PMA Book On Sampling & Demonstrations.

The Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) announced the first edition release of All About Sampling and Demonstrations, another essential book in its Educational Resource Series. Co-authored by industry veterans Art Averbook, Russ Bowman and John Karolefski, the book explains how to use sampling and demonstrations to generate sales for both new products and established brands alike.

A recent consumer survey conducted by the PMA found overwhelming evidence of positive consumer attitudes and subsequent purchase behavior based on product sample receipt and usage across a number of product categories. Of those polled, 72% indicated that they purchased at least some of the brands for which they received samples and 69% said that samples and demonstrations influence their product purchase decisions more than an advertisement on TV or radio. In another PMA study conducted earlier this year, 87% of consumers indicated that a sample positively influences their decision to buy a product or service. All About Sampling and Demonstrations is designed to teach marketers how to achieve those kinds of results.

“This book outlines the ways in which sampling can be most effective and, in particular, dispels the myth that sampling is only efficient as a marketing tool for new products,”
said Claire Rosenzweig, CAE, president, PMA. “Promotion is a strategic tool to help build brands at the highest level within corporations, and sampling, which represents $1.3 billion marketing dollars annually, remains one of the most proven and effective tactics in a marketer’s arsenal.”

The book offers a strategic assessment of the value of new customers and how marketers can effectively utilize a sampling initiative for both new product/service introductions and established business building. The decision making guidelines are complemented with research that has been gathered by the PMA as well as other marketers and academics.

The book also defines and differentiates various sampling methods and venues, including
in-home, in-store and out-of home, as well as the vital, but often overlooked, subject of sampling research, testing and evaluations. Additionally, readers will benefit from a glossary of terms and words used in the sampling business, as well as list of several specific sources in the sampling & demonstrations business.

For more information at http://www.pmalink.org