It has become a de facto rule of the road to incorporate social media in all live activations, and at the auto show, some of the brands made a point of integrating Facebook, Twitter and the others in a well-thought out, strategic way instead of just tacking it on.

There were two simulators at the show—one from Ford and one from Toyota—and while they were very similar, one was better. Ford put up the Fiesta Rally car and Toyota went with an FJ Cruiser, but both had off-road courses, and both sat the driver in a rig that rolled on an x, y and z axis depending on the driver’s steering, rolling and breaking. Both were a ton of fun but the winner was clearly the Toyota sim, for two important reasons: you got two laps instead of one, and it had a product education component.

Over 100,000 attendees rolled into Las Vegas for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show that took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center Nov. 2 to 5.

The touch screen has become a must-have tool at events these days, and no matter how it’s used, be it for data collection or to facilitate a photo or video activation, marketers need to remember that complacency leads to negative ROI. EM made it top priority to track down the best touch-friendly screens at the show, and here they are. Prepare to be impressed, ‘cause Big Auto gets it—big time.

Belle of the Ball

It was all about firsts for Mercedes-Benz at this month’s Spring 2011 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center in New York City. It was the first time the automaker and presenting sponsor debuted a vehicle at a fashion show and the first time it extended its sponsorship activation through photo and street experiences outside the tents.