Broan-Nutone is the industry leader in home ventilation products. The introduction of above-stove mounted microwaves with built-in charcoal filters had consumers believing that they had no need for an exterior vented system. This misconception caused sales of Broan-Nutone ventilation systems to lag.

Field research indicated that once a consumer was informed about a product, that individual was more naturally inclined to purchase it. Our strategy team came up with a store-level program to educate consumers about the benefits of Broan-Nutone hood vents, with the objective being to convert sales right on the floor. The program launched in selected Home Depot stores, and ran on Saturdays and Sundays between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm. With the help of Broan-Nutone’s knowledgeable sales associates, we were able to train our demonstrators and create a highly effective program.

‘If you try it you will buy it.’ This is the positioning phrase for Dare Canada’s Realfruit Gummies. Further to that phrase being an important piece of the brief is the fact that the product skews heavily to Moms 24-55 years of age. With these parameters in mind, we created The Realfruit Gummie Tour. The tour involved Realfruit-branded PT Cruisers with Realfruit teams who travelled around from location to location seeking moms in places where they were having fun. Teams travelled to beaches and parks to hand out samples, and to selected retail outlets to distribute coupons. The tour took place over eight weekends in July and August. Each weekend, between 8,000 and 12,000 samples, and 4,000 coupons were distributed. ROI was measured on coupon redemption; which in some locations reached 40%.

Welch’s came to us for suggestions on prime locations to sample two new Welch’s products. We recommended the Good Food Festival in Toronto—a three-day event where food and beverage companies allow the public to try their new offerings. Over the course of three days, we handed out samples to over 25,000 consumers, and distributed over 17,000 coupons for redemption at retail. Our job outline for this project was to negotiate the venue, and hire, train, and outfit the sampling staff.

Fido is the cellular provider for the hip ‘under 25’ generation. When Fido came calling, we created a blitz in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to reach Fido’s primary audience where they play. We conducted exit sampling at Air Canada Centre concerts for the ‘under 25-crowd.’ Over four events, we handed out sample kits, which included a coupon for $25.00 off phone purchases at Fido chains, to over 50,000 consumers. Our role was to hire, train and outfit sampling staff members who could easily relate to the target market.

Kellogg’s was looking for a fun way to test a new Kellogg’s Eggo Centers on moms and their children at Toronto’s Harbour Front Children’s Festival. Our solution was to invite kids to decorate Eggo Centers with frosting, sprinkles and syrup. While the kids were busy, our trained staff asked the moms questions and gave them coupons that were redeemable at retail. In one weekend, we had sampled over 7,000 children and distributed over 10,000 coupons.