B-to-C Events

The U.S. Army on Feb. 11 launched Army-Race for Strength, an interactive Augmented Reality (AR) game, to engage prospective recruits and showcase the technology and training used to develop strong soldiers. The AR game debuted at the Army’s Strength in Action Zone exhibit at Daytona International Speedway, Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, CA, the Chicago Auto Show and online via a downloadable version. Besides NASCAR and NHRA races, it will roll out within the next few months into all of the Army’s events system-wide, including state fairs, air shows and high school visits.

Today, four of the top women’s tennis players in the world will battle it out on court at the BNP Paribas Showdown for The Billie Jean Cup and $1.2 million in prize money. The tournament will also serve as a platform for numerous partnerships designed to increase awareness and participation in the sport itself.

Bell Canada’s consumer experience, dubbed the Ice Cube, leveraged gesture-based technology across its dozen or so video kiosks. Sensors detected somebody approaching and converted the screen to a Bell Canada logo. Once guests got within a few inches, the screen displayed a demo of how to activate one of three videos by holding your hand above sensors embedded into the top of the kiosk.

General Motors Canada is using the Winter Olympics to show off its full fleet, promote the upcoming launch of the eco-friendly Volt and drive leads. The automotive sponsor (associated with the Games since 1976) is using a combination of mass blitz and targeted touches to both blanket Vancouver and drive test-drives. The company, which donated some 4,600 vehicles to the Games (a mix of fuel-efficient makes and alternative fuel models), was instantly ubiquitous on the streets of Vancouver—there seemed to be more GM vehicles at the airport than there were taxis.

Taking over the USOC family program from now-departed sponsor Bank of America, the consumer product giant has turned a conference center on West Hastings Street into a “home away from home” for U.S. athletes and their families, in the process bringing to life nine of its top brands. Open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day, the pop-up experience serves as “a quiet oasis away from the chaos of the games for athletes and their families,” said Janet Fletcher, associate marketing director for the P&G Olympic Team, while giving EM a tour in Vancouver.