Brand entertainment on centre stage during festival season

by Nicola Clark, Marketing 28-Oct-08, 16:43

LONDON - In the UK there were 555 summer festivals, attended collectively by more than 3m people - a highly lucrative audience with which an unprecedented number of brands are seeking to connect. While any marketer or agency will say brands need to enhance the festival experience rather than detract from it, they are less certain on how this is best achieved.

It is not a foregone conclusion that creating your own event is necessarily more effective than partnering an existing festival. The scale and energy of established properties such as Glastonbury and the V Festival are difficult to replicate. However, brands such as Sony Ericsson have proved that taking the risk of partnering a newcomer can create a sense of authenticity and make the sponsorship stand out from the competition.

Gaymers

John Mills, managing director of Gaymers cider, says traditional above-the-line advertising campaigns are 'few and far between' for the brand following the success of its investment in festivals.

Gaymers erected a brand experience tent - featuring apple and pear trees and a karaoke machine - at this year's Lovebox, 02 and Hard Rock festivals. It was also the official cider of Glastonbury.

The company has signed three-year deals with each of the festivals. 'It was important to make the commitment,' says Mills. It has also supported new music through its Gaymers Grassroots events - invitation-only gigs featuring up-and-coming bands such The Wombats and Mystery Jets - in association with Warner Music.

Mills discounts the idea of the cider brand hosting its own events, saying the company 'knows what it's good at', and that its Grassroots activity 'just wouldn't work without Warner Music'.

Mills adds that the biggest challenge has been working with the myriad partners involved in hosting a traditional festival. 'If I want to get a listing in Tesco, I speak with one person, but for festivals you have to speak with subcontractors, dispensers, agencies and, of course, customers,' he says.

Juggling these competing demands is far more labour-intensive than an above-the-line campaign. For instance, Fiona Chinn, marketing controller at Gaymers, dedicated her entire summer to the festival circuit.

Obviously the strategy is not without risk. 'Every single music promoter has an agenda, and once you add the great British weather into the equation, appearing at a festival can be a tricky balance,' says Mills.

'It is important for us to be sensitive and balance our agenda with their agenda. Some companies aren't empathetic and simply want to impose their brand everywhere, but that isn't our culture.'

Crucially, Gaymers has also invested in research, both through qualitative analysis at festivals (that is, interviewing people) and post-festival analysis. 'I have to say, despite the crappy weather, we are really happy with the results - sales have been great,' adds Mills.

Gaymers is poised to increase its investment in festivals. 'Consumers are still thirsty, whether they are listening to James Blunt or Rage Against the Machine,' says Mills.