Latest

Duracell partnered with sister Procter & Gamble brand Charmin at its popular restrooms pop-up in Times Square now on its third run to expand the brand experience for New Yorkers and tourists alike during the holiday season. Like Charmin which bases its program on meeting a consumer need (clean public bathrooms that are normally a rarity in NYC) Duracell provides a respite from the busy streets where people can recharge their cell phones and other electronics and reboot to get back on their feet.

As bloggers become more respected thought leaders brand influencers and essential allies in the pursuit of word-of-mouth marketing they also grow savvier in their ability to block brand marketers that push too hard to get in their good graces. In July more than 1 100 women bloggers came together in San Francisco to attend the fourth annual BlogHer Conference.

Imagine staging a global financial leadership conference with former Prime Minister Tony Blair former chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker and flashy CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo as headliners. Lining up such stellar speakers and attracting C-level financial decision-makers to listen to them however pales in comparison to the economic news that could have tanked the CME Group Global Financial Leadership Conference the first ever held by CME Group a newly formed entity and the world’s largest derivatives exchange.

Event marketing done right always creates buzz but brands looking to extend that word of mouth are introducing programs to the public earlier and in unique ways. Pre-event stunts get companies more time with the press and the public. In some cases they create buzz on the streets two or three days before a press conference or event taking advantage of traditional press time as well as the online conversations spurred by citizen journalism and word-of-mouth marketing.

HBO’s New York City store HBO Shop recently leveraged holiday buzz with a program designed to promote the store’s campaign around the 50th anniversary of the peace sign.