Blobfish International, 10 years into its business, has been utilising and refining data-led sampling as a means to engage customers to brands.
Founder Nicolas Cann established Blobfish in 2015 to meet client demand for sampling and to redefine the sampling market with a data-driven approach.
He told AdNews that the first relationship with Uber rideshare utilised data-led sampling through providing Mentos in Ubers.
“If you called an Uber in 2015, 16 or 17, you got given a Mentos quite consistently,” Cann said.
“That was the birthing place of Blobfish, and the evolution of our business.
“Environmentally-led sampling didn't really exist. It was hand to hand sampling activation which still exists, but moving into that environmental sampling is where the data-led opportunities came from.
"Because with technology, we know who the customer is and where they are, which minimises wastage for sampling."
Blobfish is now a team of 12 people and has expanded to the UK and New Zealand.
They have worked across brands in the ride share, food delivery, Airbnbs, hotels and offices sector.
Blobfish’s sampling has extended to its Venetian-inspired Aperol boats on the Yarra River during events like the Australian Open, and community surfboards for a Woolworths activation.
Cann said that clients often come to Blobfish with sample ideas and information on its target audience.
“Then we give them a strategic response around where that audience is, and often that will align with maybe 5 to 10 different channels that we operate in, and then zone in on key areas," he said.
“The at-home opportunity, especially during covid, exponentially exploded. But post covid, it became a real prominent area to reach that customer.
"We can reach them through postcode targeting, meal type targeting and understanding the geo fence.
“The covid years stand out quite strongly, because as a business that heavily focused on rideshare, it was interesting to be part of a business that had to pivot, expand into other areas and thrive or survive.”
One in four customers will convert to a purchase off the back of a trial, according to Blobfish.
Cann said that environmentally-led data sampling can ensure you are not missing out on the right customers in areas less approachable.
“You have to reach the right customers to convert them. If you are just spraying your product out, it doesn't happen,” he said.
“A lot of people are on the move or they're at home, locked at their desk, working all the time.
"Previously, these customers would have been missed altogether. Through this expansive network, Blobfish can reach a customer that you may have never seen.
“Unless you gave 20 million plus samples, and you can reach the whole country, the only way to do it properly is to be targeted.
“It’s a massive win for customers, because they're getting the freebies and learning about a new product they may not have consumed before. And for brands, they're seeing that the purchase behaviour does increase.”
As AI efficiency comes to the forefront of brands minds, Cann said that the team has been using AI for several years to automate and collect survey data.
“We have our own technology that enables us to plug everything in, and it can spit out exactly where that audience is, which environments are better and what percentage breakdown to offer to a client based on each of those environments,” he said.
“Automation, robot technology and self-driving delivery is going to become more prominent, and we’ve connected to a lot of these tools so as long as our data pieces and all the information we're collecting stays hand to hand, then we will continue to be at the forefront.
“We’ve done some collaborative sampling exercises with drone delivery companies, and unfortunately, they’re not quite there yet. But it's for us to make sure that we are there and we are ready.”
“Autonomous deliveries and reaching the right customers with direct opportunities is the growth of sampling and where it's going to land for us.”
Blobfish has begun speaking to clients across Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan, which Cann said has technology advancements that do not exist in Australia.
“The UK, Australia and New Zealand is our current footprint and is always going to be our core focus. But if we can continue with what we're doing in other markets, it’s definitely worth pursuing,” he said.
“The innovation has been growing year on year, and more brands are coming to us to help them find solutions to sample in the best way.
“We have hundreds of daycares and swim centres throughout our network.
"It’s about engaging with those environments as much as we can and collecting more data around who that audience is and how we can interact with them more.
“I feel very fortunate to have a business that has survived 10 years. It’s not a one man band, it’s the support of a really good team."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.