In 2011 Event Marketer magazine established the Event Technology Awards competition to “shine a spotlight on the best use of event technology to elevate brand experiences, increase reach, communicate smarter, drive attendance, increase leads, push sales and upgrade the engagement between companies and their target audiences.”

As usual, they charged out the gate at top speed, and we were honored to be on the inaugural ride.  At the awards ceremony on December 5, Javelin was awarded a Gold in the “Best Use of Social Media” category for BACARDI’s “Like It Live” campaign.

Nice and shiny, eh?  Here’s the article in the new issue of the magazine:

Event Marketer says, “Bacardi’s social media crowdsourcing strategy brought fans’ Facebook “likes” to life and transformed each figurative thumbs up into real life experiences for thousands of fans at events in New York and Las Vegas last June. ”

Thank you, Event Marketer!  We had such a blast with BACARDI, our partner agencies, and of course all the consumers who attended – and your recognition is delicious icing on the cake.

For more details on the program, check out this BACARDI “Like It Live” snapshot or “Like It Live” video from DJ Irie and team.

In June 2011 Javelin and BACARDÍ, the world’s best-selling and most awarded premium rum, broke new social networking ground with experiential program “Like It Live, Like it Together.” Part of the larger “BACARDÍ Together” campaign (embracing social media to encourage real-life get-togethers) “Like It Live” turned BACARDÍ fans’ Facebook “Likes” into real life experiences curated by the fans themselves.

Prior to the event consumers entered to win tickets to the NYC and Las Vegas events, and voted for their top “Likes” including: Slam Dunk vs. Dunk Tank, BACARDÍ Mojito vs. BACARDÍ Cuba Libre, Hip-Hop vs. New Wave, Pizza Truck vs. Taco Truck, and Mechanical Bulls vs. Pillow-Fighting Playboy Bunnies. Top “Likes” were brought to life in true BACARDÍ fashion: NBA legends playing hoops with consumers on the rooftop; world’s largest skateboard/stage; life-sized Sico the Robot and more.

Every BACARDI event needs sizzling musical entertainment, and these events delivered! The New York City event featured Kid Cudi, Tamara Sky, DJ Irie, Aloe Blacc, Eklips and DJ Mouss, Childish Gambino & Evolution of Dance, as well as a few other familiar faces. The Las Vegas event featured Cee Lo Green, Travis Barker and Mix Master Mike, Kid Cudi, Eklips, DJ Tamara Sky, DJ Irie, Aloe Blacc, Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover, Playboy Playmates, NBA legends Ron Harper, Allan Houston and Gary Payton, and more.

After an action-packed evening, consumers enjoyed their final “Like” – a pizza truck – and voiced their delight on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

This time even a few Javelinites were caught in action. It sure looks like they’re enjoying their work!

Scroll over the images below to check out the slideshows:

The World’s Best-Selling Rum Breaks New Social Networking Ground By Bringing Fans’ Facebook “Likes” to Life

BACARDÍ® – the world’s best-selling and most awarded premium rum – will bring people together by bringing their Facebook “Likes” into real life experiences at events in New York on June 13 and Las Vegas on June 15. “Like It Live, Like it Together” is the experiential arm of the iconic rum brand’s “BACARDÍ Together” campaign, and is brought to life by Javelin.

A “Like It Live, Like It Together” preview event was held in New York’s Gansevoort Plaza in NYC’s Meatpacking District on Thursday, June 2. Emceed by Elvis Duran from the Z100 Morning Show, the event featured performances by award-winning rap artist Nas and leading mixmaster DJ Envy, “flair” bartenders, and an outrageous representation of the top “Likes.”

• NBA legend and former New York Knick, John Starks
• Sico the roving robot
• A pizza truck with free slices for everyone
• The world’s largest skateboard
• A Playboy Bunny pillow fight

After the “Likes” were revealed, the high-profile musical talent for the “Like It Live, Like It Together” events were announced. In New York, Aloe Blacc, DJ Irie, Eklips & Tamara Sky will perform, followed by headliner Kid Cudi. In Las Vegas, Travis Barker, Mix Master Mike, DJ Vice, Aloe Blacc and DJ Irie will be followed by headliner Cee Lo Green.

