If you’re wondering how effective free samples are in influencing consumer behavior, a new study by the Oregon Department of Human Services provides a powerful answer. According to an article on Salem-News.com,
Public health researchers analyzed survey responses from 2,684 new mothers. Almost 67 percent said they were breastfeeding at the time they left the hospital and were still given a free discharge pack containing infant formula. Further exploration of the data showed the women who received the free formula breastfed for a shorter time period than women who went home without a formula gift pack.
There is some debate as to whether this is good or bad from a public health standpoint (and one might spend some time considering the morality of the practice), but it’s certainly an indication that free samples have a strong effect on subsequent buying behavior. It’s hard to imagine a more personal decision than whether to breastfeed a baby, but the evidence indicates that sampling influences that decision more than a little.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Click this link to subscribe to Portland’s Finest Advertising Blog.
Request your free copy of my white paper, The Seven Deadly Advertising Mistakes and How to Fix Them here.
1 response so far ↓
Hourly Rates, Eliot Spitzer and Formulas for Follow-Up: 9 Links Worth a Read « Brett’s Blog // March 22, 2008 at 7:24 am |
[...] The Power of Free Samples: Interesting study using instant formula samples given free to new mothers as they left the hospital. I’m not convinced this translates well into many other industries, but it’s still intriguing. [...]