Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design

42. Free Stuff for Dogs and the People Who Dig Them: Using Beautifully Designed Packaging for Free Product Samples “Sells” a Premium Product

How do you launch a premium dog shampoo? You give it away—in small doses. Peter O'Kuhn and Antonio Poglianich poured their hearts into a new organic pet grooming product line and stole a page from the beauty products playbook. They produced 10,000 mini-bottles and packets of lani dog shampoo and gave away free samples. “It engaged people,” says O'Kuhn. “They smiled and were excited by the product.” The combination of a winning design, a great product, and an inspirational story has established a premium brand that landed on the Valentine's Day segment of NBC's Today show.

Why It Works

The key was to spend as much time designing the samplers as they did the actual products. The samplers have the lani—dig your dog logo and a card that tells a story with a personal connection: just because it's a free giveaway doesn't mean it should look or feel cheap. In addition to creating a truly organic product, the lani team spent a great deal of time working with the Langton Cherubino Group to perfect the brand. O'Kuhn points out that once a great brand with a compelling story is established, there are many ways to promote it with social networking and online press services.

Their goal was to expand the category and promote the product outside the usual ...