BACARDI models with iPads helped consumers register for the “Like It Live, Like It Together” Facebook ticket contest, and encouraged the use of #LikeItLive to keep the buzz going on Twitter and FB.

Three giant luchadores recently took up residence in Javelin headquarters.  Here’s how it all went down:

Want more? Visit STL artist Peat Wollaeger or come by our Locust Street office. Mucha lucha!

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m all for brand love, and not just because it’s what we generate here at Javelin. There are more than a few with a special place in my heart: Lego, Barbie, Converse, and Peeps all spring immediately to mind.

However, even I draw the line waking up with the Burger King. Apparently, not everyone agrees. Burger King is selling (for $6) a pillowcase featuring their breakfast menu on one side, and the actual Burger King on the other.

Picture yourself waking up rested and maybe a bit dozy from a night of deep slumber. You yawn, roll over on your side, and as your eyes gradually focus you realize you’re sharing a pillow with the Burger King. Talk about a nightmare!

Despite a commercial (see below) and a handful of articles about the promotion, I’ve been unable to locate a verifiable, authentic Burger King reference to it. There are several listings for the pillowcase on eBay ranging from a few dollars to a “Buy It Now” price of $74.99. Real or not? You tell me.

The next one is definitely real. Multiple news sources including CNN and CBS have reported that in January 2011, McDonald’s Hong Kong will begin offering wedding packages for those who wish to tie the knot under the golden arches. Yes, you read that correctly – there are people who want to get married at McDonald’s. Apparently.

The wedding party at McDonald's Hong Kong

McDonald’s Hong Kong’s director of corporate communications and relations said about ten couples per month inquire about having their wedding ceremony and/or reception at the restaurant. Think about the word of mouth publicity…of course they’re going to roll with it!

So, the scoop is this: if you can tolerate the possibility of having a clown at your wedding, the bill for your McDonald’s ceremony and reception will come to a measly $1000 (more or less) including the custom menu and apple pie wedding cake.

The first kiss.

The wedding cake - apple pies.

Oh yeah, there’s no booze allowed, so go ahead and invite your pesky Uncle Bert. After all, how much trouble can he get into with a Coca-Cola toast?

Cheers! Toasting with soda.

My first Event Marketer Summit was a blur of experiential marketing speakers, case studies and seminars, getting lost in the hotel, stealing sombreros, and eating my weight in Mrs. Fields cookies.  I was excited to take it all in until I noticed how out of place I was, standing in the registration line behind a lot of stuffy suits.  Fortunately, it soon became clear the line was for a biotech conference.  As soon as I found the right registration area the crowd around me was casual, lighthearted, and dressed in green ties, purple sneakers, feather skirts, etc.  You know…the usual marketing look.

The days were crammed with engaging speakers, “BeLinking” and conversation.  The highlights for me were HP, BlackBerry, AT&T, Yahoo, Sports Illustrated, Virgin Galactic, and several authors.  Impossible to ignore was the massive amount of branded swag from room drops and vendor exhibits, ranging from cheese to charcoal to notebooks.  It was nice to finally to put some faces with some of the names I’d been chatting with by email – and to check out all the latest technology on display.

The nights were full as well.  On Monday I attended The EX Award Gala, along with other Javelin folks, to represent Bacardi B-LIVE in the Best Nightlife Program category.  Cheering for ourselves and our competitors was equally fun, and we looked damn good doing it!

Donna Meier, Jen Novak, Erin Bagby, Meredith Goette - EX Awards 2010

Tuesday, after dinner with my colleague Meredith and some of her Chicago agency friends, we headed to MasterTent’s Cuatro de Mayo Party for free food, free booze and free sombreros.  Actually, I’m not absolutely sure the sombreros were free – but we took them anyway.

Reconnecting with friends

The best part was dragging our sombreros to all the morning seminars and then through the airport.  Not.  It was worth it, though – we had them for the real Cinco de Mayo.

Ole!

