Beats & Bytes - Quality Festivals, Quality Brand Activations

I saw a lot of great festivals this year. Besides quality music, a common theme was quality brand activations. You can read all about my top five that I saw in 2016 right here.

The big lesson here: Like any cultural trend, brands need to pick and choose their battles wisely. With millennials, teens and incoming generations of consumers behind them, authenticity is the name of the game.

There’s plenty of room for brands to play at festivals and other music-based events, but before diving in marketers should ask:
1) “Can I translate my brand story in a way that’s appropriate for this environment?” and
2) “Does my brand experience offer tangible value to busy and distracted festival-goers?”
If you can answer “yes” to both of those questions, the next challenge is to craft a unique and compelling enough experience that can cut through the noise – and keep in mind, in a festival setting this “noise” comes in the form of the likes of Kanye, LCD Soundsystem and The Strokes. For a more detailed look at how the best of the best are doing it including HP, Budweiser, Toyota and more click here.

Also don’t miss out on the Jazz Foundation of America’s 15th annual “A Great Night in Harlem” concert on October 27th, 2016 at the Apollo Theater. It will be a magical night featuring performances by Jon Batiste, Robert Cray, John Mayer Trio, and more. Get your tickets here.

– @JesseKay