Festival time brings the opportunity for lots of fun for girls and boys of all ages. It also allows firms to launch a plethora of marketing onslaughts which, when you read the details of them, leave you feeling slightly less warm and fuzzy about the festival season. But would these events attract as many amazing acts without such heavy investment from companies?
O2 Wireless takes place this weekend in London and Leeds. The fact that I’ve been able to name the festival without using the word “festival”, and through the use of just a brand name, seems indicative of the impact of corporate sponsorship on live music in the twenty-first century. And you can be assured the input from O2 will not end once you walk through the gate, either.

Some lucky O2 customers will have access to exclusive areas offering comfortable seating, free bars, exclusive performances and free CD giveaways. All of which, one imagines, is designed to make friends of O2 customers, unfortunate enough to use a different network, think: “Hmm, suddenly free cinema tickets don’t seem to cut it.”
Ray-Ban will be providing similarly seductive areas away from the discomfort of, um, Hyde Park or Harewood House. They’re also offering the opportunity to swap your manky old shades for a spanking new pair of Ray-Bans. On top of this, there will be a photographer and stylist on hand to help you create your own “iconic rock picture”. Reckon a pair of Ray-Bans may have to feature in there somewhere?
All of these tactics come under the umbrella of “experiential marketing”. Here comes the science. Apparently while product-centric marketing appeals mainly to consumers’ rational responses (i.e., “this product is better than that product because of X,Y,Z”), experiential marketing is designed to target emotional responses as well. The thinking goes that if you associate Ray-Bans with that day you had a laugh with your mates, saw your favourite band and got wasted on free booze, you’re going to prefer them to other sunglasses manufacturers.
And there are a lot of firms hiring specialist experiential marketing companies to target these responses – especially if they’re the responses of young folk with a fair amount of disposable income.
When it comes to booze, there is a lot at stake. Everyone wants to be associated with summer, whether it be manufacturers of cool refreshing lager, Pimms, cider, Gordons gin… The increasing popularity of cider, as Laura Barton’s Guardian article mentions, has led to a burgeoning market for not just the apple variety but also pear cider (or plain old “perry”).
The Brothers brand has benefited hugely from its association with Glastonbury, as this was where it was first made widely available to folk outside Somerset. Now it’s branching out somewhat, popping up in pubs and bars in London while clinging to its strapline “First Brewed In A Field In Somerset”. The pear cider revival is perhaps a factor in the

Posted by sophiebruce on Wednesday June 13th, 2007 at 10:36 am