Festival Activations: Fashion Brands Riding the Momentum

Festival Activations: The Insights Behind the Ranking

Music festivals have long been prime arenas for influencer and celebrity marketing, driving visibility for brands in the fashion industry. Vogue Business reports a notable shift this year at Coachella, with brands redirecting their focus towards the Gen Z demographic, rather than Millennials. This shift involves strategic partnerships with a new relevant cohort of brand ambassadors to foster awareness within their community. 

Despite a reported slowdown in ticket sales this year, as per Billboard, what truly matters for brands is the exposure and engagement facilitated by high-profile personalities on social media, extending far beyond the festival grounds. We have analyzed the performance of five fashion brands and e-tailers during the months of March and April to understand which festival activations and Voices contributed the most to their total Media Impact Value®. We have uncovered three key insights:

• Owned Media emerged as a dominant Voice for these brands during Festival Season. Revolve set the example, leveraging influencer Charli D’Amelio in their content around the namesake festival: The top performing post amassed $98.6K MIV®.
• A-list celebrities played a pivotal role in brand promotion: Lili Reinhart led Revolve Coachella campaign with an impressive $859K MIV®, Peyton List drove Free People's success at New Orleans Jazz Festival, and Alessandra Ambrosio contributed to Re/Done's visibility at Coachella.
• Influencers are still key figures during these types of events. Hollister and Nasty Gal excelled through strategic influencer endorsement, with Frederic Chen and Kristina (Trendy Curvy) being noteworthy Voices.

As expectations from Gen Z continue to rise, brands must reassess marketing strategies, collaborate with the new relevant voices, and leverage channels effectively to engage this critical demographic. By analyzing performance metrics and competitors' strategies, brands can refine their approaches and achieve heightened success at future events. Discover how your brand can captivate this rising cohort at the next big festival!