Maybe marketing is at its best when you are hardly aware that it is being done?
There's a nice piece in this week's Grocer reflecting on the rise of festivals which combine music and food with experiential marketing
Next weekend sees Jimmy Doherty's Harvest festival taking place simultaneously in both Essex, and just up the road from us on Alex James' farm near Oxford. This summer, we have already witnessed brands as diverse as Ben & Jerry's, Sainsbury and Jamie Oliver muscling in on the act.
Innocent was one of the earliest pioneers of festivals combining music and food … and its Village Fete is still sorely missed by many. It had an impact that extended way beyond its attendees and was pivotal in creation of the warm, affectionate relationship many people still have with the brand.
Whilst festivals are not a tool that will meet everyone's branding challenges, they are an indisputably powerful, but elegantly subtle way of telling your brand story … and building strong emotional relationships with a surprisingly mainstream consumer audience.
