Technology

It has become a de facto rule of the road to incorporate social media in all live activations, and at the auto show, some of the brands made a point of integrating Facebook, Twitter and the others in a well-thought out, strategic way instead of just tacking it on.

There were two simulators at the show—one from Ford and one from Toyota—and while they were very similar, one was better. Ford put up the Fiesta Rally car and Toyota went with an FJ Cruiser, but both had off-road courses, and both sat the driver in a rig that rolled on an x, y and z axis depending on the driver’s steering, rolling and breaking. Both were a ton of fun but the winner was clearly the Toyota sim, for two important reasons: you got two laps instead of one, and it had a product education component.

The touch screen has become a must-have tool at events these days, and no matter how it’s used, be it for data collection or to facilitate a photo or video activation, marketers need to remember that complacency leads to negative ROI. EM made it top priority to track down the best touch-friendly screens at the show, and here they are. Prepare to be impressed, ‘cause Big Auto gets it—big time.

Belle of the Ball

Whoever said that necessity is the mother of invention must have worked in marketing.

Smart makes one of the smallest production cars in the market. But belying its stature, the brand went tall and broad with its exhibits at this month’s North American International Auto Show at the Cobo center in Detroit. The brand kept its little efficient cars in the spotlight, not taking focus away, but enhancing the fun with simple, neat coolness. The best interactive was designed to highlight the consumer’s ability to customize everything about the Smart experience by showing just one feature.