Sampling and Coupons at the Store

GEL-1.02: Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard English.

Overview: 

Sampling and coupons are an important part of marketing communications and effective promotions. Sampling can be found in many different grocery stores and other types of stores. One might see a worker cooking a sample pizza or handing out trial size bottles of a new lotion or perfume. While it can be expensive, sampling can be quite effective. 

Scenario: 

In this assignment, you will write a business memo to report back to your boss (Mr. Donaldson, Marketing Director) what you found when sampling the competitions product. You will go to a local supermarket or grocery store and take part in sampling a product. You will also see what coupons are available for products or through flyers in the store. (Alternatively you may reflect upon a time when you sampled a product at the store, or go to a music/video store on the Internet.)

In a 2-page business memo with additional current APA style title and reference pages, make sure you use correct Standard English grammar and spelling and that your presentation is original, logical, insightful, and well-organized.

Checklist:

State the purpose of the sampling.
Explain how the sampling of the product as well as the coupons (in the aisle if an on-ground store) impacted your desire to buy the products being offered.
Discuss the types of coupons offered as well as how it was offered.
Describe the way the sample was offered to the public and whether this was effective or not, supporting your claim with either information from your text or the Library and include the in-text citation and the accompanying reference on the references page. (See the reading area APA guidance link.)
Explain whether you purchased the product due to the coupon or sample and why.

Finally, state your evaluation of the products promotion through sampling and coupons.

reference
Andrews, C. J., & Shimp, T. A. (2018). Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications (10th ed.). Cengage.

Chapter 19: Consumer Sales Promotion: Sampling and Couponing

Chapter 19 highlights two specific sales promotion tools sampling and couponing, both of which can be quite effective for a company if done correctly. This chapter builds on the concepts introduced in the previous chapter on sales promotion and gives specific information on samples and coupons. It also addresses why you should use consumer promotions in companies whether business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C). Sampling through direct mail, newspapers, magazines, door to door, in-pack, and events and venues are explored. The background of couponing is discussed as are different ways of distribution. Due to advancing technology and the Internet, some of the many new and exciting changes that have taken place in samples and coupons are reviewed.

Chapter 20: Consumer Sales Promotion: Premiums and Other Promotions

Chapter 20 discusses other promotional tools such as premiums and other promotions. Premiums are gifts that are given to a retailer or to a consumer to induce purchase or increase brand loyalty. Some examples of this are free-with-purchase premiums, mail-in offers, online offers, in-pack, on-pack or near-pack premiums, self-liquidating offers, price-offs, bonus packs, games, refunds, rebates, sweepstakes, contests, and tie-in promotions.