It’s summertime and Festival Fever is in the air. Over the last decade the festival scene has evolved. From grungy music festivals to a broad spectrum of events to suit young and old, ‘musos’ to ‘foodies’, there is something for everyone. Entertainment options range from large scale music festivals to small boutique-style events. In cash-strapped times, when family holidays abroad are an unnecessary expense, weekends away to UK festivals and events has become favoured family entertainment at great value.
We talk a lot about ‘passion points’ in sponsorship and festival and live event partnerships offer brands the perfect opportunity to target the desired audience engaging on a personal level. And if the event or festival doesn’t exist then why not create one, specifically for the consumer, to deliver the ‘Holy Grail’ for event and experiential marketing…..the perfect brand experience that delivers results.
The Synergy experiential team has picked out some of our favourite summer events and festivals from sponsored events to events created by brands…enjoy.
What: LolliBop – The Big Bash for Little People
Where: Regents Park
When: 5th – 7th August
Described as a ‘magical land of endless fun’ for the under 10s that offers the thrills of a festival vibe but without the hassle of camping or long car journeys, LolliBop is the UK’s only festival where all of the entertainment is for children. Adults are also offered a wealth of treats including guest musicians and DJs, relaxing cocktails, tea & treatments, market stalls and a real ale festival bar.
Two brands who have seen the value of being involved with Lollibop are Britvic and Organix. At this year’s event Britvic sampled their My5 product and encouraged children to take part in fruit themed games whilst Organix used the festival to seed their recently launched Mighty Meals range amongst influential mums.
What: Taste of London
Where: Regents Park
When: 16-19 June
Fine dining transported to Regent’s Park for four days of summer eating, drinking and entertainment. What more could you want from a festival! With over 40 of the city’s best restaurants dishing up their finest in an unbeatable alfresco gourmet feast, while 200 producers provide a bounty of the best food and beverages, ensuring guests sample and shop for a range of produce in the laid back atmosphere of a boutique food market.
With restaurants fashioning special menus of starter sized dishes for the occasion, including signature dishes created by chefs to specially reflect their philosophy and showcase seasonal and premium ingredients it is certainly worth the wait at the restaurants you may not usually have access to, however it isn’t cheap with dishes ranging from £3-£5, if you wish to try an array of dishes.
Sponsored by British Airways, Executive Club member (Gold and Silver) have access to the VIP Lounge, re-creation of the super luxurious airport lounges with champagne and delicious dishes from BA’s executive chefs. Other brands involved include the AEG cookery school and to celebrate the release of their brand new 508 model, this year at Taste, Peugeot launched their baking Theatre, La Pâtisserie.
When the weather is great, Taste of London is a must, however if the British Summer rain is threatening, be sure to take your Hunters and brollies as limited cover does put a little dampener on the occasion.
What: Ben & Jerry’s Double Scoop Sundae Festival 2011
Where: Clapham Common, London & Heaton Park, Manchester
When: 23rd & 24th July
This family-oriented music festival, occurring at two venues over the course of two days, draws over 40,000 fans, more than 25 acts, and of course consists of tons of free Ben & Jerry’s Fairtrade ice cream.
Perhaps the greatest appeal of this festival for children and adults alike is its ability to bring out the little kid in everyone. With its fairground attractions, like meeting the animals at the petting zoo, playing games like Ice Your Own Cookies, and suggesting new ice cream recipe activities, this interactive event is certainly one not to dismiss.
A diverse range of music features throughout the festival, with line-ups of live acts including Maximo Park, Ocean Colour Scene, Fun Lovin’ Criminals and Gary Numan. Not only does it play host to a number of good charities and causes, but the Ben and Jerry’s Sundae Festival is also climate neutral, so you can enjoy the fun in the sun without the extra guilt!
The only downside of this tasty family experience is the risk of adverse weather conditions raining on the fun, which is sure to turn Mississippi Mud Pie into more than just an ice cream flavour. But when the sun is shining, this is a perfect way to spend a summer’s day with friends and family.
What: Bulmers Cider Garden
Where: London’s South Bank
When: 3rd-14th August
Cider lovers, this is the place for you! A pop-up bar has appeared on London’s South Bank, inviting people to soak up the August sunshine and pop open a Bulmers No 17 (Bulmer’s newest product containing crushed red berries).
The Bulmers Cider Garden is open to everyone (over 18) and offers live music curated by Festival aficionados Rob Da Funk and free samples of the fruity drink.
In addition to the music and free refreshments, visitors can take part in a series of fun experiments to help Bulmers find the ultimate cider drinking experience and enjoy some experimental acts on the Bulmers Experimenter’s Stage.
What: The British Gas Big Dip
Where: Clapham Common, London
When: July/August 2011
In the last month Clapham Common has been transformed into an ‘urban Swim festival’. The event, the brainchild of Olympic medallist Steve Parry, is supported by British Gas and is an extension of its British Swimming sponsorship. The brand objective for British Gas is to get people together through swimming, which is central to this event.
The Big Dip consists of a pool, beach, kids entertainment and, a must for all event these days, a recycle campaign – the ‘Speedo swim amnesty’. The event is a great, reasonably priced activity for families and children to while away the hours of the long school holidays. And for British Gas, what a great opportunity to engage its customers with its brand and sponsorship campaign and a strong message of community. http://bigdip.co.uk/
What: Field Day
When: 6th August 2011
Where: Victoria Park, London, E3
Field Day is not what you could call a brand lead festival, it’s more of a gathering of ‘in-the-know hipsters’. For anyone who knows me I am certainly not one of these but a friend’s hen do gathered the girls in a sunny Victoria Park for an afternoon of dancing, fairground rides and pear cider.
Despite the trendy crowd rebuffing too much brand led activity there were a couple of partnerships of note. Firstly the organisers teamed up with The Independent as a media partner to promote tickets to the festival targeting the liberal free-thinkers. They had a stand on site near the Village Green but to be honest I didn’t see too many people reading on site. Then there was the summer festival must have – the Pimms bus. Parked up with their traditional English picket fence and picnic tables they fit right in with the central village fete area. There is certainly more that brands could bring to Field Day but I’m not so sure the audience would take kindly to a title sponsor.
What: Hackney Wicked
Where: Hackney Wick, London
When: Friday 29th July – Sunday 31st July 2011
Sandwiched between the Olympic Park and Victoria Park lies Hackney Wick – an unassuming place with the highest number of artists per capita in the world. For the fourth year, Hackney Wick puts on a 3 day East London arts festival aptly named ‘Hackney WickED’. Fuelling the existing art scene, the festival showcases work from both local and international artists through studios, mobile galleries, graffiti jams, pop up spaces, installations, live music stages and events.
Special events saw film screenings at the Floating Cinema, Films on Fridges and Folly for a Flyover. Not forgetting the opportunity to try a coracle on the River Lee with the emerging Olympic Park in background.
Described as “a post-apocalyptic world where only the artists survived” this is a festival with a real sense of community and passion for the local arts scene.
By Emily Waring on August 22nd, 2011
Tags: Brand marketing, Default, Experiential marketing, Food & Drink, Music, PR, Public relations, Synergy Loves
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