Inbound Marketing Lessons From Coachella 2016

With festival season just ramping up, marketers are excited to attract and delight the flurry of millennial hipsters who attend these marketing paradises, me being one of them. Coachella is only one of many of these idyllic advertising playgrounds. Every attendee is a potential brand ambassador just waiting to broadcast their sponsored experiences through social media platforms. Here's how inbound marketers can take some cues from the Coachella marketing experience.

Fulfill a Need

Short of tattooing the inbound philosphy on their forehead, identifying and addressing a buyer persona's pain points is at top of mind for many content strategists. These strategies take on a more experiental feel at music festivals. Sponsors attract dehydrated and sunburnt millennials into their tents, otherwise known as "activations," with a host of amenities, air conditioning, and a place to recharge their trusty companion, The Cell Phone. 

The cosmetics conglomerate Sephora, for example, offers attendees a do-it-yourself makeup bar around the Coachella campsite. In essence, they are enhancing the festival experience by making women's (and men's) fashion and makeup routine a breeze.

Encourage Social Sharing

When a brand offers a value-laden asset or experience, they hope that the customer interaction doesn't end there. Analyzing the Sephora marketing strategy further, they dispense a free beauty product via vending machines in exchange for posting a photo on Instagram with a designated hashtag. Not only does this encourage social media shares, but it also increases the audience awareness of their offerings. 

Use Video 

Video incorporates the convenience of watching from home with the value of engaging and interesting content. For those that couldn't make it to the blistering desert campgrounds of Indio, CA,  Coachella livestreamed most of their live sets through Youtube. To increase audience interaction and engagement, Coachella organizers really pushed live 360-degree video streaming. And exclusively to the second weekend of the event, they are incorporating "spatial audio" which can make viewers feel like they are actually there.

Ultimately, a consumer wants to have a pleasant experience with a brand rather than a forced connection. The more "organic" and "authentic" the experience feels, the better. Consumer are much more savvy than before in noticing when companies are trying to sell them something.

Will you be attending Coachella? What are the marketing lessons you've learned from it? Let us know in the comments below.