Sponsoring a festival has long been a way for brands to associate themselves with a core demographic.
Virgin did it with V Festival, Barclaycard did it with both Wireless and BST Hyde Park and, for 10 years, Carling did it with Reading and Leeds Festivals (until the organisers decided they wanted to be “less corporate”).
Piggybacking on someone else’s event provides a simple way to access a target audience but it also means you must dance to the tune of someone else’s fiddle. If you want to do it your way and ensure all activities and messaging are totally ‘on brand’, then you might end up locking horns with the organiser. This can lead to conflict.
So, why not cut out the middleman and organise your very own branded festival? More and more brands are doing it. Below we profile four such brand-powered events, which are recent additions to the festival scene.
And if Richard Branson’s cryptic comments are anything to go by, there could soon be one more. In October, the music mogul announced Virgin would be pulling out of sponsoring V Festival after 20 years, but he added: “We’re really excited about the future ahead and can’t wait to share our plans with music lovers across the globe.”
Absolut Midsommar Weekender
What is it?
Midsommar Weekender is a boutique festival celebrating the Swedish tradition of Midsommar over three days, taking place on a 16th century estate in Åhus, Sweden – the birthplace of Absolut.
The festival combines contemporary live music performances, food, drinks, art, and activities such as flower crown-making workshops, tarot sessions, and restorative yoga.
Launched last June, it saw choreographer Jerome Marchand interpret the classic Midsommar maypole dance with ballerinas and an LED maypole, while performance artist Angela Wand guided visitors through a Midsommar traditional smörgåsbord lunch for 1,000 guests. The Absolut Drinks Lab served Absolut cocktails and invited guests to mix their own personal concoctions.
What the brand says:
“Creating a modern progressive take on this important Swedish celebration, Midsommar Weekender opens the doors for people all over the world to come and experience the proudest and most unique Swedish holiday,” says Georgia McDonnell-Adams, Global Experience Manager at The Absolut Company. “We want to export it as the ultimate expression of an open, progressive and ‘forward-thinking’ modern world.
“By celebrating the values of Swedish society, we want to export Swedishness and be proud of everything it stands for: gender equality, strong worker rights, life/work/family balance etc.”
What is it?
Launched in September 2016, the North Face Mountain Festival has been proclaimed ‘the ultimate weekend of adventure in nature’s greatest playground’. It takes place at the foot of the Eiger in Lauterbrunnen in the Swiss Alps.
Festival-goers can experience mountain trail running, rock climbing, paragliding and, if they’re experienced enough, can even join a summit exhibition up the Eiger. Other activities include adventure photography, wilderness cooking, relaxing at an in-forest spa and dining in a ‘geodesic banqueting hall’.
What the brand says:
“We have an ambition to inspire people to live a life of exploration and this event will give the opportunity to express this at its best. The event aims to capture what we represent as a brand,” Senior Brand Marketing Manager Giorgio Saviane tells The Drum.
“The weekend will be full of adventure and activities, which will help participants ‘disconnect’ and not think about their emails and everyday business. However, we will obviously be capturing and sharing the experience and the location through social to help amplification and will encourage others to do so.
“We are not planning to sell merchandise at the event, although there will be testing opportunities. Instead, we will be tracking participation, and the reach and engagement generated from the content created for the festival. Overall media coverage and various social metrics are also primary targets for us, as well as surveys to measure consumer satisfaction.”
What is it?
A luxury music and culinary festival, hosted by Champagne brand Krug at The Grange, a 19th-century heritage site near Northington in Hampshire.
Launched last July, Into the Wild saw Argentinian culinary master Francis Mallmann headline an evening of theatrical, open fire cooking for 300 guests. Mallmann cooked using ten-foot-high fires made from sand pits, trenches and frames to smoke, roast and char the menu. Each dish was paired with Krug Champagne, including Rosé, Grande Cuvée and Vintage 2002.
Specialist music and online platform Mahogany led on music, showcasing a number of singer/songwriters from its roster. Performers were carefully selected to match the mood created by the theatrical settings during the evening.
What the brand says:
“The presence and aura of Krug Champagne will be embodied throughout the ‘Krug Festival – Into the Wild’ celebration this summer,” Francis Mallmann told Campaign. “Krug embraces food and taste, from roasted embers to hung dome roasting, matching the elegance of a charred scallop and the deep complex roots of well-aged beef. The event will encompass our shared values of choice, spirit, friendship and passion.”
What is it?
The Waitrose Summer Festival takes place at Leckford Estate in Hampshire. The estate grows and produces a wide range of items for Waitrose, including milk, mushrooms, fruit, flour, rapeseed oil and grapes for the supermarket’s own Leckford Estate sparkling English wine.
Through the festival, Waitrose invites guests to meet the people who make its food, watch celebrity chefs in action, enjoy live DJs and take part in hands-on masterclasses. At the inaugural event last August, gardening expert Adam Pasco demonstrated how to create a wildlife-friendly garden, while kids got to draw with illustrator Zehra Hicks and meet the Gruffalo.
What the brand says:
“From the very best food to our knowledgeable Partners and the passion of our producers, we wanted to show customers what it is that makes Waitrose special,” says Rupert Ellwood, Head of Marketing, Waitrose. “We are proud supporters of British farming and our farm at Leckford Estate is the perfect venue to showcase this.
“We also wanted to share a taste of Waitrose with other festival goers who may not have shopped with us before by setting up camp for the first time at a few of this year’s popular summer festivals. It’s a great opportunity to share our love of good food and drink and make Waitrose the best destination for summer eating.”
Conclusion
Organising a festival presents brands with enormous opportunities to showcase what they’re all about. It also gives you a complete monopoly on your attendees.
Sponsor another event or run an activation and you’ll have to compete for their attention, hold your own and you can build much more meaningful relationships.
Are you a brand thinking of holding a consumer event for the first time? Get help and advice from event planners on the EventTribe forum.
