Cold and flu season rarely inspires experimentation. Shoppers typically reach for familiar remedies, especially when feeling under the weather. A leading OTC brand, however, had a breakthrough worth disrupting the routine. The chewable tablets introduced a modern, flavorful, chewable format designed to deliver fast relief in a way their consumers had not experienced before.
With a highly seasonal product and a short window to build awareness, the brand partnered with Recess to activate a targeted sampling program engineered to spark discovery, drive trial, and generate measurable retail impact among Dollar General shoppers.
Consumers welcome a tasty new way to relieve symptoms
Sampling is not commonly associated with the cold and flu category, but the chewable tablets created a new opportunity to shift shopper perceptions. Market trends showed strong potential for trial among active consumers who prioritize convenience, portability, and great taste. Recess pinpointed specific locations within fitness studios, endurance events, outlet malls, and family gatherings whose visitors overindex as frequent Dollar General shoppers with higher purchase frequency in the health and wellness category. This alignment ensured sampling reached people who were both high-intent and highly relevant for the retailer.
The ideal audience included people who move quickly through their day and cannot afford to slow down. Recess activated sampling across these high-value environments, putting the chewable tablets directly into the hands of on-the-go consumers with strong purchase intent in the health and wellness category.
These were moments when people were already thinking about wellness and open to discovering effective symptom relief.
“The cold and flu category is not the first to come to mind for sampling, but this great-tasting format needed to be experienced to be appreciated. Recess helped us reach the right consumers in the right environments.” — Brand Manager, Leading OTC Brand
Goals to feel good about: build awareness, spark trial, and drive retail sales
Launching a new product format within a longstanding brand requires precision. The brand set out to achieve four key objectives:
- Increase brand and product awareness for the chewable tablets
- Drive trial heading into peak cough, cold, and flu season
- Reach Dollar General shoppers in real life through relevant, high-traffic event environments
- Generate measurable sales lift and retail conversion
The sampling strategy needed to both generate immediate engagement and drive that engagement toward in-store action.
A data-driven sampling campaign engineered for success
Recess used retailer-targeting insights from its proprietary platform to pinpoint the exact locations where Dollar General shoppers naturally gather, identifying specific partners for the program and ensuring each activation aligned with real consumer behavior.
Recess distributed two-dose sample packs of the chewable tablets across fitness studios, endurance races, outlet malls, and family-focused events. Each environment created a mindset of wellness, convenience, and readiness to try something new.
Participants engaged with branded signage, partner staff, and on-site education, with the signage efficiently delivering key brand messages without the added cost of full brand ambassador teams, creating memorable experiences and prompting shoppers to seek out the product at retail.
This seamless journey, from sample to store, built the foundation for measurable sales lift.
With the activation completed across key markets, the brand evaluated the full impact of the program through its Sales Lift Report.
Campaign results by the numbers
Key performance highlights:
- $1M+ Incremental Sales
- 7.28x iROAS
- 74% New to the Product
- 5.84% Incremental Lift
The campaign’s results demonstrate that it achieved more than simply prompting trial; it generated sustained retail momentum, with weekly lift peaking at 13.47% in January, at the height of cold and flu season.
“This campaign delivered an IROAS that outperformed several of our media benchmarks, highlighting the strength of Recess’ targeted sampling strategy.” — Brand Manager, Leading OTC Brand
Real consumers, real reactions
Beyond the numbers, the campaign generated enthusiastic qualitative feedback.
Participants consistently highlighted the surprising and enjoyable taste of the chewable tablets, often noting that it did not resemble what they expected from a symptom relief product. Many immediately asked where they could purchase it, creating natural opportunities to direct them to nearby Dollar General locations.
Several event partners also reported that attendees recommended the product to friends and family on-site, turning sampling moments into organic word of mouth.
Relief delivered, results achieved
This campaign delivered on every objective:
- Awareness increased among both new and returning brand consumers
- Trial accelerated at the most critical moments of the season
- Dollar General shoppers engaged deeply, creating real conversion opportunities
- Retail sales surged, supported by strong incremental lift and standout IROAS
- Insights unlocked a clear roadmap for future launches and category strategy
The chewable tablets proved that when a great-tasting innovation meets a data-driven sampling strategy, even mature categories can break through and achieve meaningful growth.
Want to turn product into measurable retail growth?
Recess can help you reach your goals with turnkey, measurable, and scalable experiential media. Talk to a Recess expert to learn more.
