Coachella, branding as an experience, and a cult

I remember this past year at Coachella and how refreshing it was to be back and experience SOMETHING IRL. It was legitimately fun and it was the first Coachella where I went without any expectations of seeing anyone in particular. I don't believe the billing (compared to past years) was that great. I wasn't overly excited for any headliner (especially when Kanye dropped out).

So, instead of creating a succinct schedule of Artists and bands I "needed" to see each day I went to the festival almost similarly to the first year I went: excited, extremely hot, and no plan other than to experience.

In my first year, I camped. It was horrible and great at the same time. I am never going to camp at Coachella again, however, I would not take it back. I went with my twin sister, Amanda. We set up shop and explored from the early morning to very late at night. You can't really sit in a tent in 104 degree heat so the camping aspect forces you to get out and find cooler places. During that first year, we found a cult with a fully outfitted bus. They were young, weird, and nice. I felt bad that they had drank the "koolaid" and were shilling their cult at Coachella. You almost have to feel bad for them as they sell you a false bill of goods with a forced smile on their faces.

So, essentially, we had a "PRE" Coachella where we would explore the far reaches of the fair grounds to places most folks would never know were there (like Cults). After the actual last headliner at the festival ends each night we would explore the campgrounds as it's a whole second party unto itself. People are partying at different Art installations, silent discos, and, of course, tents. My first Coachella was the only time I really got to see the Coachella Post Office, the grocery / mini markets, and of course, the merchandising areas. A lot has changed since Coachella of 2010... A lot is still the same.

Fast forward to Coachella of 2022 -- The first Coachella in the wake of COVID 19. Coachella was not as organized as it had been. In fact, a lot of the third party staff had no idea what different wrist bands meant in regards to access to different areas of the festival. It was frustrating but I remembered that everyone was rusty. As I was wandering the fairgrounds with my fiancee I had a similar experience where I would run into friends, catch a set, grab a drink or a bite, say hello, say goodbye. It was fleeting and beautiful. It was quick moments of different energies emerging and then dissolving. During this specific Coachella I was working with a very large YouTube creator and because of that I took notice of certain new things at the festival, like: Creators. They were everywhere. They were the headliner. They were making bank off of brand deals and hanging out with their friends. It seemed like everyone who was there was doing the same thing I was doing. Instead of having full focus (mind you I had full focus on Phoebe Bridgers' set) on a specific act on stage everyone was looking to the audience to see who was with them in the crowd.

I don't think there were enough in-festival experiences at Coachella this year. There have always been impressive Art Installations and branded experiential but given the new crowd coming into the festival and how it's transforming into a truly immersive experience where you are in the crowd with your favorite TikTokers, YouTubers, Instagrammers etc. I believe it would be incredibly advantageous to continue to focus on a lot of pop ups, experiential and expansion in that area. Unfortunately, I don't think the next gens will only attend Coachella to watch Artists' sets from 12pm - 12am. That is for the truly music obsessed nowadays.

Expanding my thoughts about experience in different arenas: I think that these creators and Brands could do a lot more official activations in festivals than ever before. Additionally, were in the age of the multi-hyphenate entertainer / entrepreneur. This is where two of my professional worlds collided. Coachella, one of the most highly regarded live music properties meets the new age of the "TV" Star.

Imagine if Coachella game-ified their festival map a little bit and had unlisted areas which you could unlock IRL. These unlisted areas could partner with a brand or a creator and create incentive to explore the festival more. Additionally, listed and unlisted areas could be used for key billed artists at Coachella who wanted to "up" their merchandising game and offer something more or unique. No one can ever find merchandise and the merchandise they currently offer are a few hoodies in random far off the beaten path places in Coachella. I think making an experience built around finding limited clothing, merchandise, shoes, created by artists who are billed on the festival would generate a.) a lot more revenue for everyone and b.) allow for more influencers to rock your gear at the festival... Especially as the sun sets and it gets cold and windy on the fair grounds.

My last thought is that there should be more in app experience as well. Artists should be able to elect (for some sort of convenience fee and split with AEG / Goldenvoice) the ability to have merchandise pre-ordered and delivered at different delivery points at the festival. In general this isn't as much about Coachella as it is about experience. And my point here is that merchandise should start to become more of an experience from start to finish. We should be able to pre-order and pick up in advance to avoid lines for a convenience fee and we should have (in festivals and other activations) a discovery where we can find Childish Gambino's new Adidas sneakers at some unlisted activation / pop up.

Wouldn't it be cool if I expanded more on that cult my sister and I encountered instead of talking about work related stuff???

PS. Shout out to my friends in The Marías.