Kenneth Briodagh

Ford this summer began a series of Fiesta Lounges at hot spots, fairs, festivals and malls in Denver, Phoenix and Southern California to reintroduce its cars to consumers and remind Millennials that Ford is more than just trucks. The three lounges, one for each market area, will continue to pop up until the end of November, sometimes staying open for up to two weeks at a time.

When it comes to reaching a national audience it’s pretty hard to beat the raw power of television, with millions of eyeballs there for the buying. So why are the marketers at those valuable channels integrating more and more events into their marketing strategies to reach the consumers they need? Because, according to those networks doing it, the power of one-to-one engagement is the best way for them to get focused on key markets and demographics. TLC, Lifetime and WE tv lead the way this summer with a series of targeted tours.

Conventional wisdom dictates that the best way to woo those hard-to-impress c-suite decision makers is to fly them all to the Seychelles, put them up in the swankiest all-inclusive resort, buy them a few rounds of golf and along the way, chat up your product. The thing is, sometimes it’s better to leave the gravy at home and focus on the meat.

It can be looked upon as a throwaway element, but if that’s your promotional product modus operandi, you are probably just throwing away your money. If handled properly, the stuff you give away can come back to you in the form of brand loyalty and ROI. But the promo industry is in flux, with new laws restricting giveaways and popular outcry against waste, and while going green might make you look good, it also might be less green than it is a red herring. With all this in mind, EM brings you its State of the Tchotchke report.

When the G20 Summit hit Toronto June 25, the delegates were tasked with the big issues: the global economy, green energy and financial reform, to name a few. Canada Tourism had just one mission: to remind the world to “Think Canada” for tourism, business and investment. With this directive in mind, the Experience Canada Pavilion was born.