Over recent years there has been a sharp increase in the amount of festivals across the UK, as well as the amount of festival-goers who attend. However, amongst all of these Glastonbury stands out, with its international reputation and history of attracting the world’s most prodigious and popular acts. This year’s was certainly another one for the books, from the captivating and politically-charged performance that Stormzy put on to the somewhat tamer but equally interesting appearance of David Attenborough.
Glastonbury is so well established that it need not even be marketed to draw in the masses, nevertheless when it comes to your marketing campaigns, websites and advertisements, there a certainly a few lessons to be learned from the UK’s most iconic event.
Diverse and Current
One of the reasons that people flock to Glastonbury year after year is as the festival makes use of an ever-changing line up. Though there are always some familiar acts and fan favourites who have appeared on multiple occasions, the Glastonbury line-up changes pretty dramatically each year to suit popular opinion and appease the crowds.
That said, you need not change your marketing campaigns, services you offer or branding on an annual basis. There are various ways to keep your clientele interested in your products or services without heavy rotation. You can try exploring new avenues of marketing such as social media, Google Ads or email as well as using different graphics, promotions and copy to compliment them. This isn’t about reinventing your business on an annual basis, it’s about not letting your campaigns and brand stagnate by simply regurgitating the same marketing strategy year after year. Mix it up a bit and keep things fresh, even if you can’t afford a little help from Stormzy or David Attenborough, you can still make an impression with your marketing.
An Established Audience and Tone of Voice
This festival has no issues whatsoever drawing in immense crowds, with around 200,000 people attending the mini-city that is Glastonbury for the 2019 instalment. Though Glastonbury’s crowd is diverse, ranging from 18 years olds to those probably too old to be at a festival, the festival coordinators ensure that there is something for everybody, as well as acts who appeal to a wide audience. In this sense, Glastonbury’s marketers and coordinators have changed their focus from its early origins as a hippie-attended utopian event, to a mainstream and highly profitable musical spectacle. However, the early origins of Glastonbury are still visible and marketed, yet in a more diluted context.
For example, 200,000 people don’t show up to a gig in a field with no toilets, stalls or bands they have never heard of. At the same time, 200,000 people don’t show up for an event marketed as a capitalistic and populist money-making machine. The ethos of the festival is still prevalent, whilst modern developments and additions have made it a more appealing and ultimately profitable event.
So the message here is understand the importance of your company’s origins and story whilst being conscious of the needs of different markets. Marry the two of these together and you can maintain your image whilst also maximising the relevant traffic your marketing campaigns can captivate and convert into customers.
The Spectacle
There is something quite magical about Glastonbury, every year it manages to dazzle us with an onslaught of acts, artwork, flags, record crowds and colossal stages. In this sense, Glastonbury stands out amongst the other festivals held in the UK and arguably throughout the world, as the most iconic and eagerly-anticipated. Though this comes at no small cost to the event planners, they and their competition (other festivals) have extensive budgets for such things.
At this stage relativity is important, say your business is a law firm or a wellness clinic, neither you nor your competition has the budget for such expenditure. However, you can still gain an edge on your competition by making your marketing a spectacle. Not everybody truly considers the importance of their marketing campaigns and the avenues of marketing which can be explored and exploited. When executed well, and even at little cost, these campaigns can make your small company the ‘Glastonbury’ of the industry. If you’d like to find out a little bit more and how we can help action this, then get in touch today.
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