• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, April 29, 2015

When a marketer is sponsoring an event, they have two choices, says Brian Westerman, director of mobile client services, HelloWorld, during MediaPost's Mobile Insider Summit.

"You can either capitalize on the event in a passive way. Or you have to go big and be as big as the show," he says.

One example is the events around the SuperBowl. Last year, they shut down Times Square and had different sponsors creating experiences linked to the game but not at the game, says Seth Leeds, head of marketing and support, Americas, Sponsorium.

Another example is MasterCard, which has taken it's "priceless" themed efforts to specific cities.

Another example of a live event activation is when the makers of the documentary "The Cove" held up a sign while accepting an award at an awards show prompting watchers to text, says Matthew Silk, head of strategy, Waterfall, which handled the marketing for the film.

Beaconing has been the "bright, shiny object" for the past year, but there is still a lot of testing and learning going on regarding how to best use it, Silk says.