Sandra O’Loughlin

MetroPCS, the no annual contract wireless provider, on Black Friday went where its customers could be found on the day after Thanksgiving—on the lines outside of malls waiting for stores to open. The effort reached an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people and helped boost Black Friday sales of the Galaxy S3 handset, a recent addition to the MetroPCS line-up, by 250 percent compared to sales prior to Black Friday. 

Thinking that the 1,500 campers living in a tent city awaiting the premiere of “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” would want to stretch a bit after sleeping on the asphalt surrounding Los Angeles’ Nokia Place, Jamba Juice, the specialty-smoothie retailer, on Nov. 9 gave them the opportunity to do just that. The film is the final episode in the popular “Twilight” series that stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

As part of a strategy to grow its audience and engage with youth, NASCAR on November 16 brought 2,300 Dade County middle school students and teachers to Homestead Miami Speedway for a first-hand look at science, technology, engineering and math (a group of study topics collectively know as “STEM”)—all with a racing spin. The field trip is the culmination of a three-part program involving hands-on and in-person activities designed by Ten80 Education, a team of scientists, teachers, professors and parents to help students understand STEM subjects.

Cheerwine, a bubbly, wild cherry-flavored soft drink brand sold primarily in the South, and southern-based indie-rockers The Avett Brothers on Oct. 19 joined forces in a Legendary Giveback concert at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Charlottesville, VA. Net proceeds from the concert benefitted three organizations—Big Brothers Big Sisters, Operation Homefront and the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital. The event live streamed nationally to anyone who pledged to volunteer in their community as well as to military bases across the U.S. and abroad.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Goosebumps, the children’s mystery series by R.L. Stine, Scholastic Entertainment on Oct. 25 held an event in New York City that had a local third grade class solving challenges as they traveled through a 2,100-square-foot maze made of corn stalks. The event, dubbed Trick or Read!, capitalized on Halloween to promote the importance of reading.