B-to-C Events

In our new Then and Now series, EM revisits old event marketing trends to find out where they’ve gone since we first reported on them. Are they old hats and has-beens? Or is that past up-and-comer a future best practice that’s now an industry standard? In this installment, we re-examine hologram technology, which we last reported on in October 2006.

Everybody’s talking 3D these days, and no image is more three dimensional than a hologram, right? Maybe not.

To drive awareness and generate leads for its Palm Pre Plus smartphone, Palm in June launched a six-week summer tour. The initiative includes 18 brand ambassadors traveling in nine fully wrapped Palm-branded Smart cars in high traffic areas in nine cities.

On June 4, Lifetime Network hit three locations in New York City with its “Makeovers on the Move,” tour—a glass box truck outfitted with makeover stations that provided free “diva” experiences including manicures, massages and a mini photo shoot for women (and some men) throughout the city. The tour promoted the June 6 premiere of the second season of the network’s “Drop Dead Diva” series.

If only standing in line for a brand experience were as entertaining as a Disney theme park where long serpentine lines are filled with animatronic surprises, strategic changes in scenery and the occasional visit by Snow White and her Seven Dwarfs. Fairytale characters aside, it can be.

To thank its customers and create new business relationships, FIJI water invited a select group of L.A. influencers to an intimate dining event it dubbed FIJI Water Presents a Dinner with the True Tastemakers of Los Angeles. The event was held at antique store Galerie Half on May 4 and the guest list included top chefs, fashion gurus, local politicians, FIJI executives, media (from Food & Wine magazine and the Los Angeles Times) and high-end brands like Lexus, Moet & Chandon, Grey Goose and Silver Oak Cellars, which co-sponsored the networking event.