International Guerilla Marketing

Posted by Daniel Workman Mar 20, 2008

The past 2 weeks, I've been promoting two new cereal samples for a major American company. We've been stationed around Toronto's Union Station and Eaton Centre, 2 of the busiest hubs in Canada.

Our target audience is the younger audience, males and females from 18 to 38. The multinational cereal maker wants to increase sales of its products in Canada by getting prospective customers to sample 2 new flavours, cinnamon and honey roasted.

What better way to develop brand name loyalty than to give away free samples?

We started early Thursday morning at 7 am to catch early morning commuters. About 16 brand ambassadors handed out samples, walking to the historic St. Lawrence Market after morning foot traffic waned at Toronto Union Station, which serves as a centre for the subway, trains, buses, taxis and other vehicles.

It makes sense for an American multinational to contract out the actual sampling of its product in a local market to area residents. Otherwise, the multinational would have to pay for American staff traveling to Toronto and staying in hotels. Besides, local workers have a much stronger knowledge of places with the highest foot traffic.

One Canadian company that provides front-line staff for these special events and promotions in Toronto is NASCO Employment Solutions. That's one company that participates in international trade by staying at home in Canada while serving clients from other countries.