Brand: Tom’s of Maine

Channel: online survey

Talk value: Nice packaging, generous sample size, where’s the rest? Directive to social channels? Coupon on information leaflet? Email from sign up? There are so many possibilities to drive engagement, especially when you are sending a product to consumers completely for free! An animated video about the brand, a gallery of Tom’s fans, a checklist of natural ingredients, I could go on. Sad to see a usually interesting brand fall short.

Brand: Emergen-C

Channel: online survey

Talk value: Incredible packaging. I love seeing brands coming up with something more inspired than an unmarked envelope. This is a great example of packaging done right - with social media cues and branded messaging on each panel. It would be interesting to see a line about why I should follow Emergen-C on twitter - what type of information will I receive? What can I get for a Facebook like? This is all really great, but not enough to lead me to action.

Brand: Schick Hydro Silk

Channel: Facebook

Talk value: Schick held several of these freebie promotions over the past 6 months, offering substantial coupons in between. The scheduling of the promotion was well-timed and well-covered in savings blogs and communities. Participation was not limited to a small audience or capped after one freebie (I’ve received 3 and was never one of the first 20,000 to sign up). The Facebook communication has been more engaging than most - I haven’t “unliked” it yet!

Brand: Clear

Channel: online survey, Facebook page

Talk value: Informative pamphlet, coupon, great packaging. Clear has been talked about in the bloggersphere for these coupons, which are stackable with other offers. What happens to the hype once the couponers move on?

3 weeks of mail

Brand: Garnier Fructis

Channel: Target.com

Talk value: Shampoo is one of the easiest samples to find, which makes it easy to compare. Target distributed this package - a response to another survey hosted on target.com. These tend to arrive quicker than most samples and the packaging feels substantial. Thick cardstock, brightly colored prints, and that rewarding feeling of opening a stuck package make the entire experience exciting. I almost looked over the fact that there wasn’t a coupon.

Brand: Clear shampoo for men

Channel: Facebook

Talk value: A new product with a large marketing budget has a clear advantage when it comes to sampling and social media. Awareness is high enough, but I’m sure many consumers are eager to try Clear before making the full purchase. That alone makes this a successful push, Clear got their product in the right hands (and hair) but marketers crossed their t’s on this. Many companies ignore the packaging and branding, missing an opportunity to enhance a brand. Never overlook the details. This package stands apart.

Brand: Shout

Channel: online survey

Talk value: Basic. The online survey asked for an address and shortly after this arrived. Would have liked to see a branded landing page and more seeding among bloggers outside of the freebie category. Food bloggers seem like an obvious alternate route. For a brand that samples frequently, I hope to see more imagination in the future.

Brand: Rudi’s Organic

Channel: bloggers, Facebook, Twitter

Talk value: Best use of a brand page thus far? Quite possibly. Like many brands, Rudi’s tapped into the mommy blogger network and sparked conversation among fans. Instead of asking for something in return, Rudi’s simply gave to participants. The promotion asked moms to post their child’s artwork to the Facebook page, aggregating everything into a votable gallery. Those images were converted into these neat sandwich containers and sent free of charge to participants - conveniently, right before school starts. Links to the images in the gallery spread across Twitter, Facebook and email and bloggers praised the brand for the insight and positive efforts. Slam dunk campaign.

Brand: Honey Nut Cheerios

Channel: Twitter, bloggers, microsite

Talk value: Incredible. The awareness and buzz (pun intended) that Cheerios created around the sample was impressive. The Twitter account was very active and interactive - RT’s with replies, non-stop. There was an actual hype built around the sample and the times it was released each day. Aside from the sampling campaign, the brand gained traction by really capturing a personality for the bee on social channels.