The Jelly Bean Factory x iMP: a weekend sampling pop up and promo van.
On Saturday 22 November we rolled into Leeds (Briggate) then on Sunday 23 November hit Birmingham (High Street) for a full weekend of jelly bean madness. The brief from The Jelly Bean Factory (JBF) was simple: get people tasting, get people talking and drive traffic to their gift-range online.
We showed up with Vanessa (our beautiful vintage ice cream van) a bright branded gazebo, product sampling kit, an “unlock the box” game and an A-board to catch attention. Four brand ambassadors and one event manager ran 8 sampling hours in each city.
We handed out 14,000 samples (7,000 per city), with a chance to win one of 12 giant 1.4 kg jars (six per city) via a quick game. The game was “unlock the box” – a simple visual, no skill, fully inclusive game where participants put their hand in a velvet bag of keys, pick one out at random and see if it fits the lock. That weekend we logged 15,000 interactions and about 10,000 deeper engagements through chats, game plays, social shares, genuine reactions to flavour.
Visitors got to try some of JBF’s wildest gourmet beans. We saw reactions to crazy flavours like Sour Lemon, Watermelon, Candy Floss, Hawaiian Pineapple, Banana Split, Wild Cherry, Bubblegum and Tangerine, all part of the 36-flavour lineup.
The launch did more than just hand out sweets. We turned grabbing a jelly bean into a mini adventure, trying beans people would not usually choose at random, making them talk about it, some even buying jars on the spot or later online. The lively atmosphere, the surprise flavours and the fun of the game helped drive awareness, spike interest in the gift-range and remind people that JBF is vegan, gluten free, naturally flavoured and totally treat-worthy.
Here are the headline figures from the two day activation:
• 14,000 samples delivered• 7000 samples per city• 15,000 total interactions• 10,000 meaningful engagements• 12 prize jars won• 8 sampling hours per city• 4 brand ambassadors and one event manager• 2 major UK city centre locations in two days
• branded Jelly Bean Factory gazebo• branded ice cream van• unlock the box game• sampling bins• A-board with product and flavour messaging
The Jelly Bean Factory promo van proved that sometimes all you need to make people smile is a burst of colour on wheels and a pocketful of flavour. Jelly beans already come with their own sense of mischief, but drop them into a bright, buzzing space and they suddenly become little sparks of joy. This activation took something small and familiar and turned it into a moment people genuinely wanted to be part of: colourful, curious and completely unmissable.
The van became a rolling world of flavour: bold graphics, playful energy, and that irresistible “what’s going on over there?” glow. Instead of grabbing a pack on the go, people stepped up, picked flavours, chatted with the team and grabbed samples by the handful. iMP turned a simple taste-test into a flavour adventure, a place where choosing between “Berry Blast” and “Fizzy Lemon” felt like serious business. It was bright, silly, social and completely shareable.
For visitors, the whole thing was delightfully simple: a quick stop, a grin, a handful of sweets and a tiny moment of happiness in their day. For the brand, it delivered so much more. A wave of fresh visibility, heaps of samples out in the wild, and social posts powered by colourful fingers and big smiles. The Jelly Bean promo van showed just how far fun can take a brand – when you make the experience playful, people don’t just taste it… they remember it, talk about it, and go on to purchase it.
If you want crowds tasting your product, talking about it and sharing real reactions in real time, iMP can build the kind of street level experience that gets people stopping, trying and remembering your brand. From creative concepts to staffing, kit, logistics and full delivery, we handle everything that turns a simple sample into a city centre moment.
If you are exploring how product sampling can boost awareness, drive online traffic or support retail sell through, take a look at our Sampling Services page.
Ready to bring your next activation to life? Let’s plan it together.
The setup was designed for speed. The gazebo and van created two natural sampling points, the game kept people moving without queue build up and the team worked in a tight rotation so samples were always ready to go. This allowed us to hit 14,000 samples without slowing the flow of visitors.
Colour, sound and activity. The purple van acted as a landmark, the unlock the box game created instant curiosity and the flavour cards encouraged people to pick a bean and try it on the spot. Shoppers love a quick win and a quick taste, so the experience was built to be easy to join without any pressure or time commitment.
Pick the right locations for the right times of day. Briggate and Birmingham High Street are naturally busy, but the key is placing the stand where people have a moment to stop. After that, think about your product, your team and one simple interactive element that gives people a reason to approach. The easier it is to join in, the better your sampling numbers will be. Get in touch – we can help design this for you.
We partnered with iMP Sampling & Experiential for a summer campaign with one of our clients, and we couldn't be happier with the results. They executed a total of 42 in-store events nationwide, and their team's expertise in sampling and experiential marketing truly shone through. The staff were great at engaging with customers and helping us to achieve our goal of increasing footfall and participation at each event.
Account Director, CreativeRace
Had a wonderful experience working with David and the whole iMP team for an event this summer! David went above and beyond to help wherever possible and the branded ice cream van turned out beautifully. Hope to work with iMP again soon!
Brand Manager, ETTG
We worked with iMP on stands for two different events and were thrilled with the quality of the items we received. The team executed our brief to a fantastic standard, working to a tight turnaround to deliver all materials required for both events, and were extremely supportive and quick to respond to any questions we had throughout the process. Thank you iMP for your work on this project to ensure we had incredible activations at both of our events!
Brand Manager, BOL Foods
Hiring iMP for an event I was leading on for a new client was a great decision. They turned around a high quality sampling event and promo vehicle with a very short turnaround time, and their staff on the day were incredibly enthusiastic and professional. They made the process easy and the client very happy, we'll definitely be working with them again.
Brand Director, Lee Kum Kee
We worked with iMP for our event stand and staffing of the Ideal Home Show. David and the team were fantastic, our stand was incredible and we had so many compliments on it. The staff were great, they are really high energy and engaged our consumers at the stand. I would highly recommend if you are looking to run any sampling or experiential events for your brand.
Brand Manager, Snuggledown
David and team at iMP are the real deal - kind, personable, dependable, professional, and offer a craftsmanship that rivals any agency I've encountered in my career. We will absolutely be using iMP again for any future UK activations (if they will have us) and highly recommend for any companies seeking an incredible experience - ESPECIALLY if you're a US-based team like us, and need an expert on location.
Brand Director, Life360
