It’s easy to get caught up in lineup announcements and the incredible artists you are bringing to your festival. Lineup is so important - and there’s much to be said about that - but what is often overlooked in festival advertising is the experience. A standout experience takes your festival from mediocre to excellent. It’s time to showcase your event’s experience so your audience can’t wait to experience it themselves.
How to Make Your Audience See Themselves at Your Event
When you are marketing your event, create FOMO. Show people what they’re missing. No one likes the feeling that they are missing out on something. Maybe that’s good food, a ferris wheel ride, a photo opportunity, or camping.
You want to show that the event is not just for other people, but they can have the time of their lives at your festival too. Think about the classic Axe Body Spray ads. The average Joe suddenly attracts the dream girl after spraying himself with the product. These commercials became a classic campaign because they showed the average consumer that he could live his dream life. For your festival, you want your audience to see that their dream can become a reality just like it did for Emily next door.
With the rise of TikTok and its edit-yourself videos, it’s only becoming more important to make your ads feel authentic and real. TikTok influencers are making the most impact simply by talking directly to their iPhone. If a video is overproduced, it doesn’t typically turn into a trend. The viral trends are simple videos or dances that people can record themselves in a matter of minutes. Your audience doesn’t want to only see the unattainable dream, but they want to see that their dream of attending your festival can be their reality.
In your ads, show clips of the girl next door who’s just like them having a good time at the festival. You want people to be able to see themselves there. They can see themselves there because the girl in your ad is their sister, neighbor, or friend. It’s a realistic goal. Seeing someone like them in an ad pushes the viewer to go beyond the mindset of “maybe I can go one day” to “If he can go, then why can’t I go?” It’s a visual word-of-mouth. People relate to authenticity and showing someone having a blast can speak so much louder than simply telling them.
A fan can see their favorite band at a one-off concert if they want to. But they choose to see them at your festival for one thing - the experience. There’s a vibe. There’s a community. There’s something special about spending a couple of days with like-minded fans listening to the incredible lineup that builds a better experience rather than going to a single show. Don’t just tell them, but show them that someone just like them will be there, so they realize they should too.
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