B-to-C Events

From Oct. 19 to 21, ION Television reinforced its position as the fastest growing network on television by visiting its top eight New York City advertising agencies in a Greenhouse on Wheels. The mobile vehicle was part of the network’s ongoing Positively Entertaining campaign, which kicked off in 2008 when it re-launched the ION brand as ION Television.

Pop-Tarts through December is bringing its iconic toaster pastries to life in a 3,000-square-foot pop-up shop located on 42nd Street in Times Square. Inside Pop-Tarts World, consumers can choose from more than 50 Pop-Tarts flavors and experience offbeat menu options like Pop-Tarts Sushi (minced flavors rolled up in a fruit wrap), and engage in other fun activities like the 16-foot Varietizer, a vending machine that allows consumers to pick up to six Pop-Tarts flavors that are served to them in a suction cup.

Yahoo! News this fall traveled 6,000 miles across the country with the Ask America News van, an interactive experience designed to engage Americans in the issues surrounding the November elections. From its launch on Sept. 28 in Tampa, FL, until its final stop at the Oct. 30 rallies in Washington, D.C., the van stopped at key campaign events, polling people on issues, getting them to speak out and posting content on askamerica.yahoo.com. Attendees received apple pie, bumper stickers and pins as giveaways.

In a new partnership with the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and Complex Media, Bombay Sapphire this year is sponsoring a search for the next great urban multimedia artist and photographer through the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series. The program kicked off in June and will conclude next year with a showing by the two grand prizewinners at the Rush Arts Gallery in New York City during the month of February.

For years, the conventional strategy for photo activations was to use them to create a draw to the footprint at a trade-show booth or consumer event, and then invite attendees to take a branded photo, either with a kiosk interaction or with the help of a brand ambassador-photographer. Now, with ever more sophisticated cameras and ubiquitous Wi-Fi and cellular service, some brands are escaping the footprint and seeking out consumers on the go.