Background:
In Australia, homemade yoghurt faced low awareness despite being a cost-effective and convenient alternative to chilled competitors.

EasiYo aimed to shift consumer perceptions by positioning itself as the freshest and most delicious option for homemade yoghurt, thereby increasing brand awareness and encouraging trial among Australian consumers.

Campaign Strategy:
I briefed several agencies to pitch for this campaign, determining that Social Soup was the most cost effective partner to meet the needs of the project to launch a comprehensive social sampling campaign.

The strategy involved engaging 500 influencers, primarily mothers, to trial and advocate for EasiYo homemade yoghurt. Each influencer hosted a morning tea where they shared EasiYo with 10 friends, generating organic content on social media platforms.

The rationale behind social sampling in this category was based on the need for hosts to experience firsthand the ease of making yogurt at home, which was one of the key benefits of EasiYo. Given that yogurt requires overnight culturing, traditional sampling methods wouldn’t effectively showcase this unique aspect of the product. Thus, social sampling allowed hosts to prepare and share their homemade yogurt experiences authentically, highlighting its convenience and quality directly within their social networks.

Execution:

• Influencer Engagement:
  • 500 mums were recruited to host morning teas, reaching a collective audience of 7.5k through organic social sharing.
• Content Creation:
  • Influencers created user-generated content showcasing their EasiYo experience, highlighting the freshness, taste, and versatility of homemade yoghurt.
• Social Media Reach: The campaign achieved significant reach and engagement:
  • Instagram: Reached 328k users
  • Facebook: Reached 29k users
  • Overall engagement: 5k interactions

Results:

• Impact on Awareness:
  • User-generated content was amplified to reach 300,000 mums with children aged 0-12, fostering positive associations with EasiYo and encouraging experimentation with yoghurt in various recipes.
• Sales Impact:
  • The campaign resulted in the sale of 2,464 more EasiYo sachets.
  • Of the participants, 73% made repeat purchases, and 95% expressed intent to continue purchasing EasiYo.
• Retail Expansion:
  • Successful campaign results were instrumental in securing additional distribution with retailers, expanding EasiYo’s market presence in Australia.

Conclusion:
The Social Soup sampling campaign effectively positioned EasiYo as a preferred choice for homemade yoghurt among Australian consumers.

By leveraging influencer advocacy and user-generated content, EasiYo not only increased brand awareness but also drove significant sales growth and expanded its retail footprint.

The campaign’s success underscores the power of social sampling in building brand credibility, encouraging trial, and driving consumer engagement in a competitive market environment.