by By: Ava Parducci
Campaign Analysis on Coachella 2023 in Relation to Digital Media
Coachella has established itself not just as a music festival but as a cultural phenomenon and a significant marketing opportunity for businesses and creators. The success of past Coachella’s and the ongoing anticipation of the event is created through successful marketing strategies specifically pertaining to social media and use of influencer marketing. Here’s an analysis of Coachella 2023’s campaign focusing on its connection with digital platforms:
1. Influencer Marketing as a Driving Force:
- The correlation between influencers and Coachella’s success is seen most predominantly through TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok, videos under #Coachella2023 surpassed 1.6 billion views, outperforming #Coachella2022’s 1.5 billion views. In total, Instagram boasted 37,000 posts with the Coachella hashtag in 2023. Celebrities and influencers present at the festival act as displays for brands, expanding the event’s global reach through immediate posts on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
- Content around Coachella spans beyond the festival dates, reaching both pre and post-event periods. Leading up to Coachella, people share survival tips and outfit inspiration, followed by post-festival reviews critiquing outfits for trend capture or misses. However, the surge in content has drawn criticism toward dominating influencers, with detractors claiming a negative impact on the festival due to the focus on fashion. A video by TikTok influencer Loren Grey, dubbing Coachella the “influencer Olympics,” highlighted concerns about influencers not physically attending but creating content to appear present. Despite controversies, influencers’ outfits remain important in shaping trends and enhancing the festival’s atmosphere.
2. Social Media Buzz and FOMO:
- Influencers, by sharing their experiences, effectively instigate FOMO among their followers, resulting in heightened interest and attendance at Coachella. This is evident in the remarkable doubling of attendance from Coachella 2022 to Coachella 2023, with a total of 500,000 attendees. To further amplify the FOMO effect, Coachella livestreams performances for those unable to attend physically. The festival actively engages in social media trends by collaborating with influencers to endorse the event. In the case of Coachella 2023, NYX strategically selected influencers to stay in a rented hotel, creating and sharing content leading up to the event.
3. Artist Lineup and Fan Engagement:
- Coachella 2023 owes part of its success to a varied line-up featuring renowned artists such as Frank Ocean, Blackpink, and Bad Bunny. The festival skillfully employed social media to promote these headliners, actively engaging fans and building anticipation. Leading up to the event, Coachella amassed over 8 million mentions on social media platforms regarding performances. Coachella hosted 200 musical acts with ranging genres, creating an appeal to diverse audiences. These line-ups generate further coverage from large platforms, such as The Grammy’s, where the performances are further dissected and discussed post-event.
4. Pop-Up Experiences and Brand Activation:
- Coachella’s pop-up experiences offer direct access to a massive audience, providing brands with a unique marketing opportunity. The festival’s iconic status translates into positive brand association.
5. Emotional Connection and Community Building:
- Coachella’s unique ability to reinforce emotional connections and build communities is apparent. Brands can tap into this emotional connection by aligning themselves with the festival’s values and creating experiences that resonate with attendees.
- Music, as a central theme, reinforces bonds and creates a sense of community, allowing brands to become part of something meaningful.
Campaign Analysis for Coachella 2024:The success of Coachella 2023 sets a high bar for the 2024 campaign. Based on prior successful tactics, brands should focus on authentic experiences, influencer collaborations, and leveraging social media trends to maximize exposure. The festival’s role as a cultural icon and its impact on fashion trends should be central to brand campaigns, with a focus on creating experiences that go beyond traditional marketing. For future festival analysis’s and EDM related content, check out avaparducci.com.
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Hi Ava!
I really enjoyed your post about Coachella and its relationship with social media marketing. I like how you touched on the FOMO aspect because I think that is the key to how Coachella digitally markets itself. It has become a media event, from get ready with me videos on TikTok to photo dumps on Instagram. Living through others during Coachella on socials is what gets ticket sales up for the next year, and I had not realized the depth of this until reading your analysis.