Should Gifting Be Sent Before or After a New Product Launch?
This article was automatically translated from the Japanese original. Read the original in Japanese
Sending gifting items before a new product launch allows you to create a sense of exclusivity through early access. However, you need to secure enough time between shipping and posting so that the post goes live on or after the launch date. Sending after launch sacrifices some of that pre-launch exclusivity, but makes it easier to build in scheduling flexibility.
Why Does Sending Before Launch Create a Sense of Exclusivity?
Receiving a product before anyone else has gotten their hands on it is a special experience for the recipient. As touched on in What Is Product Seeding, and How Does It Differ from Gifting?, the timing of shipment itself becomes part of the experience—this is the premise underlying the effectiveness of pre-launch gifting. Sending the same product after launch cannot reproduce this early-access quality, since the product is already available on the market.
What Should You Watch Out for When Sending Before Launch?
When sending before launch, you need both an agreement that the post will go up on or after the launch date, and sufficient time between shipping and posting. The time between a product's arrival and the recipient actually trying it and posting about it can take longer than expected. As touched on in If a Post Doesn't Happen Under No-Obligation Gifting, Is It OK to Send a Reminder?, given the premise that posting cannot be forced, building a shipping schedule with ample buffer is a practical countermeasure. Shipping right up against the launch date leaves no room for schedule adjustment, regardless of whether a post is made.
When Is Sending After Launch More Suitable?
When sending after launch, the main objective shifts from generating buzz through early access to building awareness and understanding of a product that's already on the market. Since you no longer need the strict coordination of shipping and posting timing required before launch, the operational burden is lighter. As touched on in Gifting or Sponsored Collaboration — A Framework for Choosing Based on Your Objective, the objective of the initiative should come first, and the shipping timing should be determined by working backward from that objective.
Scope of This Article
This article addresses the relationship between shipping timing and campaign objectives. It does not cover how to select which products to ship or what kind of messaging can encourage posting.
In Closing
The timing of gifting shipments comes down to a choice between pre-launch exclusivity and post-launch ease of execution. Whichever you choose, estimating the required time until posting in advance is essential.