Beyond the Banner: How Rockstar Energy is Redefining the UK Fan Experience

Jim Campling (JC): You’ve done it! The first year of our UK festival and venue partnership is officially complete. How are you feeling ?

Sarah Mahoney (SM): Thrilled. Although we’ve been involved in the music space for a while we wanted to continue building credibility and offering enhanced experiences to fans in this space, so we truly feel this partnership has taken this to the next step! Months of planning went into the rollout of each activity at Parklife, Wireless, TRNSMT, Reading, Leeds and Creamfields festivals so we’re incredibly proud of what we were able to do as a brand and the amazing results we were able to achieve through our work across some of the UK’s largest music festivals.

JC: You and your team have put in a huge amount of effort this festival season to show up for fans in new and exciting ways. You consistently took the partnership to the next level by integrating some of the most exciting artist stunts and VIP treatments for fans. Can you share a bit about these experiences and why this level of thinking and effort is so important to add to the fans festival experience with Rockstar Energy Drink? 

SM: Rockstar Energy Drink and Live Nation share a passion for music and we recognised that between the brands, there was a shared core audience and commitment to enhance the music experience for Gen Z. Given music festivals are already filled with energy we needed to think outside the box to really take this partnership to the next level in order to be able to add to the overall festival experience that was on offer. As a brand, we wanted to pop up in unexpected moments with something worth remembering which is where we came up with the idea of hosting surprise performances with big name artists. To kick off the festival season we surprised a bus full of festival goers on route to Parklife with an intimate performance by Anne-Marie. The lucky festival goers on the bus were treated to this exclusive and special moment which brought the energy to what’s usually one of the less enjoyed moments of a festival, leaving those on the bus smiling ear to ear, seen in the epic shots captured. After such a great response from fans and media alike we kept momentum going with a surprise performance of a different kind. Employing the help of Craig David and Wes Nelson we shocked fans at TRNSMT festival by taking over the dodgem cars for an unexpected performance which turned quite the crowd. Closing festival season out was Reading Festival where we shocked commuters and festival goers at Reading station who were on route to the first day of the festival with an impromptu performance by Teddy Swims who was set to perform the next day.

Across all of our partner festivals we activated much more than just these surprise performances. On-the-ground at Parklife, Wireless, TRNSMT, Reading, Leeds and Creamfields we deployed a bunch of moments where festival goers could boost their energy! We had the Rockstar Energy Cam which showcased festival goers with the best energy on the big screen for everyone, those on the ground could have their energy captured with our glambot and those in the Rockstar Energy Drink Tower had a VIP viewing spot for each festival’s main stage. Festival goers who were on route to one of our Rockstar Energy Drink Bars serving delicious pours of our range were treated to on-the-move DJ experiences with our roaming DJ, enthusing moments of lull at the festival with music and vibes.

We’re so delighted with how we were able to make the festival experience for fans even better and it really was the response we had from festival goers and media that made each surprise performance so special. These surprise performances proved incredibly successful for the Rockstar brand with over 1.8B earned media impressions from over 113 pieces of coverage of this activity. Equally as successful were our social results from activity across this partnership with over 10.8M impressions and 107K engagements.

JC: Why did you choose to explore music festivals and venues as a strategic route?

SM: Over the last few years and especially since the launch of the Rockstar Energy Drink Press Play platform we’ve been cultivating the brand’s credibility within the music industry and we knew we wanted to build on this with a meaningful partnership. We recognised that Rockstar Energy Drink and Live Nation shared the same passion for music and in order to enhance the listening experience for Gen Z we established this multi-year partnership which we’re excited to continue to grow at festivals and music venues over the years to come.

JC: What do you think is so powerful and magical about festivals? Why do you want to be a part of those experiences for fans?

SM: Festivals are always full of energy. From the fans to the music, there’s never a dull moment which is what Rockstar Energy Drink is all about. Everyone’s had amazing experiences at festivals and we wanted to be a part of those memories and experiences across the UK to really solidify our position as a key player in the music scene and enhance the festival and listening experience for all.

JC: Clearly Gen Z audiences are particularly important for you at this stage of Rockstar Energy’s brand journey.  Can you elaborate further on the importance of this group?

SM: It was important for us to consider Gen Z audiences as they have a huge influence in cultural trends and they take up the majority portion of our audience segmentation. We selected our six partner Live Nation Festivals in the UK due to each festival’s strong appeal to Gen Z. With their huge social media presence and eye for upcoming trends, we knew we had to take into consideration what our Gen Z audiences are looking for this summer, which is why each artist was carefully selected and why each activation was created to keep festival goers engaged and full of energy.

JC: What was your highlight or favourite anecdote from this year?

SM: We are so pleased with all the work we have completed with Live Nation this summer, from our surprise performance on the Parklife shuttle bus with Anne-Marie to Craig David and Wes Nelson’s secret dodgems set at TRNSMT to Teddy Swims surprising festival commuters at  Reading station, there was never a dull moment! If I had to boil it down to one thing, the highlight would definitely be the reactions of festival goers during these performances. We loved seeing the joy that music brings to everyone and the energy it provides.

JC: If you could boil it down to one thing – what is the most important thing this year that you have learnt? 

SM: From our work throughout the year we have learnt the importance of continuing to listen to what our audience wants and infusing them with energy and excitement. With new emerging trends and cultural shifts, listening to what consumers are interested in is key to taking fans’ experiences to the next level.