Thanks to the Experiential Marketing Forum listserv, I recently read about how Tylenol is doing some very low-key sponsorships at extreme sporting events to market to the 18- to 35-year-old demographic. The scary thing is, according to the article, that "pain is cool" to the body-piercing, tattooed younger crowd, so Tylenol is trying a "cooler" approach by supporting events that cause pain.
OK, this one hurts my brain (Tylenol, anyone?), but this is a good indication that sponsors and exhibitors are willing to, as Apple once said, "Think Different" to target this age group by giving money to event organizers to almost sneak their way into youth consciousness.
Are any of your event sponsors looking to boost themselves with this (or any other) demographic? I’d love to hear about any other ways companies are using events—and giving them financial support—to get innovative in their marketing.
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