• by Larry Dobrow , Featured Columnist, May 1, 2009

TONGUE-TIED

Getting consumers to taste new products has long been the bane of food and beverage marketers. Sure, they can set up a fresh-faced kid at Costco with a plate of brand-new fat-free picante mini-pita pockets, but even the most persuasive huckster can't lure too many shoppers to accept food from a stranger in an unfamiliar dining environment. Besides, the process isn't cost-effective: One estimate puts the cpms of in-store food and beverage sampling in the 800-1,000 range, meaning that even those marketers who are inclined to give tasting programs a chance can only afford to do them on a limited scale.

Lindstrom, who's among the most prominent boosters of sensory branding, draws an analogy to explain the challenge. "It's one thing to explain what it's like to be on a bicycle. It's another thing to get up and take a ride," he says. "When you can't taste something yourself, you're missing out on the most essential part of the experience."

Such thinking likely comes as music to the ears (senses-related pun richly intended) to Jay Minkoff, cofounder, president and ceo of First Flavor. Founded four years ago, the firm bills itself as the leader in the emerging field of taste marketing. Granted, the absence of legitimate competitors makes those boasts a tad specious, but First Flavor's Peel 'n Taste edible film strips have proven a hit with marketers from Welch's Grape Juice, Skyy Vodka, Kellogg's and Campbell's Soup.

The strips are tinged with a product's flavor and come sealed in a thin foil pouch, similar to the tamper-resistant packaging of Sudafed or Benadryl. Their size makes them a natural for magazine campaigns and easy application in grocery-store aisles and near registers.

"As consumers, we're trained to try something before we buy it," Minkoff notes. "The one place we're not allowed to do that is at the grocery store. We don't get to sample a new product or a new flavor of an existing one; we have to take a leap of faith that we'll like it." This, he believes, is the reason so many new food and beverage products don't catch on with consumers (one study puts the failure rate at 90 percent). "It has nothing to do with their quality. It's because nobody tries them."

A study commissioned by People publisher Time Inc. in the wake of the Welch's campaign, which ran in the magazine, found some consumer hesitance: Only 28 percent of the 328 people interviewed tried the taste strips. On the other hand, of that 28 percent, 59 percent said they'd be more inclined to buy Welch's Grape Juice. And 70 percent of interviewees remembered seeing and interacting with the ad.

It would stand to reason that as food and beverage marketers diversify their product offerings, tchotchkes like the Peel 'n Taste strips could snare a bigger sliver of marketing dollars. Think about it: Years ago, we had chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Today, we have products like Gatorade Tiger, along with energy drinks that come in "flavors" like "intensity" and "emotion" - good luck guessing what any of these concoctions tastes like in the absence of sampling.