Sonia Andresson-Nolasco

Ever since the Swedish home store IKEA first set up shop on American soil more than 25 years ago, it has offered customers not only its furniture, but its full-fledged Scandinavian shopping and dining experience. (Swedish meatballs and a glass of lingonberry juice, anyone?) Thanks to its early efforts in innovating a unique retail experience, IKEA has earned a loyal following. But for those new consumers getting their home furnishing cues from experts in magazines, online and on TV, the brand has had to amp up its efforts.

At this year’s Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona (Feb. 21-March 1), Intel executed a new engagement strategy in its booth that transformed its former b-to-b program into an immersive, high-tech b-to-c experience. The 40-foot by 100-foot booth featured three key experience zones created to connect with original equipment manufacturers like Motorola, Nokia and LG, service providers like AT&T and Verizon, as well as developers and press analysts.

Though the majority of brands activating at last fall’s three-day Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine were food and beverage products, there were a couple of non-endemic brands that took a seat at the table, too. All turned out to take their best shot at connecting with the tastemakers, and generally higher income consumers that can afford to shell out $195 a pop for a ticket to the Grand Tasting—just one of several paid experiences that were part of the festival.

On March 10, at-home soda maker brand SodaStream kicked off its Spring Break program at Panama City Beach, FL, with a series of beach activations. The brand will be on the beach through March 18 with a 20-foot by 20-foot footprint that has as its backdrop a 12-foot by six-foot cage atop a trailer filled with empty soda cans and water bottles equaling the average five-year waste of a family of four. The cage evokes SodaStream’s eco-friendly message, which according to research, resonates with this demographic.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of “The Magic School Bus” book series, Scholastic this past October invited a class of second-graders from the United Nations International School to Pier 84 in Manhattan where The Magic School Bus rose from the Hudson River on a barge. Scholastic used its educational Magic School Bus, which tours the country throughout the year, as the backdrop for an oceanic themed lesson. When not in use, the bus is stationed in Connecticut.

Brand: Scholastic
Agency: The Michael Alan Group