given two starter kits, one for them and one for a friend.
Over 27,000 unique email addresses were captured for follow up marketing
efforts. We estimate in excess of 1.5 million impressions for this program.
Capitalizing on word-of-mouth we identified countless blog, email and web
references about the team. Consumers were given a $1.00 off coupon towards
their purchase of refill bags. There was a 28% lift in sales first month and 8%
sustained lift four months later.
13. CASE STUDY
ARNICARE SA M P LI N G P RO G RAM
E T SAM P LI NG
YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
Street Sampling teams of two Field Mangers and four Brand
Abassadors were deployed to distribute 40,00 Arnicare
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samples and 30,000 coupons at local mostly female oriented
gyms in NYC and Los Angeles.
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Our goal was to create awareness and buzz around the
Arnicare product, specifically among women, and to increase
sales within the two markets.
152 gyms, 39,530 members, 118,590
impressions through word-of-mouth.
14. CASE STUDY
NYC CENTER FOR DANCE b RAN D AWAR EN ESS
E T SAM P LI NG
YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
A Street Sampling team intercepted live dance and performance
art patrons in New York with “Fall for Dance” festival flyers in and
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around NYC for 20 days. Our goal was to increase interests and
sales among non-traditional Dance Performance-goers, targeting
the younger generation. Our brand ambassadors successfully
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communicated with potential new audiences, increasing interest
for the festival.
Our street team was scheduled to cover other dance events
around the town in order to reach the audience, and most of
them were very excited to learn about Fall for Dance Festival.
A total of 17,500 flyers were distributed, with estimated impressions
in excess of 100,000.
15. CASE STUDY
UWC MMA CAGE FIGhT Ev EN T AWAR EN ESS
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YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
A team of one Field Manager and three
Brand Ambassadors were deployed to
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distribute 20,000 flyers and 100 posters
in order to generate buzz and increase
ticket sales.
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We added one extra team on the final day to increase awareness
during the evening happy hour.
Over 8,000 tickets were sold and we visited nearly 100 male oriented
establishments such as gyms, barbershops, sports bars and pool halls
with the MMA message.
16. CASE STUDY
DR. PEPPER bRAN D P RO MOT I O N S
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YO U R FAC E M A R K E T I N G
Street Sampling executed Dr. Pepper promotions in following
markets: San Fransisco, Sacramento, Tucson, Wako, Rio Grande,
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Miami, El Paso, Knoxville. Each event was specifically targeted on
Hispanic consumers.
We depoyed a team of bi-lingual (English/Spanish) brand
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Ambassadors for each event to create a buzz around a contest to
win a tricked out Chevy.
The team successfully communicated with consumers
to increase brand awareness and sales within the
Hispanic popoulation.
17. IN T HE PRESS
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Sampling: The New Mass Medium
Excerpts from: Advertising Age May 12, 2008
By Emily Bryson York and Natalie Zmuda
One of marketing‘s oldest and least glamorous practices -- doling out
free product -- has come a long way from the gray-haired ladies in the supermarket
aisle. No longer the province of marketers who can‘t afford to buy mass media, deep-
pocketed giants from McDonald‘s to Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Dunkin‘ Donuts are
adopting sampling on a grand scale, turning it into a media event -- and, in some cases,
the media buy.
One reason posited is the economy, the theory being that pinched consumers appreciate
freebies and that pinched marketers are looking for less expensive ways to get their
messages out. According to Scott Thurston, president of Street Sampling, a giveaway
of 50,000 samples would require 250 man hours translating to between $15,000 and
$20,000 for labor. The company can then add on publicity stunts, promotional vehicles
and the like. Compare that with $335,000 to produce a 30-second spot, according to
a 2006 study conducted by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, and
somewhere between $100,000 to $250,000 to run that spot during most prime-time
network TV shows. That‘s not to mention that without the aid of paid broadcast spots,
Starbucks can generate hundreds of millions of free media impressions nearly every
time it makes an offer or retrains its employees.
It‘s accountable, too, Mr. Thurston said. “We can look at sales numbers in ZIP codes of
the areas that we‘ve sampled and look for spikes in sales at the retail level after the
sampling program. We may also create a microsite, and we can look at the traffic that
was driven to the site because the URL was distributed through the sampling effort.”
ALSO FEATURED IN FINANCIAL WEEK
18. IN T HE PRESS
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Free Samples Becoming Promo Of Choice
By CSD Staff; May 2008
Big brand names launch promotions doling out free coffee and food products.
Industry giants McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts are resorting to free product sampling, a
tactic typically used by smaller chains that can’t afford to advertise in mass media outlets,
mediapost.com reported.
Timed with the launch of a new commercial touting its iced coffee, Dunkin‘ Donuts is
urging consumers on May 15 to get a free iced coffee from any Dunkin’ Donuts store.
The chain is offering its Berry Berry Iced Coffee from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on that day, and it
expects to give away nearly four million cups.
Also on May 15, McDonald‘s will dole out free Southern Style Chicken Biscuits in the
morning and Southern Style Chicken Sandwiches during the day.
Industry experts suspect consumers in this ailing economy are more appreciative of
freebies, while marketers themselves are looking for cheaper alternatives to relay sales
messages.
A giveaway of 50,000 samples would require 250 man-hours, which translates to between
$15,000 and $20,000 for labor, according to Scott Thurston, president of Street Sampling.
A company could add publicity stunts, promotional vehicles and the like, and still see the
overall cost be more effective than costs associated with mainstream advertising.
Coffee juggernaut Starbucks is also publishing coupons in newspapers for a free cup of
Starbucks’ new blend every Wednesday through May, while on tax day last month Dunkin’
Donuts gave away free donuts with the purchase of a cup of coffee. Earlier this year,
McDonald’s also gave out free samples of McSkillet burritos to celebrate Leap Day.
19. IN T HE PRESS
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Product Giveaways Heat Up
Excerpts from: Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Giannina Smith, Staff writer; Friday, June 6, 2008
Scott Thurston, president of Washington, D.C.-based marketing firm Street Sampling
Inc., said the recent increase in sampling by big consumer brands may be linked to the
economy, but can also be attributed to the changing media landscape.
“What I hear more from clients is that the landscape is very cluttered and traditional
advertising isn‘t as effective any more,” Thurston said. “I do think the economy is playing
a role, but it‘s also a more direct measurable opportunity to get a product out there than
traditional media. I think a lot of the brand managers, especially with consumer product
companies, are starting to realize that.”
“It was at the forefront of voice over Internet and lot of people didn‘t understand it,”
Thurston said. “Another reason was sheer competition.”
In some cases sampling could be a cheaper alternative to traditional advertising.
According to the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the average national
30-second television spot cost $335,000 to produce in 2006. Thurston said a sampling
program involving 50,000 giveaways could cost $15,000 to $20,000 in man hours, plus
promotional extras, and could have a more favorable sales result.
“Running a national television spot you‘ll have millions of impressions and exposure, but it
won‘t necessarily translate to action on the part of the consumer for purchase, whereas
interaction in a sampling program, one-to-one with a brand ambassador, the consumer is
much more apt to develop a more favorable impression of the brand and ultimately act
and purchase,” Thurston said.
Thurston said retailer Costco Wholesale Corp. is an example of a company that recognized
the strength of sampling early on.
“If you go all the way back to the late ‚70s and early ‚80s, Costco really probably pioneered
sampling,” Thurston said. “They knew from the beginning if they could feed people while
shopping in the aisles of Costco they had a very high probability of converting a person
to a sale.”