B-to-C Events

On Dec. 5, rental car company Hertz announced its partnership with concert promotions company Live Nation at an afternoon mini concert at Irving Plaza in New York City. Select fans and media were treated to a three-song set featuring Fitz and the Tantrums as well as food and beverages. The partnership is part of the brand’s Moving with Music platform that helps it connect with 20- to 35-year-old consumers.

Now in its third year, TopSpin, a ping-pong tournament and fundraising event for the professional sports industry, has expanded from New York City to include events in Chicago, San Francisco, and at least one other city, yet to be determined. On Dec. 8 in New York City, the group hosted more than 200 players and 1,000 guests in a loft in SoHo where they played, partied and raised money.

Food marketers have always known that the best way to get consumers to buy their products is to give them a taste of their goods. Now, marketers in other categories are giving consumers a taste of their products, too, by putting them in their hands to see how they work and what they feel like. In one case, they literally tried them on for size.

To help promote its Party in the Box offering (which includes five Bruvado Mexican beers and five shots of either bourbon or tequila), Bruvado Imports is tapping into Motorsports events. On Nov. 19, it sponsored TriStar Motorsports and driver Mike Bliss at the Miami-Homestead NASCAR Nationwide. Leading up to the race, Bruvado spread the word of its sponsorship with five-day activations at local accounts.

In this monthly series, EM brings you tips and tricks from pros and experts who’ve been eating social media marketing for breakfast. So eat up, and check us out on Twitter @eventmarketer and facebook.com/eventmarketer for more.