Genesis Today Sampling

Whether you spell it guerilla marketing or guerrilla marketing (and people do spell it both ways) the concept is the same. Guerilla marketing was developed as an unconventional method of a field marketing promotion, like sampling. Typically this is unexpected for the consumer and very interactive and it’s usually a low-cost solution that yields high-impact and results. Guerilla sampling allows brands with smaller budgets to interact with their consumers face to face and larger brands have the opportunity to create unique experiences and generate buzz.

By definition, Guerilla marketing is not announced and does not seek approval from municipalities or event organizers prior to activation – going ‘Guerilla’. This is taking your brand to its consumers wherever they live, work, play or shop. Brands can activate guerilla sampling inside or outside of established special events or in other high traffic areas such as busy commuter areas, tourist attractions and basically wherever the targeted demographic might be open to this type of brand engagement.

Permission-based sampling (non-guerilla sampling) means that you have sought approval, obtained permits and paid any applicable site fees – you’ve asked for and paid for permission to be at a location or an event. Brands will pay for the right to market in an area or at an event because they want the control that comes with permission-based programs. There are advantages to both methods and the checklists below will help you determine the best approach to product sampling for your brand.

Five reasons to use guerilla marketing tactics while sampling:
• You have a smaller budget – guerilla marketing is often less expensive as there is no need to pay site fees (site fees can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars)
• You want flexibility – product sampling is mobile, street teams are not confined to one area (if the crowd dies down, just move to a different area with new consumers)
• You have a quick turnaround – less advanced notice is required as event coordinators do not need to acquire permits (permits can take several days to several weeks to acquire)
• You want to target your competitor’s event – there is no need to worry about sponsorship activation conflicts when a competing brand has sponsorship exclusivity over an event (we saw this with the World Cup a lot. Adidas was the official sponsor and Nike was all over it.)
• You want to surprise consumers – it’s exciting for consumers to meet face to face with Brand Ambassadors who they weren’t expecting to be there (engaging consumers in a fun way is a great first impression)

Five reasons to use permission-based sampling:
• You want a secure location – street teams won’t be asked to leave (you pay for the spot and it is yours)
• You want to have a larger set up – marketing promotions can have a more elaborate set up if they do not have to be mobile (inflatables, tents, tables, activities, etc. can all create a good consumer experience)
• You need additional branding – opportunity for additional branding and signage as an event sponsor (banners, stage signs, pennant roping, t-shirts, local ads, etc.)
• You need targeted sampling – the teams can sample within a specific venue or event to reach a more targeted demographic (if you’re looking for Moms you are likely to find more of them at a Women’s Show than at a guerilla location in Times Square)
• You need sponsorship activation – allows for sponsorship exclusivity at an event (but watch out for those guerilla street teams)

Brand specific knowledge
Respectful
Attractive personality
Never late (timely)
Dependable

A ton of energy and enthusiasm
Mega Professional
Be clean-cut and able to follow directions
Add passion to every event
Smartphone capabilities
Social media experts
Attempt to solve any issues using creativity
Definitely the creme de la creme
Out-of-box thinkers
Received the 5-Star Pro Cess treatment from Pro People Teams

We also learned a few things that will help us to improve our processes and the way we do things so our Brand Ambassadors continue to WANT to work for Pro People Teams.

-  Professional vs. Snapshot – it doesn’t have to be a professional picture, in fact if it doesn’t look like you look on a normal day – send us a snapshot.  We all look hot with a professional makeup artist, hairstylist, special lighting and an experienced photographer (hmmm…and a personal shopper, trainer, chef, nanny, referee and assistant…..just thought I would keep going with things that sound nice to me as well).  Sorry, I digress!  Anyway, we want the real you – blemishes and all. 

-  A body shot – we are looking for proportions – that’s it.  Not looking for porn stars or exotic dancers…usually!  Keep it fairly clean!  I don’t get embarrassed easily at all – but there have been a couple times I had to blush for the person sending me their picture!  Whew!

-  Double submission – if you submit a photo with you and your friend – let us know who is who.  When I talk to you on the phone, I get a mental picture that is usually WAY off. 

-  Meeting the criteria of the job description – when asking for a model, it means we are looking for a model (just because your parent’s think you are gorgeous doesn’t mean you are a model); when asking for a 45-65 year old grandma, we are looking for a 45-65 year old grandma; when asking for athletic male 21-35, females need not apply.  Read the job criteria and submit your information only if you meet it!

These are field marketing promotions and our clients usually have specific “looks” in mind.  If you want to apply with our company, but don’t meet the criteria of an ad – just go to www.propeopleteams.com and click on Join the Pro People Team and then Apply Online to register in our database for future opportunities that you may fit!

