Challenger sweet brand HI-CHEW put 50,000 samples and leaflets into Dig In welcome boxes at Freshers 2024 to drive trial against established brands.
The brief
HI-CHEW was entering the UK as a challenger to well-known sweets from Haribo, Rowntree’s and Maynards. It needed new consumers to try it, plus product and market feedback from students.
What we did
We placed 50,000 HI-CHEW samples and leaflets in the 2024 Freshers welcome boxes, greeting students on arrival day before Freshers’ Fair and their first grocery shop. We then surveyed students on awareness, intent to buy again and how they buy sweets.
The result
97.1%
of students who tried their sample said they would buy HI-CHEW again, n=415, Freshers 2024
50,000
samples and leaflets delivered on arrival day, Freshers 2024
29.1%
had never heard of HI-CHEW before university, n=2,444, Freshers 2024
24.5%
buy sweets like this once a week, n=2,444, Freshers 2024
What it means for brands like yours
Sweets are bought on impulse and loyalty is loose, which is an opening for a challenger. A sample on arrival day let HI-CHEW compete on taste before habits formed, and the students who tried it overwhelmingly said they would buy again.
Questions
Did HI-CHEW sample to university students?
Yes. 50,000 HI-CHEW samples and leaflets went into Dig In’s Freshers 2024 welcome boxes.
What did students think of HI-CHEW?
97.1% of students who tried their sample said they would buy it again (n=415, Freshers 2024).
Is purchase intent the same as sales?
No. These are students’ stated intentions in Dig In surveys, not sales data.