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SITTING IN ON A BRAINSTORMING SESSION with Autodesk’s event marketing group must feel a bit like a meeting with Al Gore. The company has become an innovator in designing exhibits and events that leave little environmental footprint but still pack an awe-inspiring punch. Just one look at the brand’s eco-friendly plywood trade show booth and it’s pretty clear—at Autodesk going green doesn’t mean sacrificing exhibit substance or style.

Keen Footwear is a small company on a big mission. The popular shoe and outdoor gear brand hopes to expand consumer perceptions about the great outdoors (and the versatility of its shoes) through a call to action it dubs living the HybridLife—mixing outdoor play whether it’s gardening a tiny plot in the urban jungle or trekking remote hiking trails with giving back to the community and the environment. How to spark an ambitious perception shift among target consumers—and get them to buy your shoes in the process—without breaking a shoestring budget?

LIKE THE PERFECT STORM positive word of mouth starts small and then builds momentum until it eventually takes on a life of its own. But how do you catch the wave harness its energy and use it to keep the flow of positive buzz moving in the right direction? Donna Meier senior partner at St. Louis MO-based Javelin has been helping Bacardi do just that. She co-presents with Bacardi at the Event Marketing Summit in Chicago this month and she’s passed some tips along to EM as a preview.

CONVINCING PEOPLE TO DONATE to a charitable cause is always a challenging task. But nonprofits some with support from corporate sponsors are turning the tide by going guerrilla.

THE ECONOMY MAY BE IN THE CRAPPER but many brands have learned that by being nice they can actually come out smelling pretty darn good. Whether that entails a free breakfast or a cab ride free resume printing or a PC tune-up marketers are betting that a little kindness can go a long way with cash-strapped consumers.