What Do They Want And When Do They Want It: Promotional Marketing Guide to Festivals
Were you all set for the festivals this year? No, we don’t mean choosing a perfect festival-chic outfit or packing a tent, but instead with your marketing activities. If you didn’t feel as though you were prepared to promote your brand and get it noticed at various festivals this summer, you probably weren’t alone.
Thousands of music-loving festival-goers descended on some of Britain’s biggest fields, farms and arenas, and across the board we noticed a number of companies who could have benefitted from the exposure. Don’t worry, if you weren’t fully prepared to take advantage of the summer’s top events, we’ve got the guide that’ll get you there next year…
What do they want? Food!
If you’ve been to a festival, you’ll know that there always comes a point when hunger strikes you unexpectedly. You could be dancing away in a tent, singing along to an unknown artist when all of a sudden you’re famished, and you can’t understand why you didn’t realise it earlier. Of course, then you have to deal with deciding what you want, then face the long queue, only to realise you don’t have enough change. But it’s important for festival-goers to stay well-fed, especially if they’re there all weekend. So, what better way to entice them and get them talking about your brand than offering them something to eat? It needn’t be expensive, in fact, you could offer them just about anything, but make sure they know exactly who they’re getting it from by ensuring your brand logo is being passed around. Whether you serve them burgers on a napkin with your logo on it, or offer them soup in branded cups; it’s easy, and it’ll work.
When do they want it? Now!
The great thing about planning your promotional marketing strategy around a festival is that there’s never not a good time to approach people. The vibe at a festival is generally a good one, most people are in a very happy mood and willing to stop and chat to you, so make the most of the opportunity to get to chat to potential customers! Festivals also tend to remain busy all day long, so there’s no need to worry about choosing a particular time to target your customers. If you’re offering food, there are bound to always be hungry passers-by, so make sure you’re always ready to advance on them!
What do they need? Water!
Even if they downright refuse to admit it, every festival-goer needs to take a break and remain hydrated, and it would do well for your brand to encourage this at a festival. Offering them branded water bottles with your message or logo on will not only promote your brand at the time, but is likely to end up in a handbag going home with them too. It’s something that everyone is going to want to grab from you, and so gives you a great opportunity to start mentioning what your brand is and what it can do for them – other than simply quenching their first. The good thing about water is that everyone will want it.
When do they want it? Now!
Festival-goers will undoubtedly need water at all times of the day, but if it’s a particularly warm day, offering it to them when the sun is at its highest, at at time when the heat will really be felt, is bound to gain you brownie points. Making it available to them all day will ensure they keep coming back to you and recommend you to their festival friends. You’ll be the heroes, and your brand will be well-known!
Of course, these are just two popular products you could offer to promote your brand, but there are many others you could choose from, such as beach balls or raincoats and branded stickers from Stay Sourced. Festival marketing can be extremely effective, but you’ll need the right branded promotional items if you’re going to make the impact you’re looking for.
