Situation: When Covid Restrictions were aggressively reinstated in late 2021 Because of the Omicron Variant, Brand were once again facing the challenge of not being able to engage with Consumers Face to Face.

Brief: The agency was briefed to find ways of sampling product through innovative means but not break any Covid restriction rules.

Objectives: Sample 300 000 new Iced Coffee samples to consumers nationally during the second half of summer.

The Agency developed a Touchless Digital sampling vending machine for Nescafé Ready-to-Drink Ricoffy n’ICE, with an interactive, and date driven, first-on-the-market, hands-free solution that gave South Africans a taste of this new product, whilst alleviating the barriers to form a more meaningful bond with the product and brand during COVID 19 restrictions.

Our innovative machines introduced a drop-latch covered with an electro-static microbial film that sanitised the consumer's hands-on touch, making the engagement 100% germ-free.

To push trials, customers in the same vicinity of the vending machines would receive pop-up notifications on their mobile phones, alerting them of the vending machine’s availability.

Through quick, easy, and step-by-step process which was clearly displayed on the vending machines, prompting customers to. simply:

1. Scan the QR code

2. Engage with the Free touch Microsite and Social Media (Consumer Data Collection for consumer re-engagement)

3. Get your free sample.

The core target market was young South African adults (Youth Market) across all demographics. The targeted areas to sample the product and engage with consumers was at National Malls and Shopping centres close to Universities and Colleges.

The Approach was to clearly target high footfall Malls where a high volume of youth frequent the malls and situate the Sampling units at high footfall areas such as forecourts of malls. The secondary approach to sampling was to in turn for the sample the consumer engages with the customised CRM platform and social Media, share their data for exchange of a sample of the Product.

Implementation: The Vending machines were strategically placed nationally to create buzz and also enhance a more meaningful engagement other than just a sample in hand in a very effective and Safe way during a time when physical product sampling was restricted during Covid 19 restrictions.

Timeline: The campaign was activated during Early 2022 until mid 2022 during the 5th Wave of aggressive Covid restrictions during the Omicron Variant scare.

Scale: 12 Vending machines were deployed Nationally with over 100 activations.

• Business impact – sales, donations, site traffic: The brand saw a spike during the summer months of 18% increase in Sales

• Response rate: High response rate versus the target for sampling 300,000 was the target, Actual Samples over 600,000

• Impressions/ Data Points: Over 5 Million Impressions and over 500,000 Opted in unique data points collected.

• Change in behaviour: 1,8% Increase of total soft drink market share during the time of campaign.

• Consumer awareness: 20% increase in Brand awareness

• Brand perception: Positive Brand perception increase by 15%