B-to-C Events

To put its latest Easy-Glide System pens in people’s hands, BIC created an interactive experience at high-traffic train stations and malls from Nov. 10 to Dec. 3. The program kicked off at Grand Central Terminal in New York City where the brand put up a giant eight-foot by 12-foot crossword puzzle that could be solved using magnetic letters. Commuters could also play a sensory game involving three spheres that contained different textures, including a piece of silk and a smooth rock, that tied back to the smoothness of the BIC pens.

To put its car audio and satellite navigation systems in the hands of its primary target—18- to 35-year-old male drivers—Pioneer’s United Kingdom division has beefed up its marketing efforts with experiential tactics that in six days in November helped generate $25,000 in direct to consumer sales. All of the action happened at the brand’s 620-square-foot booth at the MPH motor show in London featuring talent from the “Top Gear Live” television series (Nov. 4-7), and a 394-square-foot booth at an auto expo in Birmingham (Nov. 11-14).

As a follow up to its successful sampling campaign in Japan, Japanese company Salonpas is taking its pain-relief patches to fairs and festivals in Southern California and enlisting consumers in its “Pain Free Movement.” The 96-stop tour began in September and will conclude this month.

The National Guard wants America’s high school students to know it is about more than just natural disaster relief and combat missions. A key part of its mission is about serving its communities, and to that end the Guard has launched the Mobile Learning Center. The program is designed to improve the performance of low-performing schools in science and math while raising awareness about the Guard’s community services in a no-pressure way. The vehicle hit the road in Washington D.C. on Sept.

Sports Illustrated has beefed up its College Football Experience tour, presented by Nissan for the fifth year, with high-tech interactive activities. The 10,000 square-foot tour footprint with a branded blimp floating above it has been traveling to college football games since Sept. 11 and wraps on Dec. 4 at the SEC Championship. The tour taps into the magazine’s top demographic of male readers, both students and alumni, which are key targets for local Nissan dealerships as well.