As May has begun flinging us into the summer months it can mean only one thing; no, not sunshine and ice creams, the festival season is about to begin.
With more festivals cropping up earlier and later over the festival season it is now possible to go from May to September and attend a different festival in a different county every weekend (if you can afford it!).
So, as the musicians organise their sets and pyrotechnics the models and fashion conscious attending are styling and restyling their festival fashion. It seems the environment of a festival allows people to wear and be entirely different from their normal selves. Fashion experiments aren’t looked at in shock, but rather complimented, blasted over the beauty magazines and in a few months a less erratic version has been created and stocked in all of the high street fashion stores.
vibrant fashion at Coachella in the US
How Can Your Business Benefit?
If you can get a promotional stall, vendor or ambassador to some festivals you can make the most of attendees open nature at festivals, they are far more likely to try something new or different, chat to you or even purchase or sign up to something. Your products need an audience so why not go for a more receptive and relaxed audience than a high street or shopping mall.
Give away freebies
I have been given soft drinks, energy drinks, food, hats and t-shirts at music festivals, all of which I still have (I ate and drank the food and drink of course). I still have them because a) they were free and b) they remind me of the festival. The freebies will attract people towards you and open up a dialogue between you and potential customers. Festival t-shirts cost upwards from £15, a big cut into a festival-goers budget, so if you can provide a promotional t-shirt for your brand which also references the festival or will remind them of their time there, then they’ll opt for your free t-shirt.
Many charities use freebies such as free face painting to get people to their stall, from there they can then use their attention to tell them about their campaigns and engage them.
Oxfam’s blue festival face paint
Branding
If you can’t give away freebies make sure your brand is easy to see and obvious to passers by. Have you staff in personalised uniforms with your logo and brand colours so they are instantly recognisable as brand representatives. Have your staff move around the festival to be seen by as many people as possible and get the brand out there.
Try something different
This is a perceptive crowd, if you aren’t sure of a new marketing idea or technique which is aimed at lovers of the outdoors, music, summer, fashion etc then why not test it out at the festival. The chances are if it’s a good idea it will create hype at festivals, people will remember you, tell their friends and then when they see your brand again they’ll feel a familiarity to it and be more eager to try it.
Latitude Festival stands out with dyed sheep
