Spotify is rolling out its first major multichannel activation at this weekend's Splendour in the Grass festival as it looks to build love for the brand among millennials and music lovers.
Spotify is providing free wifi towers at the festival and campsite so that people can stay in touch. There is also a strong data capture element for the free wifi, which requires an email address that Spotify can then use to contact festival-goers after the weekend.
It is creating a host of set-lists from all the major acts as well as playlists to enhance the drive to the festival and the torturous drive home again after the weekend. Festival organisers can also monitor new subscribers to playlists and followers of the festival’s official channel on Spotify.
As part of the initiative it is also providing a raft of music-related content including interviews and photos that people not at the festival can enjoy through social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The music streaming platform is sending in tractors and wheelbarrows to help campers move in to the site with their luggage and giving away a host of festival freebies to help people enjoy the weekend including onesies, sunglasses and sunscreen,
Serena Leith, Spotify marketing director, told AdNews the approach comes from personal experience of Spotify's festival-loving team in Australia, and services that will improve the festival experience, adding that the activation is a branding exercise to build love for the brand rather than about acquiring new customers. That said, she hopes one will convert into the other.
“Everyone at Spotify goes to a lot of festivals so what are the things that would make our festival life better? If someone can give me access so I can message mates and photos, access set lists, help me carry my gear, help me when I’m cold with a magic jumper out of nowhere, or give me sunnies when I’ve lost mine which always happens, that would be amazing. So we packaged that up.
“It's hard to deliver what Spotify actually is [at the festival] that it's a mobile music platform that lives in the cloud, but we understand that festivals are fun so this is a brand first rather than a [customer] acquisition exercise.”
Spotify has had a minor presence at music events in Australia since launching two years ago but Leith said this is the first “of its scale” that runs across digital, mobile, on-site, PR, social “you name it.”
For more on how brands are using experiential, mobile technology and events to build brand love, drive enagement and boost sales, check out the AdNews Special Report on Experiential and Events Marketing in the 8 August issue of AdNews in Print. To get it, You can subscribe here, or get it on iPad.
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