Scaling a National Demo Program | Kiera Kehoe, SMASH Kitchen

On this episode, we're joined by Kiera Kehoe, Brand Manager at Smash Kitchen - the organic condiments and cooking oils brand co-founded by actor Glenn Powell.Kiera previously built and ran Lift Off, a demo and merchandising agency covering roughly 40 states, and honed her brand management chops at cool brands like Zack's Mighty.We dive into the real mechanics of building and running a demo program from the ground up. Kiera walks through how she thinks about budget allocation (sponsored search first, demos second), when brands should start demoing (three to four months after launch, not day one), and which categories see the best demo ROI - impulse-priced items like snacks and beverages versus low-margin singles where the math rarely works.We get into how to find, hire, and motivate top brand ambassadors (referrals first, Facebook groups second), the case for starting with an agency before building in-house, and how to diligence demo agencies by asking where their strongest regions are. Kiera also talks candidly about the realities of scaling a national demo program, including why most brands eventually have to pull back on demo spend around the two-year mark as they move into conventional retail.---------------Episode Highlights:🛒 How Lift Off demo agency was born from Zack's Mighty🎯 Two marketing buckets: like your brand vs. buy your product💰 Budget priority: sponsored search first, demos second📊 Metrics that matter (samples distributed, sales, reorders)🍟 Demoing frozen products (the tater tot air fryer story)🤝 Why ambassadors are your best source of store-level intel🎨 Table setup details that actually drive traffic🔍 How to find great brand ambassadors (referrals and Facebook groups)👀 The future of demos and co-demoing to cut costs---------------Table of Contents:00:00 – Intro00:32 – How Lift Off demo agency started03:08 – What a great demo actually accomplishes04:08 – Biggest misconceptions about demos05:14 – Common mistakes brands make with demos06:47 – When demos make sense (and when they don't)08:16 – Categories where demos work best09:54 – Demoing frozen and cooked products11:24 – Allocating marketing budget to demos13:01 – Choosing which stores to demo at13:45 – What a great demo setup looks like15:17 – Reporting and tracking ROI with Piñata16:06 – Metrics that matter during and after demos18:10 – What makes a great brand ambassador19:34 – How to motivate and incentivize ambassadors20:53 – Where to find top brand ambassadors22:13 – Agency vs. in-house demo teams24:22 – How to diligence a demo agency25:58 – In-store realities and what goes wrong29:04 – Common consumer objections at demos30:16 – Scaling a national demo program32:04 – Core tools for running a demo program (Piñata, Gusto)33:16 – The future of demos34:25 – Wrap up---------------Links:Smash Kitchen – https://smashkitchen.com/Follow Kiera on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieragk/Follow Smash Kitchen on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/smash-kitchen/Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out https://www.kitprint.co/Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.