Music Festivals: How Brands Continue to Crush it at Coachella

Why we’re all in on performance branding – and how it can transform your growth.

Music Festivals: How Brands Continue to Crush it at Coachella

Bryan Karas

August 17, 2018

Festivals like Coachella, the nation’s largest and most diverse music event, continue to sell out faster than Ice Cube going from Boyz in the Hood to Are We There Yet?. And this year the festival, despite raising it’s prices, sold out in 35 minutes…

You’d think that people, mostly cool millennials, who shell out more than 300 bucks for a weekend pass to a music festival would be averse to any sort of advertising once inside…but you’d be wrong.

Brands are engaging with festival goers at all times during the event – from wild pool parties and on-site activations to branded tents and sponsored stages. But you can’t just throw in a “hit-and-run” ad and expect a positive association between your brand and the festival. You have to go all in.

Don’t Go To Coachella Without It

American Express is a title sponsor of Coachella. The two have a multi-year deal allowing AMEX to offer exclusive experiences – free weekend passes, access to private events and perks through the Coachella mobile app. This year they rolled out a lifestyle and influencer driven approach through their activation.

With this lifestyle approach, AMEX created an on-site space that allowed people to get away from the craziness, connect with new people…and Instagram all of it. I’m sure there was a phone charging station somewhere too…

Walter Frye, VP of Global Entertainment Partnerships said that, “Our new global brand strategy is about living life forward. Living life forward is about living life with intention, following your dreams, and finding ways to make a difference at the same time.”

AMEX also hosted an off-site event with live performances, morning meditation, SoulAnnex classes, food, drinks, and of interactive activities. This mobile-first, hybrid lifestyle where life and career are fused together perfectly falls in line with a millennial mindset.

Don’t be scurred…

Not everyone has to go all out like AMEX. Our good friends at Pura Vida – a Costa Rican handmade bracelets and fashion brand – put up a billboard on the 10 for everyone to see as they enter the Palm Springs area.

That’s right…a small Ecommerce brand bought a billboard because they knew that everyone driving into the Coachella Valley would see it.

Then they created a chill hang out spot that blended their brand with the overall feel of the event. They also had a brand ambassador take over their Snapchat account while running around the festival grounds partying it up and handing out free bracelets.

There are music festivals and other types of festivals – art and wine, comedy festivals, film, LBGT+ etc – going on all over the country. They’re everywhere and these types of experiential marketing opportunities need to be taken advantage of…

How to Create an Epic Music Festival Activation and Boost Brand Awareness

We know how powerful music festivals can be for brands trying to make an impact with the hybrid lifestyle millennial. So how do you create an epic activation that allows you to take advantage of the potential positive brand association sitting right in front of you?