This year, festival enthusiasts returned in droves to fields and parks, loaded with tents and sunscreen for their favourite summer events. They were joined by marketing managers seizing the opportunity to make a splash with standout activations and sponsorships. As we embrace the magic of the 2024 festival season, here’s a look at some of the most memorable brand activations we’ve seen so far.
1. Poosh at Coachella
Kourtney Kardashian’s lifestyle brand, Poosh, offered festival-goers a wellness escape with its annual summer-camp themed party. The offering ranged from cold plunges and yoga to watching the sunset over the Poosh pool. The event featured partnerships of its own with brands like Adidas, Skims, Lee Jeans, Havianas, Coney Island Picnic, and Shopify, creating a vibrant oasis in the desert.
2. Meta Beach at Cannes Film Festival
At Cannes, Meta Beach offered a transformative experience that highlighted the brand’s extensive range of services, focusing on creativity and connection. Guests explored the innovative capabilities of Reels, one of Meta’s most significant assets, engaging with themes of borders and boundlessness through poetry and movement in Es Devlin’s immersive vertical film “There is No Other.” Attendees had the opportunity to create their own content, inspired by this immersive experience. Additional workshops featured sessions with renowned Creative Director Karen X Cheng, entrepreneur Roberto Nickson, Colin and Samir Show hosts, and creator Grace Wells, who all shared their expertise on crafting captivating content.
3. Pinterest at Coachella
The Manifest Station made its debut at Coachella, offering a fashion and beauty trend experience that let guests transform into their vision boards. Celebrity stylists Chloe and Chenelle brought trending aesthetics to life with bespoke makeup looks, helping festival-goers embody styles from nostalgic 2014 core to dark feminine aesthetic, and shop the trends on Pinterest.
4. Great Western Railways at Glastonbury
In the iconic lyrics of Shania Twain – GWR really said ‘let’s go girls’! Inspired by Shania Twain’s episode on the ‘Sidetracked with Annie and Nick’ podcast, where she revealed she has a train named after her in Switzerland, Great Western Railways introduced the ‘Shania Train’ on the Intercity Express, transporting attendees to Glastonbury in true country style.
5. Prime Video at SXSW
In the summer heat of Austin, Texas, Amazon Prime unveiled its new television series at SXSW – Fallout, based on the popular video game. Prime Video transformed the venue into a Western, post-apocalyptic shantytown straight from the series. Attendees enjoyed interactive games like Arms Dealer and a taxidermy lasso area where they could win bottle caps, along with a photograph-based scavenger hunt. The food and drinks were themed after the show, featuring delights like Fancy Lad Snack Cakes and Rum and Nuka Cola cocktails. During the press and VIP preview, the cast and crew presented an exclusive scene from the series.
