Beyond taste: the packaging of taste marketing

Tasteful marketing is often described as the most complex to implement. We talk to him to hide all this Denise Hobbsthe president Hobbs Marketingwho has 33 years of experience in consumer marketing.

The basics of taste marketing
As the name suggests, taste marketing is based on the sense of taste. On the other hand, it is not only about tasting in the food sense of the term: we also use taste marketing when, for example, testing or sampling cosmetic products. Therefore, it is a sensory experience that aims to convince the consumer of the quality of said product in order to present a product and then create a purchase. “The needs have remained the same over time: companies have products and they need to be tasted, customers need to discover them. It’s important to believe in your products, and if the product is great, it’s a success,” he explains Denise. She knows something about it: her grandmother, who used to do demonstrations in stores with the chef Jeanne Benoit decades ago, he simply refused to display products he didn’t like. Denise he says this with a smile Mrs. Hobbs He had a reputation among his superiors as the chief taster: if he didn’t like the product, it probably wouldn’t be successful.

The devil is in the details
Taste marketing is more complicated than you think. It’s not just about offering a sample to try in store. A successful taste marketing campaign consists of a number of small details: choosing the right stores and being available at the right time of day or week is essential to reach customers where they are. Next, offering a display type tailored to the product, be it a more traditional display table or a mobile display with containers, with visual elements that clearly identify the brand and the product on offer, are elements that should not be overlooked. “Brand identity and POS are essential for a successful display: if it’s not easy to identify a table or a person moving through the store, customers won’t be interested in stopping and will even walk away until you avoid them,” he adds. Denise Hobbs.

Having experienced ambassadors who know the product well is another important detail, and therefore labor shortage problems are the main problems that taste marketing is currently facing, in addition to certain restrictions related to Covid and which have not been lifted in several food chains.

Except for the in-store display
Of course, taste marketing uses other strategies than simple in-store tasting. A contest or giant reel to accompany the tasting are two ways to get more consumers to try the product, as well as discount coupons and walk away with an item or two in their cart. Events and fairs are other environments where tastings can be used to attract potential customers and distributors.

Of course, he put his word on the wheels of agencies like Covid Hobbs Marketingand Denise had to be imaginative to reach consumers at home: “We also run sample programmes, e.g. Publi-Sac. We had prepared a small sample of the juice Lassondeaccompanied by a snack Sunrype, worked well. It’s no better than an in-store tasting, but it’s a great option during Covid.” Other at-home program tactics can include door hangers, recipe inserts, and of course, discount coupons to encourage the first purchase.