Image enhancement technologies like holograms and 3D have been building in popularity over the past few years, and though neither is new, event marketers have been finding clever new ways to leverage them. More interestingly, marketers have been discovering that each special effect has a strategic strength that makes it more effective in moving the needle depending on the objective of the event. Here, a closer look at each technology and how brands like Honda and Ralph Lauren leveraged them for distinctly different purposes.

How it Works

Time Inc.’s People StyleWatch on March 4 launched a “celebrity stylist” pop-up experience that is running concurrently at six Taubman malls each weekend throughout the month. The pop-ups feature spring styles available in the malls now, and will return in September with fall fashion.

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.

To encourage test drives and drive foot traffic into its dealerships, from March 16 to 23 Chrysler is executing the Premiere Event, an integrated campaign that offers consumers $25 gift cards and a chance to win a 2011 vehicle. Almost 2,000 of the group’s dealers, representing 86 percent of the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealership roster, are taking part.

To educate consumers about its video game offerings, Walmart.com is bringing its online world to life via the Walmart GameCenter Mobile Bus Tour, a program that will be hitting festivals, trade shows, concerts, sporting events and colleges through December. The tour travels in a 48-foot truck that unfolds into a gaming center with 16 Xbox 360 stations and two Kinect stations. Consumers can get their hands on a wide selection of games including pre-released titles.