What Does “Going to Coachella” with a Brand Mean?
Over the years, Coachella has grown from a music festival into a massive brand marketing event. Brands use Coachella as a way to create brand awareness, spotlight new products and generate buzz to kick off the summer. Brands rely on creators as a marketing tool for Coachella weekend, building “activations” and inviting creators to be a part of them + share on social.
These brand activations can range from full hotel buyouts in Palm Springs, gifting Coachella festival tickets, parties or mini-festivals throughout the weekend and everything in between. Brands activate at different scales, and partner with creators in different ways depending on budget & marketing goals. Brands will always prioritize working with creators they already have deep relationships with and those who genuinely love and support the brand (more deets on this in MYB 2.0, lesson 12: Brands Tell All)
So when a creator says they are “going to Coachella with insert brand name here” what does that mean?
It can mean a lot of things, but here are the 3 most common:
1) Guest of the Brand
In this situation, a brand will reach out to a creator a few months before Coachella and “invite” them to come to Coachella with the brand. This type of partnership usually means that the brand will provide a festival ticket for the creator, as well as lodging and transportation. Some brands may also provide extra perks like hair + makeup services.
In exchange, the creator is obligated to provide a set amount of deliverables, as outlined in a partnership contract typically provided by the brand. These deliverables can range from social posts to UGC for the brand to use on their account. It can also include things like mandatory event appearances and product exclusivity, meaning that if the partner is a shoe brand, the creator can only wear, post and tag THAT shoe brand in their festival content.
Brands may also agree to pay the creator a fee, however this is not always the case. It is up to the creator to negotiate a partnership that is mutually beneficial, and makes sense for their content and for the business bottom line (MYB 2.0, lesson 11: Brand Negotiation Strategy has a ton of tips!)
2) Content Exchange
A content exchange is another way brands will work with creators to activate at Coachella. This type of partnership is similar to being a “guest of the brand”, but on a smaller scale. Typically brands will offer creators perks like Coachella tickets or event invites/VIP status AND credit to use towards brand products.
In exchange, the creator will have to provide a set amount of deliverables. This will range from social content to event attendance and is negotiated between the creator and the brand. This partnership is usually smaller in scale and won’t include larger components like creator lodging or travel paid for by the brand. This type of partnership will also have less restrictions on things like exclusivity for the creator, allowing a creator to work with a few different brands while at Coachella.
This is how Revolve typically facilitates their Coachella events, providing tickets + clothing credits in exchange for set content deliverables.
Creators can take the initiative to reach out and pitch this type of partnership to brands leading up to the festival (MYB 1.0, module 5, has the perfect pitch template to get started!)
3) Gifting
The third way creators can work with brands during Coachella is through gifting. In this situation, the creator is responsible for getting themself to Palm Springs, buying a festival ticket and getting into events.
Once a creator decides they are going to attend Coachella, they can start pitching gifting partnerships with brands to help build their looks or facilitate other parts of the experience, like discounted hotel rates. In exchange, the brand/partner will have a set amount of deliverables they expect from the creator.
These are just 3 of the MANY ways brands partner with creators for events and festivals like Coachella. As a creator, it’s important to remember that event and festival partnerships are a two-way exchange. Brands are looking for ways to bring eye-balls and awareness to their products in a festival setting, and creators are looking to create aspirational and engaging content for their audiences by attending great events, wearing original outfits and document the festival experience!
