London Billboards Give Free Samples: Brilliant or Bad Idea?

by SodaHead Business Posted 2012/03/18 21:13:15

Related Topics: Pope, Advertising, State, Free, Entertainment, Disney, Billboard, Media, British, Eat, Bad, London, Fragrance, Love

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	Brilliant	156 votes	83%
	Bad Idea	33 votes	17%

Don’t get us wrong, we love free samples. But we’re not sure that billboards should be doling them out.

British baked-goods brand Mr. Kipling has launched a new advertising campaign, which the company calls a “media first.” Nineteen billboard posters, primarily located in bus shelters, have been converted into automatic cake dispensers to promote the company’s new line of cake-to-go products.

Mr Kipling Billboard

At the touch of a button, commuters can enjoy an individually wrapped sample of the new snap-pack product, which allows people to eat cake “on the go.” To entice passersby, at least one of the billboards will also emit the sweet aroma of freshly baked cake via a spray device.

The automated fixtures will distribute five hundred free cakes a day. But as TIME pointed out, “there is no word on how the company will prevent cake hoarding.”

What do you think SodaHeads? Is Mr. Kipling’s innovative advertising strategy brilliant or a bad idea?

+10

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Omni 2012/03/18 23:28:47

Brilliant

+5
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S123 2012/08/22 00:35:01

Brilliant

If they keep the cakes fresh.

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Flamingolady 2012/04/17 03:26:24

Brilliant

I would try free samples! Let the sampling begin!!!

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kcandi 2012/03/20 20:38:16

Brilliant

Good for the company!

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Aqua Surf 2012/03/19 21:34:01

Brilliant

This is a no brainer; the more people who know and try a product, the more profit for the company. A lot of things I've bought, especially at department store beauty counters, is because I was given a free sample first.

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smitty 2012/03/19 21:00:06

Bad Idea

Doesn't anyone think the person in front just got finished masturbating or cleaning a poppy diaper and didn't wash their hands.

Sticking my hands in the same place just ewe.... Concentrated germs.

Or some teenage kid that decided to spit a honker in it.

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Tintinsalz 2012/03/19 20:53:11

Brilliant

While there are people who will "cake hoard", I think that just the fact that they are willing to do this will probably get them enough publicity and enough love from the public commuters to get A Lot of sales. Its simply a brilliant scheme and I would love to sit and wait for a bus while smelling fresh baked goods (Even if its a fabricated smell, how bad can it be? Baked goods smell SO good!)

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Odinsown 2012/03/19 19:09:50

Brilliant

+1
It's smart, it gets people tasting his product, and more importantly talking about it.

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Kezzi Rose Lavigne Biersack 2012/03/19 17:55:21

Brilliant

Cool

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Margaret Jacobson 2012/03/19 16:45:26

Brilliant

wish I thought of it

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Sterling 2012/03/19 16:20:00

Brilliant

+1
Good idea just put a twenty second latency between when it dispenses so it lasts all day and to deter hoarding.

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Liset Gonzalez Veliz 2012/03/19 16:07:34

Bad Idea

+1
I did not say it was a bad idea and it marked the wrong answer sorry, I think it is brillant idea I love cakes How can we get some free cake and other products here?

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brittneylalaa 2012/03/19 15:45:42 (edited)

Bad Idea

I think its good for the UK but here in America I could just see people helping themselves depending on where it is.

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lucky 2012/03/19 14:14:53

Brilliant

Sounds good if you can mange to keep people from being greedy and taking more their their share of samples.

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Emily 2012/03/19 13:50:19

Brilliant

But it might not be as good for the company when someone (say, me) comes in and is hungry for angel slice, then clears out the billboard machine.

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amber 2012/03/19 13:37:01

Brilliant

+1
awesome :}

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Tibby 2012/03/19 12:36:30

Brilliant

I'm not quite sure how that works, but it's awesome :D

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olive 2012/03/19 12:10:19

Brilliant

Less people work so more time ha ha

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Erok 2012/03/19 10:43:29

Brilliant

Ello Govna ! :)

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Elephant Lord 2012/03/19 07:03:23

Brilliant

+1
No one should complain about free samples. If you don't like them, don't take them!

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hannah 2012/03/19 05:40:36

Bad Idea

+1
i wouldnt mind getting a little snack on the go but there might be crowding along with hoarding

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A Pigeon. 2012/03/19 05:34:06

Brilliant

+3
I think it's a pretty cool idea but I wouldn;t be surprised to see people just take all of the samples and run off with them

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The Inc... to A Pigeon. 2012/03/19 12:54:02

+1
That would be me.

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gregaj7 2012/03/19 04:58:02

Brilliant

+2
Until it runs out.

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CREW grand 2012/03/19 04:40:41

Bad Idea

+2
I'd wager on a few greedy people arriving early and taking all the free product.
People get crazy enough just fighting other people for discounts on Black Friday.
The only way I know to prevent that is by using a timer limiter, so the machine will not dispense more than one item every few minutes.

Don

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psiEnergos 2012/03/19 04:37:08

Brilliant

+2
Of course I like free cake :-D

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nothingbutthetruth 2012/03/19 04:21:31

Brilliant

+2
I wish I was there to get some, I would of been in that long line(:

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Bureauc 0webama 2012/03/19 04:01:58

Brilliant

+2
Brilliant........ to a point.
Until the entitlement crowd discovers it and make off with every sample with no intention of ever buying the product. Not with their own money anyway.

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sglmom 2012/03/19 03:36:05

Brilliant

+1
Whatever happened to passing out samples in the Grocery Stores (like they've done down through the years?)
Bus stops? This would be better placed right outside of the outlets where these cakes are sold ..

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Jiorgia 2012/03/19 03:29:31

Brilliant

+4

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Flea to Jiorgia 2012/03/19 15:57:52

+1
That's my kind of kitty...

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lolitalovely 2012/03/19 03:23:08

Bad Idea

+1
unless they ration it well.

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Flea 2012/03/19 03:22:30

Brilliant

+2
Us Americans need another bunch of fatties to compete with- what better idea than to chubby-up the UK with free samples?

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The Inc... to Flea 2012/03/19 12:55:02

I can't stop laughing.
The truth is seen!

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Artisan Rose ☽✪☾☥ 2012/03/19 03:15:57

Brilliant

+2
i'd love a free cake sample

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ray-bird78 2012/03/19 03:00:22

Bad Idea

+2
Insted of going and buying the product people will just go to the billboard to get stuff. But kinda good cuz homeless peeps will have SOME way of getting food

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Steve 2012/03/19 02:56:54

Brilliant

+2
Everything is better free

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cupcakes 2012/03/19 02:43:10

Brilliant

+3
cum to canada please...................

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(▪‿▪)DoctorWhoGuru(▪‿▪) 2012/03/19 02:24:23

Brilliant

+2
Cool!

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LukeC 2012/03/19 02:20:21

Brilliant

+3
Cant see anything wrong with it, looked at all the comments below from people who thought it was a bad idea, and well there clueless people who seem to think we cant have anything nice because of everything bad, like homeless people...

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Bibliophilic 2012/03/19 02:19:40

Brilliant

+2
Yes, if it is monitored and closes after a certain hour. Also the sample should be pre-packaged lest it become stale. It would be nice if it were situated outside of a shop that sold the product. It's a smart idea.

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