We take the time to call each potential Brand Ambassador to see if they are available, see if they are a fit for the position and then we offer them the job at which time we send out an e-mail confirming all the details. These calls are helping us continue to build relationships with the BA’s that work for us. We want to make sure each Brand Ambassador who works for us knows they are part of our team. After all, without them, we are toast! This is the way it is for Pro People Teams. Our philosophy is – if we know we can’t meet and/or exceed the client’s expectations – it’s just not worth our reputation.

We are NOT a nationwide staffing agency with a database of 40,000. Call them if you want 15 warm bodies in Salt Lake City tomorrow. We will find PROfessional people nationwide that don’t want to let us down. We just need another day!

I visited NYC recently for the fourth time in my life on a trip to find the perfect beer enthusiast and brand ambassadors for one of our beer clients (tough job huh?).  For some reason, this visit seemed very different than the other times.  Maybe it’s because of where I stayed or where I worked, but I’m simply amazed at NYC.  I stayed in Weehawken, NJ (just across the Hudson and yes, where Sully landed the plane).  Every morning, I would catch the ferry along with a hundred other people for a mere $7.75, which by the way, does really come every 15 minutes.  I would get off the ferry and get on a NY Waterway bus that would drop me off (for free or the price of the ferry ticket) to where I needed to go.  I am still in awe of the NY public transportation system (maybe it’s because I am in St. Louis where we have the Metrolink…if you live in STL you are laughing with me right now when comparing it to the Subway or even the Chicago L).  After being dropped off by the bus, I would walk a couple of blocks( a couple of blocks in NYC could be equivalent to a 5k though) pass about 15 street vendors selling anything from hot dogs to scarves to magazines (and what’s up with them selling Playboy right there?) to pictures to children’s books!  It’s crazy.  They stand out there for hours and hours day after day.  Then 6 p.m. hits and they close up shop and every restaurant and shop puts their mounds of trash on the sidewalk/street for the joy of everyone’s noses walking back to their bus stop!  Or you can catch a cab just to see the person that chose to walk, pass you up because of the traffic (by the way, did you know you can “rent” or “buy” or “sell” your own cab number there and if you buy your own number they pay for it like a mortgage since it’s around $600,000 – at least that’s what the cab driver told me.)

NYC – where there are so many people working odd jobs and small gigs in hopes of catching that big break.  NYC – where there are some of the wealthiest people in the world walking past someone sleeping on the sidewalk next to the trash.  NYC – where getting across town can be an adventure in its self!  It all could be a bit overwhelming at times, but I am completely fascinated by that city and its history and what it has become!  Despite what you have heard about New Yorkers, they will stop and help you if you ask (they might say take a cab to the bus stop, get off the bus and walk three blocks to the subway, catch the A train and transfer to the D train after 2 stops, get off catch the NY waterway bus to the ferry and then walk away) but they will at least try!

After 2 days of interviewing over 35 people, we found the perfect beer enthusiasts and Brand Ambassadors for the job!  For the people not hired, I still enjoyed meeting with them because everyone has a story (some better than others)!  Cheers to our program beginning shortly in NY, CT and NJ and kudos to the people that call that amazing city home!

Uh….NO! I get all my celebrity news from Perez Hilton and I definitely can’t blog about my life as a former frat boy that is single since I am a married thirty-something with 3 young little boys…hmm that by itself makes for a good blog and a free ticket to heaven. In all seriousness, I would love a strong following of really cool people that think our company ROCKS and want to see what we are up to on a constant basis.

So driving home from work yesterday I thought what is going to make people read this blog because I am not writing this for my enjoyment even though I do tend to think I am pretty funny sometimes (especially after a couple adult beverages). So I am thinking (in between the cries of my newborn baby who just LOVES the car) what should I write about? And it hit me (being that I was describing a ride in the car that was probably a poor choice of words)! I am going to write about whatever I want. Maybe a little personal, always something professional and sometimes I may just describe some of my crazy experiences or a ridiculous day.

Here’s the deal! I love what I do – I provide brands and agencies really great people to represent their brands while helping fun people get really cool jobs (the kind of job that you say “am I really getting paid for this?”) in a fabulous industry! What brand wouldn’t want one of our people representing them? In a nutshell, I pretty much have a rockin’ job! Boy oh boy I certainly deserve this job after some of the jobs I have had. That may just be the next blog. Anyway, in the blog I will let you know what going on in Julie’s world (which pretty much means what’s going on at Pro People Teams with of course an occasional dirty diaper flare). So if you want to know what we are doing – the when, where, why, who and how – then make this page a favorite and visit it at least once a week.

The What, When and Who this week?
Do you know any beautiful women in NYC, New Jersey and/or CT? We are looking for some lovely ladies and some men that know their beer. If you know someone that fits that mold – drop me a quick e-mail and then have them register on our database at www.propeopleteams.com.

On the horizon….
• Great personalities in Seattle mid-September for a very “energ”etic promotion.
• Fun ladies in Tulsa, OK mid-September to help us with something “sweet.”