News Analysis: Dancing to a branded tune

events.

With the notable exception of Glastonbury, branded events are among the
biggest in the UK festival calendar (see box). Mobile operators Virgin
Mobile and O2 lead the pack in the telecoms sector, while Tennent's and
Carling are the standard-bearers for the beer industry.

The fit with these brands is clear; mobile phones have evolved into
mini-entertainment centres intrinsically linked with music, while most
festival-goers are partial to a few pints while they check out their
favourite bands.

Virgin Mobile head of sponsorship Stephen Rogan says the V Festival,
held annually at two locations in England over one weekend in August, is
'hugely important' for the brand. 'In terms of marketing it offers
something unique,' he says. 'It doesn't offer as much reach as
advertising but it affects people differently. People are very
passionate about music, so it can have a powerful impact.'

He backs this up by citing research which shows that customers of Virgin
Mobile who are aware of the festival are four times more likely to
recommend the network to their friends.

David Andrews, audience development director at Virgin Radio, which runs
the VIP area at V, says the combination of the latest wave of rock bands
such as Arctic Monkeys and The Killers and renewed interest in classic
acts has created a 'real appetite' for festivals.

Tapping into live music is not a new exercise for marketers. Nigel
Currie, chairman of the European Sponsorship Association, recalls that
brands used to flock to back tours, but have now shifted their focus to
festivals. He credits T in the Park, which launched in 1994, with making
brands realise their potential.

'What festivals offer is similar to a major sporting event. You get
people into an area in big numbers and have them for a period where they
have time on their hands,' he says.

But festivals are not a marketing panacea. Innocent Drinks has ditched
its free Fruitstock festival after it became a victim of its own
success. 'It went from 20,000 people in the first year to 140,000 in
three years. It became so big it couldn't be contained' says Ian Irving,
marketing director of Sledge, which handles Innocent's experiential
work. Innocent plans to run a series of village fetes instead.

In 2005 Capital FM's Party in the Park, held in London, was jettisoned
to make way for Bob Geldof's Live8 gig and has failed to return.
Marketing director Nick Button admits that while the tone of the event
was right for the 90s, it was in need of 'contemporising'.

He adds that there is still a desire at the radio station to run a big
multi-artist event. However, a shift in its music policy to more
'authentic' artists means a reincarnation of the teeny-bopper
extravaganza is not on the cards.

Brands involved in event sponsorship routinely face accusations of
corporate meddling, and the passion surrounding music only amplifies
this displeasure. It is perhaps a sensitivity to this that has led the
Eavis family, who founded Glastonbury, to resist any title
sponsorship.

The O2 Wireless Festival sits in stark contrast to Glastonbury. Its
features include a bubble-shaped arena, to mirror its brand icon, which
is reserved solely for its customers, and roving 'O2 Angels', who give
festival-goers the opportunity to upload tracks and ringtones to their
mobiles.

Jeremy King, editor of creative events magazine RSVP, labels O2's
brand-laden event as 'bizarre'. 'It's interesting that it's the one that
never sells out,' he says.

Sledge's Irving, whose agency is also involved in the O2 event, defends
the property. 'It gives consumers an immersive, memorable experience
that will make them stay with the brand.' He concedes, however, that the
festival scene is on its way to saturation, highlighting comedy as the
next brand investment.

Festivals undoubtedly provide a useful way to communicate with
consumers, but just as their campsites have steadily filled up over the
past few years, so the market for branded music events is rapidly
becoming overcrowded.

DATA FILE - FESTIVALS



Festival: O2 Wireless

Date: 14-17 June

Venue: London and Leeds

Sponsors: O2, London Lite, Xfm, HMV, nme.com, Channel Four, Tuborg



Festival: T in the Park

Date: 6-9 July

Venue: Perth and Kinross

Sponsors: Tennent's, NME, Bacardi, Duracell



Festival: V 2007

Date: 18-19 August

Venue: Chelmsford and Weston-under-Lizard

Sponsors: Virgin Mobile, Virgin Radio, Carling, Bacardi, Strongbow,

Sloggi



Festival: Carling Weekend

Date: 24-26 August

Venue: Reading and Leeds

Sponsors: Carling, Radio 1, NME, HMV



Festival: Metro Weekender

Date: 25-26 August

Venue: London and Cardiff

Sponsors: Metro, Volvic, WKD, Merrydown