Sandra O’Loughlin

You might say it takes a village to pull off an event as big as the reveal of the newest Boeing airplane, the 747-8 Intercontinental, which also happens to be the largest commercial aircraft built in the U.S. and the longest passenger aircraft in the world. At least that’s how David Okrent, brand manager for the new plane, puts it.

Yes, budgets are ticking back and trade show attendance is up. But we’re hardly where we need to be.

The experiential marketing revolution is now creating an experiential marketing evolution—as traditional media companies use healthy doses of face-to-face strategies to reinvent their own business model.


Department store holiday windows have traditionally regaled kids of all ages who ooh and aah at their Santa scenes and gift displays. Last year, however, at the Neiman Marcus flagship store in Dallas, not only could they ogle the windows, for the second holiday season in a row, they could actually participate in the story as they climbed into tubes and crawled through the set.

Busy consumers today know how to kick back and relax—at beachside hotels, ski resorts, heck, even a trip to the hair salon can be a refreshing hiatus from their hectic lifestyles. For smart brands these pleasurable pauses are an opportunity to join in the fun and connect with consumers while they are open to conversation—and receptive to a steaming cup of fresh-brewed coffee, a hair treatment or a chance to try out a new camera. And if they can generate some online buzz about it, so much the better.