B-to-C Events

Can't find a sport that matches your corporate image? Hasbro's Nerf unit solved the dilemma by creating one of its own: Nerf Dart Tag. To give it an extra dose of legitimacy (think Frisbee Golf) it also created an official governing body the Nerf Dart Tag League (NDTL). The new sport set off on tour this summer holding competitions in 15 markets including five in conjunction with the AST Dew tour (Vivid Marketing Atlanta handles).

The championship took place Oct. 15 to 18 in Orlando where winning teams of four in several age groups vied for a $25 000 prize.

Psst. Hey buddy. You wanna hear something nobody wants you to know? That green mobile marketing tour—you know the one with the alternative fuels and the solar panels? It may not be so green after all. Turns out some of the mobile tours being powered by clean fuels like biodiesel and hydrogen are actually being transported long distances on flatbed trailers. What’s worse they’re being followed by tanker trucks filled with barrels of the coveted “clean” fuel.

For many event marketers and their customers taking the leap into virtual events can feel like a trip to a foreign land. Whether they are using a virtual platform to complement or replace a live event marketers worry that their attendees won’t sign up won’t show up or won’t know how to participate once they get there. But what they may not know is that virtual events are strikingly similar to live events. Yep that’s right Dorothy. It may feel like you’re not in Kansas anymore but rest assured there’s no wizard behind the virtual curtain.

At a time when many brand marketers are struggling to keep their portfolios afloat Hispanic marketing programs are flourishing. Walmart this year unveiled a new concept store Supermercado de Walmart in Houston as part of a strategy to become more relevant to Hispanic customers. The Milk Mustache Mobile Tour is traveling to 10 cities to introduce Hispanic families to the benefits of drinking low-fat or fat-free milk. And Kellogg’s began adding a touch of honey to its Corn Flakes (and noting a “toque de miel” on the cereal boxes) to appeal to Hispanic taste buds.

Even the most elaborate publicity events can fall flat if the hook isn’t worth nibbling on. Adding a Guinness World Record attempt to your program can not only entice fickle journalists to attend it can expand the types of publications and news outlets that might otherwise not bite on your event. To learn more about how it’s done we tapped Reading UK-based The Circle Agency (in June it executed a Guinness World Record event for video game company EA) and the folks at Guinness World Records for some insight.