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Brand mascots have inhabited advertising since the dawn of time. Ask any self-respecting baby boomer about Charlie the Tuna, Tony the Tiger or the Pillsbury Doughboy, and chances are he or she still recalls the ads that starred these icons. Not all were cartoon characters, either. Madge the Manicurist touted the magical qualities of Palmolive dish detergent (“You’re soaking in it!”) for 26 years. And remember the Dunkin’ Donut man and Charmin’s Mr. Whipple?

Terminix is taking its mobile insect museum on a cross-country tour to educate family decision-makers about pest control. Dubbed Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World, the tour sprung from Terminix’s presenting sponsorship in 2008 of the grand opening of the New Orleans-based Audubon Insectarium, the only insect museum in the country. The sponsorship resulted in a few mini tours that served as a springboard for its current 3,500-square-foot mobile insect museum launched on Feb. 12, and on reserve for four months at the Memphis Children’s Museum.

Many brands are exploring the third dimension through technologies like holograms, Augmented Reality and 3D video interactives. But there’s another “3D” strategy that can turn up the volume on your corporate brand at trade shows and events without the high-tech investment. Event graphics, those vinyl signs and suspended logos once relegated to the 2D world, are getting an upgrade as marketers find more creative, immersive and multi-dimensional ways to mix their corporate i.d.s with live activations on the ground.

Swedish retailer H&M on March 27 surprised onlookers in San Francisco’s Union Square with a flash mob of 55 dancing kids decked out in jeans and sporty, colorful t-shirts, jackets and dresses from the store’s children’s apparel collection. They engaged in a hip-hop dance battle that lasted four minutes but has garnered thousands of views on YouTube. Bystanders captured the performance on cell phones and cameras and received fliers for 20 percent discounts on kids’ apparel purchases through April 4.

Most trade show veterans will agree— there are few places less desirable than the back corner of the exhibit hall. After a year of setbacks and cancellations, many brands are struggling to get back the prime spots they once had at their industry’s biggest shows. What to do when life hands you a disappointing trade show location? In most cases, you can file for an appeal. But you may only be rewarded with a better spot next year. Until then, a few alternative strategies.