All in all, my first experiential marketing summit was a success.  I met tons of vendors, learned new ideas and ways of approaching projects, and my suitcase weighed about 10 extra pounds with all the swag I brought back!  I’m looking forward to many more in the future.

As part of a highly integrated marketing program, Javelin partners with GREY GOOSE Vodka throughout the year to bring the spirit to major influencers and trend-setters at Best Of events across North America.

The latest in this series was the Miami Beach Polo World Cup 2010, where the world’s top players of the “sport of kings” competed for the coveted La Martina Cup.  GREY GOOSE spokes models welcomed spectators and players  served a variety of specialty martinis and signature cocktails made with GREY GOOSE Vodka Original, L’Orange, Le Citron, and La Poire.

A few readers (you know who you are) have requested more GREY GOOSE photos, so these are for you!

Javelin is taking Bacardi on the Black Eyed Peas “The E.N.D. Tour”, bringing the brand to life in an experiential nightlife program for consumers 21+ in key markets.  With the tour just launching there’s not time to write yet, but we thought it would be fun to share these photos for now.  More to come when possible!

BEP private meet & greet with Bacardi USA executives at American Airlines Arena on February 6, 2010 in Miami, Florida

Jon Maurice, Black Eyed Peas, and Donna Meier

Large-scale events don’t get any bigger than this… U2’s 360° stage is one of the biggest sets ever built, weighs 170 tons, and requires 200 trucks to transport the elements.  It was originally nicknamed The Claw until the Spaceship idea formed around the overall look.

The Claw - set-up

It has been reported that the tour has overhead of $750,000 per day, nearly 400 tour employees, 250+ speakers, 13 video cameras, and incorporates astronauts from the International Space Station into the live show.  From a production viewpoint, a large-scale event of this magnitude was something that simply had to be experienced.  Javelin’s home base, St. Louis, wasn’t a stop on the tour so a road trip was in order to experience this massive event in person.

We headed west towards Oklahoma, taking in the sights and sounds over the next 500 miles.  A road trip down Historic Route 66 would not be complete for any experiential marketer without a few stops to soak in some of the nostalgia, local ambiance and food.  So, when a large highway sign near Cuba, MO beckoned us to visit Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q we immediately agreed to check it out.

Route 66 stop: Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q

Mark McInnis and the Happy, Oblivious Pig

Ambiance:  3 out of 5 stars.   The mullet-clad, iconic cartoon (on the sign) welcoming patrons to the establishment was a little disturbing.  The placemats were amusing, featuring a smiling pig wearing a bib, ready to partake in some delicious Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q, unaware of impending doom just around the corner.

Nostalgia:  4 out of 5 stars.  No modern cuisine or diet-of-the-moment to be found here.  Kitschy, rustic decor.

Food:  5 out of 5 stars.  Don’t let the mullet deter you; the Missouri Hick delivers fantastic BBQ and excellent side dishes.

Sufficiently Q’d up, we continued heading west to see one of the most talked about concerts of the year.  Something very difficult to achieve in an arena/stadium setting – especially in the round – is a fully immersive sound, light, and video concert experience.  Years of our own production experience with large-scale events (good and bad) and rumors of what gear might be employed fueled miles of debate about what to expect when we arrived.

The Spaceship, up close and personal

Unbelievable - U2 does it again!

Needless to say, U2 360° has done an outstanding job.  A four-pillar design lifts the sound system out of the crowd’s way and provides the live equivalent of surround sound.  The transformable 360° LED screen is quite an awesome piece of engineering, comprised of more than 500,000 Barco FLX LED modules.  For more information on the screen design, check out these interviews.

The tour continues to set records and raise the bar, not just live on the road, but online as well.  On October 25, 2009 the full 2.5 hour concert was streamed live on YouTube, from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.  Breaking all previous records for the site, the webcast was watched by nearly 10 million people around the world.   The concert is available on YouTube in its entirety, and has (as of this writing) been watched by more than 1.1 million viewers to date. Check out the Rose Bowl concert and this amazing set here!

Posted by Mark McInnis and Mark Russell

Javelin is many things – it all depends on the brand identity, target consumer, budget, and goals.  Here’s a glimpse of what we are today.