I'm off to Coachella this weekend along with over 150,000 people for a 3-day music fest featuring 130 bands all big and small. What surprises be about Coachella and other music festivals is how big they've gotten and how well brands have been able to integrate and align USEFUL partnerships with these music festivals so that they are actually welcome and not intruders. For example, Coachella this year will have the following:
VISIT THE 5 GUM SENSORY TERMINAL / LIVE WEBCAST Stimulate Your Senses at Coachella when you explore the 5 Gum Sensory Terminal. Stop by the air-conditioned tent to add your image to a living work of art in the Digital Mosaic, or share your Coachella story in the Sensory Studio video pod. Plus, with THREE live festival feeds, you can still catch all the action. Cant make it to Coachella? Tune into the LIVE WEBCAST exclusively from 5 Gum on Facebook or Myspace everyone will experience it differently.
CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK WEBCAST CLICK HERE FOR MYSPACE
PLAYSTATION HQ AND SONY PLAY CREATE SHARE WORKSHOPFeeling a little toasted from the sun, and want to chill out and relax in a world where entertainment is a touch away? Well that's easy...Stop by PlayStation HQ and Sony Play Create Share Workshop and step into a world that allows you to be in control. Play games like ModNation Racers and Gran Turismo 5 before their release, watch original content, and rock out to your favorite bands on Rock Band and SingStar. And most importantly, brag to your friends that couldn't get themselves to the festival, rent an HD bloggie camera and show your friends what they're missing by uploading to your favorite social media site! The more you play, the more chances you have to win VIP passes to upgrade your Coachella experience.
THE KIN LOUNGEThe KIN Lounge from KIN, a new Windows Phone, is your spot at Coachella to connect. Beat the heat in our air-conditioned tent and enjoy our fun basement party vibe. Recharge your phone at one of our charging stations, or check it in for pickup. Use our computers to share your experiences with friends back home. We’ll also feature a photo booth and the chance to win VIP ticket upgrades throughout the day.
VERIZON MOBILE WEBCASTCoachella will be streamed live on Verizon V CAST Videos in Media Center/Get It Now V CAST Videos/Music. Some performances will also be available for viewing after the Festival. CLICK HERE
Given that people will be at this festival for 3 days in one LARGE open field all of these make sense. 5 Gum with making you part of the festivals music and art integration, Sony allowing you to take a break from the hot, hot sun with a nice air conditioned tent complete with couches, video games and the ability to RENT a camera to share your awesome experience, a recharging cell phone station will be a God send to those walking around for 12 hrs straight just to go back and Verizon giving music fans the option to re-watch the performance they just saw.
Let's not forget South by Southwest. What started off as a music festival has branched out into interactive and film to know have solidified its position as the place where the latest tech trends are launched. Three years ago, Twitter started at the festival, quickly signing up the early adopter crowd who used it to find which parties were hot and which panels sucked. Last year, current social media darling Foursquare took the wraps off its iPhone app at SXSW.
Brands participating at SXSW are the big thing and the real deal
Brands, including Microsoft, which signed on this year as a platinum sponsor, use the conference to burnish their credentials with an audience that might otherwise be a tough sell. "If you believe in the consumerization of technology, South by Southwest is one of the most important events in the world," said Chris Bernard, user experience evangelist at Microsoft.
Microsoft isn't the only brand looking for a little hip to rub off on it. Chevrolet is far from an adopter-crowd icon, yet the General Motors brand is aggressively marketing the launch of its electric vehicle, the Volt, at the show. Chevy started with a social media campaign that saw eight teams of online influentials record their road-trip experiences of driving a Volt to Austin. It also partnered with Gowalla to welcome attendees, and is operating a Volt Recharging Station for digital devices.
"The rise of peer influence and online word of mouth as influential factors in brand loyalty are factors that most large brands can't ignore anymore," said Christoper Barger, director of global communications and technology at GM.
Aside from brands participating, many agencies are making it a yearly tradition to scout out the latest in new trends, find content creators and even talent! Razorfish has had over 40 people attend including a recruiter. They've even held parties to show off their work, pull in major talent and basically use as a recruiting tool.
What all this tells me is PEOPLE are still at the center of what makes the brand world go round, WOM still reigns and nothing can ever replace the experience, sensation, knowledge one's get from a face to face introduction to a brand by putting it into a person's hand.
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