B-to-C Events

Korean automaker Kia Motors has unleashed an augmented reality activation at the North American International Auto Show, which began in Detroit on Tuesday, that ties into its popular “Party Rock Anthem” commercial. The technology, which is the centerpiece of the brand’s new exhibit for this year’s auto show circuit, is called “Close Encounters” and features the brand’s now-infamous dancing hamster spokes-rodents, known as the Hamstars.

NBC kicked off the 2012 leg of its Free Fruit Fridays program in Brooklyn on Jan. 6 by handing out fresh fruit to passersby from a branded Sprinter van. The effort is part of the network’s Go Healthy New York campaign that is visiting one of the five boroughs every Friday through February. Next stops include Queens on Jan. 13 and Manhattan on Jan. 20.

They say beer and wine don’t mix, but in the case of Toasted Head wine, bringing the two together created the perfect elixir. Food and wine festivals have long been the platform of choice for wine brands in search of loyal vinophiles. But Constellation Wines-owned Toasted Head this year has been breaking with convention and activating at beer and music festivals instead. In-depth consumer research revealed that the Toasted Head consumer and the craft beer consumer had a lot in common.

There are brand ambassadors and there are Marquee Brand Ambassadors—those top-tier representatives that are highly trained and deeply trusted to be the face and voice of the brand in even the highest stakes marketing environments. Rich Varga is the latter, a front-line brand evangelist charged with representing the style and chic of the Chivas Regal brand at events all over the country. He was trained in Scotland by Chivas Master Blender Colin Scott and has perfected his skills as a Scotch expert for years since.