I recently came across Cheryl Chan’s blog where she talked about sampling and how it really impacts consumer’s behaviour. But unlike Cheryl, where she gave out samples to persuade people to buy the product she was selling, I was the consumer getting the sample and being persuaded. I definitely agree that sampling is a very powerful marketing tool. I remember clearly when it was my first year at UBC, right after forking out tons of money for those text books, there were people outside the bookstore handing out free samples. Turns out, they were giving out a whole box of Fibre Plus granola bars. I saw the word “fibre” and “plus” together and was immediately turned off and even skeptical to try. But since it was free, I thought: why not? I can’t believe how wrong I was by the name of this product! I actually found it really good and have been hooked on ever since. I would say I’ve become a loyal customer to these granola bars because they’re so tasty and supposedly to be healthy and good for you too. Now, I’m not sure how healthy these bars actually are, but I’m sure they’re better than the other ones since it has more fibre in it. Recently, I went to a Wal-mart in the States and saw these new versions of the Fibre Plus bars. I saw them and couldn’t resist! I got a couple of packs and can’t wait to try them! They’re supposed to have more fibre in them with added antioxidants that are good for you. Again, I’m not sure how these bars are different from the old ones but just their slight change in packaging made me compelled to buy it. Here’s a picture of the old and the new packaging:
