Today I went to HEB to buy some groceries. The first thing I saw when I walked in was a free sample table. They were handing out sample cups of freshly squeezed orange juice. There’s no way I’m going to pass up a free sample. I took a sip, and it was the best orange juice I have ever tasted. It was so fresh and clean tasting. I had to have some. There was a shelf full of bottles behind the sample booth, and on each bottle there was a $1.00 coupon! I was sold.
As an advertising student I’m always very self aware when shopping. I try to understand why I want something before I put it in my cart. “Do I really need this or am I being swayed by some outside influence?” I enjoy observing marketing strategies in real life and seeing how they work. Sometimes I’ll go halfway across the store just to put an item back on the shelf that I thought I wanted initially. This might happen when I see a 2 for 1 deal. If it’s something I came for, that’s great. But if I’m just buying something for the sake of the promotion, it’s probably not the best decision. I would be spending more money than I had originally planned to.
I guess it’s kind of a game for me. I don’t like the advertiser to “win” when I make a purchase. When I do see an advertisement or marketing promotion I try to envision what the overall strategy is behind it. Who are they targeting? Why are they doing this now? What are they trying to accomplish? When I realize I’m the target it’s gratifying, especially when the strategy works. The orange juice sample worked on me today after all. Their target must be people who want fresh, healthy products for a low price. I don’t think age or gender mattered as much. Anyone who shops at HEB on a Saturday is fair game. I don’t usually shop on Saturdays, but now that I think about it, that’s the only time I see samples. Putting samples during high-traffic days is definitely a strategic move.
In all, it turns out the sample lead me to find something new that I really liked and ended up purchasing. I have to admit, point of purchase can be highly effective. Maybe I’ll start shopping on Saturdays more often…
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[…] tangible meaning to the things I have studied. Experiencing these processes like survey-taking, in-store sampling, and others allow me to understand how things work in real life. Understanding the consumer is […]