On Fyre Fest
Within the last week, two documentaries have been released detailing the inception, lead-up, and ultimate failure of the Fyre Music Festival. They paint a picture of the consequences of a post-Instagram influencer world, and underscore the unethical business practices used to separate the festival goer from their money. At the top is Billy McFarland, an entrepreneur/con-man who is currently facing six years in federal prison. I think enough has been said about McFarland, and honestly the worst thing I could say about him is that Fyre Fest was his brainchild. Instead of tearing the man down, I’d like to talk about his and his company’s business practices.
At the center of the Fyre Fest story is the most successful and frankly impressive social media campaign ever. It burst into the public eye with coordinated posts by some of the most influential people in the public sphere of a single neon-orange tile. Within a couple days, general admission tickets had almost sold out and Fyre was a household name. A flashily-edited promo video was specifically engineered to take advantage of our generation’s unique F.O.M.O. complex. As quoted from McFarland “(They were) selling a pipe dream to your average loser.”
It’s easy to look at the aftermath and call Fyre Fest doomed from the start. The reality of the situation is one of immense effort and talent on the part of many individuals. The Fyre Media team devoted a ludicrous number of man hours, Bahamian laborers worked long, thankless days, investors poured millions of dollars into the project, and multiple different agencies committed resources and time to realizing the dream. The actions of the man at the helm were unethical, but that doesn’t negate the crazy amount of work that many of his friends and employees put into it. Even in instances of failure, we can appreciate the commitment and effort of those who were behind the scenes.
I’ve spoken before on the importance of promotion, and how even companies with nothing tangible to offer can amass huge followings and profits on promise alone. The experiences and amenities guaranteed at Fyre Fest never materialized, and by the end it was discovered that the company and its executives had defrauded customers, laborers, employees, and investors out of almost $30 million. What some companies fail to understand is that, while promotion is crucial, delivery is even moreso.
Provision and promotion are two sides of the same coin, and it’s damn near impossible to have one without the other. This notion informs my policy of “Over promise, over deliver.” I like to give expectations that exceed those of the customer, and provide even more than that.
What makes me feel the need to address the failings of Fyre Fest is not to add a voice to the many that are already dragging the company through the coals. For all of its shortcomings, and despite the unethical nature of its leader, Fyre Fest could have been something special. Had they simply been more proactive about problems, acted ethically by properly setting customer’s expectations, and delivered upon those promises, the internet would be having a much different conversation right now. Perhaps everyone would even be excited for Fyre Fest 2019.