Jessica Heasley

Prepare to ditch the creative briefs and the commercial-quality stuff. It’s time to go YouTube.
The video sharing web site that’s getting more press lately than Britney’s breakdown (well almost) is making its mark on events with brands from Jeep to Intel to Shell getting on board and getting some play. Whether they’re creating the videos or letting their customers do it for them more companies have been latching on to the craze looking for ways to leverage the potentially huge viral impact.

Having a web presence as part of a fully integrated event campaign is no longer a nice add-on; it’s now an almost expected part of the mix both for b-to-b and consumer events. But marketers are taking the medium to the next level.

It’s all fun and games until somebody loses the series—or fails a drug test or wrecks that shiny new race car or gets arrested or burns a house down or well you catch our drift.
Can your sports sponsorship stand on its own if your team (or its marquee athlete) doesn’t perform? As any experienced sponsorship exec can tell you it pays to strategize for the best while planning for the worst. Six tips for moving ahead when the team’s main attraction runs into trouble.

It might seem counterintuitive but letting someone else put their mark on your product might be the hook you need to connect with certain consumers. That’s why marketers are signing deals with street-style artists—letting them create distinctive looks for otherwise mass-produced goods. Sneaker companies are leading the movement but the trend clearly has legs outside of athletic footwear.

If you suspect your mobile marketing vehicle may be as much of an attraction as the events you’re bringing it to there’s good news. When it comes to negotiating with properties and venues there’s sometimes wiggle room at the negotiation table.
But to get the best deal you have to know your value and your options. Execs on both sides of the table give you the inside scoop.