Ways of Working:
Demos & Samplings

Here at RNDC, we use PINATA Software to manage demo and sampling programs. PINATA provides us with a consolidated command center to manage, measure, and maximize field activity in real-time, alongside our preferred agency partners and suppliers. On this page, you will find information about RNDC’s standard operating procedures for demos and sampling, as well as helpful instructions for using PINATA software.

FROM PINATA

“It’s my great pleasure to power RNDC National field marketing initiatives. I’m here to help you simplify your work, analyze your data, and generally make the most of the PINATA platform. Never hesitate to reach out with questions!”

— Maria Graham
RNDC Account Manager, PINATA
maria@gopinata.com

When in doubt, reach out! Reach out to the RNDC Support Team directly at (ServiceDesk@rndc-usa.com) the RNDC support team has the ability to answer any and all PINATA related questions.

The Help Center has even more common FAQs + how-to’s.

RNDC Policies

PINATA specialized in facilitating the complex collaboration around promotional spend between RNDC, our supplier partners, and marketing agencies. The platform will enable our supplier partners to manage their promotional spend with RNDC in a single place. It will also help RNDC look at promotional ROI across markets.

RNDC Management has defined approved protocols for Sales Reps, Portfolio Managers, Chain Managers, Agencies, Sales Managers, and Customer Accounts with regard to demo and sampling programs. While we aspire to operational consistency as much as possible, these protocols do vary according to state-level regulations.

Please see the following images for the Process Map for your market. If you do not see your market listed below please reach out to your manager or RNDC Support for more information.

Talking Points

Coming soon!

Onboarding

Coming soon!

Documents

Coming soon!

Documents

Coming soon!

Onboarding

Coming soon!

Documents

Coming soon!

Onboarding of sales associates

When a new RNDC User is ready to set up their PINATA dashboard, follow the instructions within the article below. For an overview of the PINATA permission levels, view the article here.

• How to Invite Team Members

• How User Permissions Are Defined On PINATA

  • RNDC Portfolio Managers = Administrators

  • RNDC Sales Reps = GoGetters

  • RNDC Suppliers = To Be Determined
    

• Onboarding a New Agency or Supplier

  To onboard a new partner, please complete PINATA’s request form above listed under ‘Is PINATA missing something?’. The PINATA team will connect with you to complete onboarding & training. We will confirm with you once the setup is complete!

Coming soon!

Technical Support

• I’m new to PINATA — where do I begin?

  If you've already received an email invitation to the RNDC dashboard on PINATA, simply follow the sign-up link to create an account. After doing so, you will have access to the RNDC programs specific to your market.

  If you have not received an invitation, please connect with your RNDC Manager to be invited to PINATA. We are happy to provide any additional training resources as you get set up!

  If you are an ADMIN on PINATA, you can easily invite your team members to the Dashboard! Just review the simple steps within the article below.

  How to Invite Team Members
  

• I have an account. Where do I log in?

  If you are a Portfolio Manager, access your PINATA Dashboard at dashboard.gopinata.com.

  If you are a Sales Rep, access your PINATA Portal at go.gopinata.com.

  You can also login directly through your OKTA Application.

  Pro Tip: Bookmark this page in your web browser for easy access on any device! Click here to learn how.

• Who is booking tasks on PINATA?

  Tasks are booked through PINATA by an RNDC User, Supplier, or Agency Partner depending on your market. PINATA recommends connecting with your agency partner or supplier partner directly about their lead times and booking policies as every partner is different.

When booking a task, if you do not see an option to assign your preferred agency to the task, please reach out to your Portfolio Manager to add that agency to the program.

Remember: A Program MUST be created by a Portfolio Manager in order for a Sales Rep to book or request a task on the PINATA platform. You can find the steps on how to create a program here.

Each market has uniquely defined who will be responsible for booking or requesting tasks. Please check with your RNDC Manager for your markets specific booking requirements.

• Source of truth for activity on PINATA

  Portfolio Managers/Admins: The dashboard will be your default landing page when you log in to your PINATA as an Admin. Within the dashboard you will have the ability to view all of the tasks that have been booked and completed within your market.

  Sales Reps: The GoPortal will be your default landing page when you log into PINATA as a GoGetter. Within the GoPortal you will have the ability to view all of the tasks you have requested or completed on PINATA.
  

• How do I narrow down my dashboard view?

  Portfolio Managers/Admins: To narrow down your view within your dashboard, use the column header filters below the task status bar. You can filter by date range, gig location, gig contact, brand/products, and agency partner. See the image below ⬇️ that highlights where column filters are located!

  Pro Tip: You can use the contact filter to filter for your name. Then you will only see gigs you are the contact for.

• Notifications on PINATA

  Notifications will be sent as tasks move through the statuses of execution. When a task is created the selected agency partner will be notified that the task is ready to staff. Once a task is assigned to agency talent, the selected talent will be notified that they have been assigned. Additionally, the talent will be notified the day before the task, when it is time to check-in, and when it is time to complete their report. Once the report is complete, the agency will be notified to view and verify the report. Please see the full list of notifications that are sent from PINATA here.

  Pro Tip: Make sure your program notifications are turned on for each program. Click here to learn how!

• How do I view a completed task report?

  You can view a completed report by selecting the Finished section in the status bar. In Finished, you can expand each task using the blue magnifying glass on the right of each task. Within the task, expand the Report section. You will be able to view the completed report from your partners’ assigned talent.

  All Sales Reps assigned to a task will complete the same channel-specific reporting, creating a uniform data feed across the RNDC National Org.

  Click here to learn more about viewing completed task reports!
  

• How do I view a summary report of multiple tasks?

  Once a task has been verified, it will populate in PINATA’s aggregated reporting. You can view this data by selecting the Reports tab. Within Reports, use the report dropdown to navigate through each report. To narrow down your data view, you can select any program from the program dropdown as well as apply filters such as date range or staffing partner.

  Track brand and key account activity, sampled-to-sold conversion per product, brand, and key account, customer feedback, account + consumer photos, and much more!

  Click here to learn more about how to interact with the aggregated data!

Sometimes you’ll find that something you need to book a demo or sampling event is missing from the PINATA platform. Sometimes, this is intentional on the part of your colleagues who have configured the system — only approved items are selectable. Other times, this is an oversight, or the system is not fully up to date. Use the buttons below to request new items.

Is a user missing?
Use PINATA to invite users. See instructions in Accessing PINATA.