Live brand experience: Sampling in Leeds and Birmingham

Two separate companies are to launch initiatives this week offering free samples to shoppers and both are to target potential customers in Leeds and Birmingham.

Sampling is still an important mode of field marketing, which allows consumers to experience products and therefore understand their value.

Mates condoms and Animee beer will be given away for free in the streets, as both companies make the most of the crowds out shopping for Christmas presents.

Extending their field marketing into an entire brand experience, Mates will distribute their Skyn range with a number of models complete with body paint and the chance to win an ultimate night out prize.

Animee beer, which is targeting a female audience with its clear, rose and lemon flavoured beverage, will also be offering the chance to win a prize, this time a party pack for a girls' night in.

Research by BDRC recently found that sampling remains an effective way to market a product and combined with experiential marketing it can boost spontaneous brand awareness by as much as 90 per cent.