#Fearless4Friday: Brands Breaking Through the Coachella Clutter
As a native Angeleno, I’ve been hearing about Coachella since I was old enough to switch from Disney princess songs (which are still on my playlist) to the famous LA-based radio station, KROQ. While people now flock from the far reaches of the US and even internationally, Coachella used to be a relatively small, local music festival.
Now, one weekend at Coachella will put you face-to-face with hundreds of brands – from the big boys to the obscure. This list from the LA Times gives a rundown of just the biggest events (read: million dollar executions) of the weekend. Even McDonald’s participated in this year’s festivities by hosting a party to help cure hangovers and give festival-goers an opportunity to make another floral headband. Would Ronald McDonald approve?
Going on behalf of Evolution Fresh, we participated in a gifting suite to hand out bottles of cold-pressed juice and engage with celebrities and media in attendance. You can check out the buzz about Evolution Fresh here: Star Magazine, Just Jared, Well + Good, and The Source.
With this in mind, below is my take of the best, and most fearless, branded work that broke through the clutter.
1. Lacoste Desert Pool Party
Year after year, Lacoste does an amazing job with their annual pool party. People line up for hours, hoping to get into the desert oasis hosted in a Palm Springs estate that featured a pop-up Lacoste store where you could customize a pair of kicks, enjoy Patron-infused popsicles, play air hockey, miniature golf, eat at food trucks and more.
And you can’t forget the stargazing. The Lacoste party pulls the best of the best celebrities, including Kendall Jenner, Joe Jonas, Emma Roberts, Katharine McPhee, Kellan Lutz, Zoe Kravitz, Katy Perry, Lea Michele, Emma Roberts and Lana Del Rey.
2. Fruttare Hangout at Coachella
As an official sponsor of Coachella, not only do you get to use the festival’s name in all materials but you also get a tent on the actual grounds of the Indio Empire Polo Fields. With the amount Palm Springs is spread out – aka a 20 minute drive is considered close – this is a definite plus.
This year, Fruttare did it right. Using a blackboard mural, this brand attracted some of the best of Hollywood to write on the wall and snap photos while munching on their popsicles. The popsicles themselves were a sought after treat in the blistering heat, and to connect their tent to the festival lifestyle they had a DJ on staff that would help teach you how to spin. Did I mention that the tent was also deliciously air conditioned?
3. Forever 21, Party in the Sky
With most parties happening before five or after midnight, Forever 21 took a bet to host their party between 5 and 9p.m. A fearless move considering this is when most of the big acts play at Coachella, which made me wonder: do people really go for the music?
If you were VIP enough to literally “party in the sky,” you were able to take a bird’s eye view of Coachella atop Forever 21’s suspended VIP lounge—a crane 20 ft. above the main party – earning the name #Cranechella.
While they didn’t get the same celebrity turnout or media buzz as some of the other parties, I give them creativity points for dreaming this up.
4. The Epic Sandstorm
OK – so this wasn’t a party or a brand, but the epic sandstorm that raged at Coachella on Saturday night showed that Mother Nature remains No. 1.
The 25+ mph winds on Saturday created quite the stir, ruining Pharrell William’s Saturday night performance and making scarves the hottest Coachella accessory. Check out this great slideshow from PopSugar of all the celebs attempting to hide from the sand.
Overall, going to Coachella as a brand is a fearless pursuit in and of itself. The biggest thing I learned coming from the festival was that if you aren’t willing to “go all in,” the payout may not be worth it.
Know this is your space before making a huge investment, and testing the waters is a perfectly good tactic. A relatively small activation can provide valuable knowledge and opened doors with top-tier weekly media.