Anna Huddleston

Pop-Tarts through December is bringing its iconic toaster pastries to life in a 3,000-square-foot pop-up shop located on 42nd Street in Times Square. Inside Pop-Tarts World, consumers can choose from more than 50 Pop-Tarts flavors and experience offbeat menu options like Pop-Tarts Sushi (minced flavors rolled up in a fruit wrap), and engage in other fun activities like the 16-foot Varietizer, a vending machine that allows consumers to pick up to six Pop-Tarts flavors that are served to them in a suction cup.

As part of a strategy to connect with upscale consumers, Buick has partnered with Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure to produce a “cultural discovery” tour in which consumers test drive the 2011 Buick Regal sport sedan and engage in a series experiences with celebrity chefs, local artisans and travel experts.

To raise awareness and drive purchase of its full line of sexual lifestyle products, condom manufacturer Durex tackled one of the most delicate issues couples face—the female orgasm—with a series of house party events. On Oct. 9, Durex helped stimulate conversations among more than 50,000 women ages 18 to 35 at 5,000 “Girl Talk” house parties, handled by Irvington, NY-based House Party, which incorporates social media into its events.

As part of a strategy to launch its new Cruze vehicle, Chevrolet created a 1950’s-era drive-in theater that featured hip-hop artists N.E.R.D. and Ciara, and 350 car lovers and MTV fans who danced and partied among 100 classic and new Chevy cars. The event, which took place September 11 on the lot at Paramount Picture Studios, was filmed and overnight made into a commercial that ran as a 90-second spot the next night during MTV’s star-studded Video Music Awards.

To generate buzz for the third incarnation of Bravo’s “Top Chef” series, “Top Chef Just Desserts,” the network put branded gourmet dessert trucks on the streets of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City, and used Facebook and Twitter to disclose each location minutes before arriving at each stop. The trucks were part of a larger event program called Top Chef Just Desserts Day that on Sept. 15 partnered with 260 local bakeries and retailers in 20 markets to treat consumers to free desserts.