B-to-C Events

The Hershey Company this summer hit the road with the Twizzlers Irresistible Summer Road Trip, a cross-country effort to promote its newest flavor, Twizzlers Sweet & Sour Filled Twists. The eight-market tour, which launched July 26 in Chicago and ends Sept. 19 in St. Louis, is traveling to family festivals, sporting events and beaches where it distributes samples and engages consumers with music, games and prizes. It also ties in with events sponsored by radio stations when possible. 

Oracle’s new Java Road Trip hit the road on June 17 and will stop in 17 U.S. cities where it will visit with its loyal Java User Groups, or JUGs, and let them know that they are a welcome addition to the “Oracle family” since the Sun Microsystems acquisition late last year. The Road Trip consists of a tour bus loaded with fun activities, food, Java programming experts and ice cold drinks. It is expected to conclude in September.

At this summer’s Lollapalooza music festival, long-time sponsor adidas boosted its visibility by propping a 16-foot by 30-foot branded shoebox constructed out of shipping containers next to the stage it sponsored. The activation was live in Chicago’s Grant Park from Aug. 6 to 8, and is part of an integrated campaign for the launch of its new product MEGA, a shoe that combines some of the best features from the brand’s past shoes and “supersizes” them into one product.

To introduce Canadian kids and their parents to its new Color Shifters line of diecast cars, Mattel’s Hot Wheels brand created a life-sized color shifting Ford Mustang, which it will show off in 50 markets this summer.

Adhering to its mantra of “for food people, by food people,” the Cooking Channel is partnering with local gourmet ice cream and popsicle shops on its 15-city summer tour to reach serious foodies and differentiate its hardcore cooking content from the more reality competition-based shows on sister channel, the Food Network.