Anna Huddleston

CITGO in January launched its Marketer Round Table Meetings, an annual series of 18 daylong events held across three regions designed to pump up the local marketers and retailers that sell its refined gas and diesel products. This year the hot topic was the company’s redesigned logo, its new retail image and a portfolio of marketing programs designed to help build their businesses.

Though Honda has had a presence at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, for the last two years, this year it maximized its sponsorship investment with a full-blown six-day experiential space called the Power of Dreams Experience. From Jan. 21-26, the brand showcased its most innovative products in a 5,800-square-foot gallery space. It also premiered its latest film, “The Undying Dream,” which is part of a series of eight documentaries the brand has produced.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, the Official Candy of the Consumer Electronics Show, which was held Jan. 6 to 9 in Las Vegas, took its inspiration for the unveiling of its new Minis from a typical Silicon Valley product launch, but did so in its own sweet way. The candies, which Reese’s calls the “Next Big, Little Thing,” are about the size of a dime and come in a resealable, standup pouch.

Tillamook’s cheese sampling Loaf Love Tour is hitting the road again this year on Jan. 29 with a fifth addition to its fleet of branded VW buses that have been refurbished to look like a loaf of its cheddar cheese. The newest addition, a convertible bus named the “Loafster” by Facebook fans, has become the centerpiece of the tour with appearances scheduled for morning shows in select markets. Like the other buses, this 1960 VW bus has been shortened by four feet, and lowered by one foot and refurbished as a replica of Tillamook’s baby cheddar cheese loaf.

iVillage, the female-centric website, and American Express in November hosted an event at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art to spark a discussion between young adults and moms about financial responsibility. The program was part of a larger initiative called “The Talk” which promotes PASS from American Express, a prepaid reloadable debit card.