Music festivals attract millennials like light bulbs attract bugs.
With the constant flow of tunes, friends, alcohol, and Instagrammable moments, it’s the perfect environment for the marketing world’s most coveted demographic. In fact, 32 million people attend at least one music festival in the U.S. every year, and nearly half of those people are millennials*. So yeah, they’re obsessed.
From major events like SXSW and Coachella, to more localized events in small town venues, music festivals are hubs for mega-branding opportunities. It goes without saying, then, that brands looking to engage with young, hip, tech-savvy twenty-somethings of the world need to visit the music festival scene.
Despite the depressing fact that the summer festival season is dwindling to an end (sadface), now is the time for brands to start planning next summer’s events. And because event marketing is kind of our thing, here are three main reasons music festivals reap major benefits for brands.
Hyper-Targeted Engagement Expectations
We all know by now that millennials crave memorable experiences rather than materialistic things, and the more authentic and personal those experiences are, the better. 80% of millennials say the most effective way for brands to connect with them is through a branded live music event, and 65% of festivalgoers believe brands improve the overall festival experience, according to a recent study.
But brands can’t just show up to a music festival and expect to wow the skinny jeans off their audience. They need to gather insight, conduct research, and develop a strategy that will relate, influence, and leave a mark on those experience-seeking millennials. Do the homework, is what we’re saying. It always pays off.
Surprise & Delight Festival Attendees
Music festivals are fun, yes. But they’re also dirty. Like camping-three-nights-in-a-row-sans-hygenic-awareness kind of dirty. People spill their drinks on each other, they fall down sometimes, and they get really, really sweaty. It’s just a natural thing that happens.
This is a great opportunity for brands to gift attendees with something valuable, like branded hand sanitizer, a packet of wet wipes, or maybe a lineup of portable showers for the extra smelly folk. Not only is this a moment to add value to a festivalgoer’s experience, it’s an open door for generating awareness that spreads all around the crowd. Literally.
A Social Media Masterpiece
Social media platforms are natural brand amplifiers at music festivals. I mean, seriously, we’re dealing with millennials here, the pilgrims of the social media landscape, and they love, love, love sharing their experiences online.
Brands that provide festivalgoers with engaging photo opportunities, stimulating hashtags, or shareable moments will naturally dominate the festival scene. Even more, 80% of music festival attendees said they were more likely to recommend a brand on social media after interacting with it at a festival*. #winning.
The list goes on and on. We could probably write an entire book on the benefits of brand activations at music festivals, and maybe we will some day. Until then, we’re here to help brands excel at one of the most trendsetting, authentically-engaged event spaces of this generation. We’ve got the talent, the knowledge, and the ability to bring brands to life and connect festivalgoers to a brand’s unique message. Check out our list of service offerings, then give us a call. We’re ready to elevate your brand.
*Source courtesy of Nielsen Music. Thanks, Nielsen.