Know-How Exchange : Strategy

I am a marketing and sales consultant, speaker, and author and this is the first I have heard that this is a term gaining momentum. In general the term means that you relook at what you have and are doing and revitalize or restart a promising marketing program that has not done as well as it should. Sometimes we just need to add some spark or a new direction to what we are already doing to make it catch on.
Hazel Wagner

How I've seen it used and how I'm using it: Activation is an event that you play on your potential customers in order to make them involved with the brand, increase awareness and trial. For example:
beach activation for an ice-cream brand: built a beach volleyball area with a branded net and umbrellas and invite people to play a ball there. linking it with the concept that your product is for the active people let;s say. you can have points of sales nearby and even organize spontaneous competitions rewarded with ice-cream
This "activation" make people bond with the brand, creates even a landmark on the beach (people would say "i'll see you at [insert brand name here] volleyball space", can increase trial, definitely increases awareness.
This is my knowledge about activation :)