A Deep Data Dive Into Summer Festival Audiences

Consumers are spending big bucks this summer on entertainment at a historic scale, with Taylor Swift and Beyonce’s megatours bringing in so much business that they keep upending local economies.

Outside of these massive mainstage tours, consumers are also seeking summer joy at a range of festivals, from music and arts to theatre, sports, and more. We took a closer look at this high-value audience in our ‘Hot Data Season’ report.?

We sourced our “Hot Data” from the Lotame Data Exchange — or LDX, for short — which offers 5,000 pre-packaged audience segments ready to be activated across web, mobile, social, and CTV.

Here’s what LDX’s data tells us about summer festival audiences.

Favorite festivalgoer tipples

Spirit brands are a staple of festival sponsorship and LDX found festivalgoers are twice as likely to prefer whiskey, vodka, and tequila. They also enjoy wine, and not just drinking it, with vineyards ranking as a top travel destination.

Our data also showed that there are strong regional differences in their preferences, which creates opportunities for local alcohol brands. In Europe, attendees are especially interested in craft beer, signalling a space for beer brands that can showcase their artisanal credentials.

The travel habits of festivalgoers

Festivalgoers love travelling and are looking for convenience and curation, through holiday packages and the help of travel agents. For travel brands looking to target this audience, this highlights the need to emphasise ease of use, expertise, and quality of service over value.?

When it comes to transport, festivalgoers are happy to hop on a bus, making public transport OOH advertising a valuable channel for promoting festivals and adjacent brands. And what about Uber’s growing suite of advertising options? Festivalgoers are also fans of ride sharing services, so this could be another channel to grab their attention.

What festivalgoers are tuning into?

The summer festival crowd may be more outdoorsy than most, but they still enjoy their TV time. Brands trying to reach festivalgoers on TV should prioritise food-focused content, as this audience is twice as interested in cooking networks than the general population, lining up with their wider foodie interests.

When they’re not planning their next meal, LDX tells us festivalgoers are probably watching documentaries. They’re also serious film fans with a passion that extends beyond the screen into movie memorabilia.

Did any of our LDX summer festival insights surprise you? How would you use them to inform your campaign strategy? And what would you want to learn?

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Written by Kristen Whitmore , VP, Consumer Intelligence & Analytics at Lotame