4 Ways Brands Are Tapping Into Booming Festival Landscape

Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of Beats, Bytes and Brands, a monthly column on the newest trends and activations converging across the music industry and brand marketing. Concerts and festivals are finally getting back to pre-pandemic levels. According to Live Nation’s Q1 earnings statements, the company sold more than 11 million tickets, driving over $115.7 million in brand sponsorship deals. The consumer demand for live music comes as more brands see music as the solution to cracking the attention economy code. However, because fans’ expectations around branded activations are so high, winning the hearts, minds and souls of fans have become more complex. Beatport and Microsoft Surface Go Full-On ‘Party Mode’ With the Promise of Hybrid Livestreaming Events Enhance the fan experience Consumer spending on experiences like concerts is growing faster than expenditures on physical goods. This has pushed brands to create live music partnerships as a pathway for fans to experience memorable moments with their favorite artists. For American Express, partnering with Harry Styles to give exclusive access to the release of his new album, Harry’s House, was a perfect way to connect with his global fan base. For Styles’ European fans, the brand gave away 100 pairs of tickets, posters and T-shirt bundles, to the one-night-only album release show at the O2 Academy Brixton. His U.S. fans were gifted with another 500 pairs of tickets to the “One Night Only in New York” show at the UBS Arena at Belmont Park. “Music fans today are accustomed to unprecedented access to their favorite musicians, their lives and their art,” said Toni Wallace, partner and co-head of global music brand partnerships at UTA. “If a brand is looking to build a truly meaningful and long-term connection with an artist’s fan base, it is critical for them to create an experience that feels organic to the artist.” ‘CorpSumerize’ your tour partnership Consumers and music fans are demanding brands use their influence as a catalyst to make a positive impact on the world. This growing segment has been dubbed the “CorpSumer” by communications agency MikeWorldWide—consumers who consider corporate reputation as a major factor in their purchasing decisions. With most Americans now identifying as CorpSumers, brands are looking at partnerships with live music as a tool to showcase their commitment to solving important societal issues. For example, UPS partnered with Pharrell Williams' Something in the Water festival to uplift Black-owned businesses by donating $60,000 in grants while also helping select owners set up storefronts around the festival to encourage attendees to support Black entrepreneurs in honor of Juneteenth. Even brands like Tommy Hilfiger leveraged their “Classics Reborn” campaign with artist Shawn Mendes to help address the strain both fashion and touring puts on the environment. Pledging over $1 million, Tommy Hilfiger helped Mendes in his commitment to reducing the carbon emissions for his upcoming Wonder World Tour by over 50%. “As a brand that strives to ‘Waste Nothing and Welcome All,’ it was important that we use our platform to help drive this mindset [of sustainability] forward across every touchpoint of our partnership with Shawn Mendes,” said Avery Baker, president and chief brand officer of Tommy Hilfiger. “It’s about continuously pushing the boundaries of what it means to bring sustainability to life in everything we do through our products and activations.” Embrace emerging technology and platforms Brands are tapping into live music partnerships to scale their Web3 presence. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is partnering with The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn tour to drive awareness around Web3 on a global scale. The first-ever Web3-powered tour not only turns attendees’ virtual ticket stubs into commemorative NFTs but also gives fans access to purchase exclusive digital collectibles, which have a philanthropic element built in to raise money for The Weeknd’s own XO Humanitarian Fund. Binance CMO and co-founder He Yi shared that The Weeknd’s interest in Web3 wasn’t to just deliver a better fan experience but to create a more transparent way for fans to engage in his philanthropic efforts. Beyond NFTs, brands are also tapping into the growing demand for branded metaverse experiences. UTA and Vox found that 80% of consumers say they are open to brands being involved in the metaverse, with 53% wanting brands to help them have experiences they couldn’t have in the physical world. For brands like Timex, that meant giving fans the opportunity to experience Megan Thee Stallion performing live in the metaverse while simultaneously gaining exclusive access to Timex watches and merchandise. “We want to reach Gen Z in an unexpected, virtual way,” said Shari Fabiani, svp, brand marketing and creative services for Timex. “This multifaceted program does that by driving new traffic to Timex.com and connects us with new audiences both IRL and now virtually with AmazeVR in the ‘Hottieverse.’” Invest in inclusion With consumers two-and-a-half times more likely while making a purchase decision to be aware of brands prominently promoting diversity, brands are utilizing their live music partnerships to showcase their DEI commitments. For brands like Lyft, that included partnering with LGBTQ+ artist Fletcher on her Meet Her At the Bar tour, a mini-tour stopping at the country's few remaining women-owned queer bars. The tour also extends an invite for fans to donate to GLAAD’s Rapid Response Initiative and Communities of Color Program, which both Lyft and Capital Records committed to matching donations up to $10,000 each. “Consumers want to see diversity and, by extension, their own self-identity represented in the brands they consume,” said Naomi McMahon, svp, head of strategic marketing and partnerships for Universal Music Group. “That is why brands who invest in diverse, inclusive and socially conscious music partnerships will see the biggest returns on their activations." Fans drive the future of partnerships As to where music and brand partnerships will go into the remainder of 2022, one thing is for certain: Fans will continue to be the lifeblood of every decision a brand makes. As Christian Carino, agent at CAA, put it, “The best partnerships have the relentless desire to continue to elevate the fan experience. The most special partnerships understand that artists like The Weeknd ultimately care that they are leveraging their cultural influence to make the world a little bit nicer.” Music Will Be the Gravitational Force Driving the Hyperverse

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4 Ways Brands Are Tapping Into the Booming Concert and Festival Landscape

Activations centered on DEI and sustainability are chief among those that attract a new segment of 'CorpSumers'

Jesse Kirshbaum

Clayton Durant

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Jesse Kirshbaum

Clayton Durant