Some word of mouth topics are harder to spread than others. For example, the issue of hunger in Rhode Island is a difficult one for many people to comprehend. So to make their message more tangible, one food bank created empty cans branded as “Nothing.”

WOM Tip-378

Photo from Nail.

The cans of “Nothing” were designed a lot like any other soup can except they were empty. The Rhode Island Community Food Bank distributed and sold these cans in grocery stores, held taste tests for Nothing and gave out samples of Nothing with empty bowls to raise awareness.

The cans were so popular they sold out of them in many grocery stores and had several retailers asking if they could carry them too.

But the word of mouth doesn’t stop there. Each customer who bought a can of Nothing could collect even more donations from their friends and family through a coin slot in the top of the can.

When you put something physical in your talkers’ hands, you give them a much more powerful reminder of your message and a much easier way to spread it.

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