Gig queues · Venue doors · Lunchtime windows
Tactical
Sampling.
EXECUTIONAL is a UK tactical sampling agency supplying small, briefed sampling teams to brands and their agencies for audience-led campaigns at gyms, stations, campuses and office districts across the UK, since 2007.
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Types of tactical sampling teams we supply
Six ways to reach one audience.
Tactical sampling is sampling planned around one defined audience, at the places and short time windows where those people can be reached.
Each format below is built around when and where your audience can be found. Tactical work is one branch of our product sampling; multi-window plans come with a team leader.
Audience intercept teams
A small team placed exactly where a defined audience passes, for as long as it passes and no longer. The core of most tactical briefs.
Gym and studio door teams
Short bursts either side of class times for hydration, protein and recovery brands, with chilled stock kept cold in kit you provide. The venue's permission comes first.
Office district teams
Business districts and office entrances between twelve and two, when workers are deciding what to eat and drink.
Evening and queue teams
Gig queues, venue doors and late slots for energy drinks, RTDs and entertainment brands, with Challenge 25 and licensed staff on request for alcohol.
Near-stockist teams
Teams on public ground close to where your product is sold, sending people who have just tasted it straight to the shelf. We talk about your product only, never a competitor's.
Multi-window leads
One named lead runs any plan that covers several audiences, cities or windows in a day. They keep each window to the same brief and absorb late changes.
How we brief and place our sampling teams
Placed, briefed and on time.
Right to work and ID checked for every person. Employer's and Public Liability cover on every booking, and DBS, food hygiene or risk assessments when the setting needs them.
The brief profiles your audience as well as your product, so staff know who the sample is for, what to say to them and when to hold back.
We handle PAYE, National Insurance and HR in-house for every short shift, however many windows the plan has.
Geo-tagged check-ins confirm staff are in position before the window starts. A 24/7 support line answered day and night.
How our targeted sampling engages the right audience
Choose the audience, then the place.
Counting samples handed out flatters a broad campaign. A tactical one is judged on who received them: the runner leaving the gym, the parent at the school gate, the shopper at the door of the store that stocks you. Choose the audience first, then the place and the hour follow.
You tell us the audience and the windows you want to hit. We supply staff who suit that audience, brief them on who to stop and who to let pass, and keep the team to tight time slots rather than whole trading days.
We run tactical sampling nationwide across the UK
Wherever your audience is.
Teams come from the staffing hub nearest each location, across 40 hubs in the UK. Targeting somewhere not listed here? Tell us in your quote request.
Our sampling team compliance checks
Insured and ready.
Audience led campaigns we have run for brands
Campaigns aimed at one audience.
Briefs where the audience chose the location and the timing, from commuter rush hours to festival queues. See all recent work →
Brands who trust us with tight windows
Brands who trusted us with tight windows.
How we select your team to match the audience
From audience profile to team in position.
Who they are, where they gather, the time windows you want, the dates and how many staff per window.
Each window and location set out separately on its own line, with no hidden fees.
People chosen for experience and location and for how well they suit the people you want to reach, with a 24/7 support line answered day and night.
A brief on the audience and the product, optional training, and check-ins that confirm the team is in place before each window opens.
Get a tactical sampling quote from us
Get a quote for tactical sampling staff.
Request a quote
Request your sampling quote.
Share what you know. We'll recommend the team and prepare an itemised quote.
Targeting and permission questions we answer
Tactical sampling, permissions and targeting: your questions.
What is tactical sampling?
Tactical sampling is sampling planned around one defined audience, at the places and short time windows where those people can be reached. You decide who the product is for, then choose the locations and hours to match, and accept smaller numbers for a better match.
How is it different from guerrilla marketing?
Guerrilla work is built on the unexpected and an idea that gets talked about. Tactical sampling is built on audience and timing. If the stunt matters more than who receives the sample, see our guerrilla marketing page.
And from high street sampling?
High street sampling aims for reach across a busy pavement. Tactical sampling narrows the audience on purpose. For broad footfall, see our high street sampling page; for teams that move with the crowd, see roaming sampling.
Do we need permission for tactical locations?
In most cases, yes. Public pavements fall under the local council, and gyms, offices, stations and venues need the owner's or operator's permission. We advise on what each location needs; the brand or agency holds the permission.
Can staff ask qualifying questions before handing a sample over?
Yes. A short opener ("Do you train here?", "Are you heading to work?") keeps samples with the right people. It is written into the brief so every team member asks it the same way.
Can you run several windows in different cities on one day?
Yes. We operate nationwide, across the UK. Each window is staffed from the nearest of our 40 hubs, with one lead keeping timings and messages consistent.
How do you report on a tactical campaign?
Reporting is bespoke and a paid extra, agreed and itemised before you confirm.
What drives the cost?
The number and length of windows, headcount per window, the number of locations and cities, and early or late hours.