From Fun to Fan-Favourite: How Festivals Build Loyalty for Playful Brands

Authored by: Live Nation UK Marketing Partnerships Team

As we reflect on the UK’s 2024 summer festival season, it’s clear that the pure, unadulterated fun and joy festivals bring to fans remain unmatched. Audiences today prefer self-aware brands that are in tune with cultural moments, and music festivals continue to offer a unique platform for brands to do just that. The UK’s distinct sense of humour and sensibility play a crucial role in shaping this environment, making festivals an ideal space for brands to connect with fans while embracing light-heartedness, fun, and laughter along the way.

Yet, fun and humour in marketing have declined, with 95% of business leaders hesitant to use humour in audience interactions. This is a missed opportunity, as a study by Oracle found 78% of people believe brands could do more to bring happiness, and 91% prefer brands that are funny.

That leaves a significant white space for what we’ll call “fun brands” to connect with consumers.  Whether you’re a brand that’s known for your humour or one that’s new to using it, there’s no better place than music festivals to get beyond the screen and connect with fans having fun live.

Festivals are a chance to catch people in a space where they’re primed to have fun, make memories, share photos, and tell their friends all about it afterwards. And while the draw is, of course, the music, modern festivals have become more experiential, giving fans the expectation that they’re going to do a lot more than watch musical performances. That creates an incredible opportunity for brands, especially fun brands, to make a lasting impression by elevating the experience.

Here are some tips and examples for making connections with music fans, inspired by the most fun, and most successful festival activations we’ve seen of late.

Be Charming and Captivate

In its inaugural year as the presenting partner of the brand-new Chevron Stage, JD Sports truly captivated festival-goers by going above and beyond to engage with fans in unexpected ways. Onsite, they hosted a secret kiosk where attendees could track their steps throughout the weekend, offering them the chance to win branded prizes like sunglasses, water bottles, or hats. But the real excitement was found at the hidden “Moves Mart,” a secret rave destination tucked behind what looked like standard portaloo doors.

Once inside, festival-goers were transported to an undisclosed party location, keeping the dancefloor packed all weekend long. JD Sports leaned into secret sets culture, inviting popular electronic artists to play in the space as an added benefit. They didn’t just create experiences onsite—JD Sports generated buzz well before the event by teasing their partnership through social media content, in-store ticket competitions, and a tantalizing offer of a £1,000 shopping spree to fans who downloaded the festival app.

Make it unexpected and sharable

Liquid Death—you know the one–has always stood out in the beverage aisle. As the headline partner at Download 2024, they came through with activations that perfectly matched the bold and irreverent vibe of their brand—and the festival’s attendees. Integrating themselves into part of the festival’s tattoo parlour and building an interactive skate ramp showed fans the brand is truly embedded in their lifestyle, while their signature pink hearse created a perfect photo backdrop for sharable content. As pit walks from their mascot, Murder Man, had everyone pulling out their phones to record, the brand was able to connect to the music, and with the fans in an authentic and lasting way. The overall effect was one that was both totally unique and totally ownable for Liquid Death.

Make the necessities fun

No one goes to a festival for their weekly grocery shop, but six of the UK’s most beloved festivals including Isle of Wight, Download, Latitude, Creamfields, Reading & Leeds Coop made it an event of its own for visitors. As campers came to gather their food for the weekend, they were treated to DJ sets (and at times, a spontaneous full on in-shop dance party), merch giveaways, live performances and interactive games that took the experience way beyond a usual trip to the shop. This was a great example of a brand taking their core offering and amping it way up for a festival crowd that was in exactly the right place to have fun with it.

Enhance and invest in the overall experience

For brands willing to go big, there’s a huge opportunity to enhance the entire festival experience and grab a whole lot of brand affinity in the process. Audi’s inaugural headline sponsorship at Audi presents Wilderness saw the brand surround fans with expertly curated experiences that spotlighted the all-electric SUV, the Audi SQ6 e-tron. A branded lounge dubbed The Audi Haven was a respite on the field, offering guests delicious cocktails and live performances, as well as family friendly experiences like face painting ,while The Audi Kitchen gave festivalgoers the exclusive opportunity to experience a bespoke three-course menu by Audi ambassador, Michelin starred Chef Rohit Ghai. The activation culminated in The Audi Wonder Parade, a costumed spectacle showcasing the Audi SQ6 e-tron that brought the crowd together for a moment that reinforced Audi’s joyful presence throughout the festival. By elevating the already vibrant atmosphere at Wilderness, Audi successfully fostered a deeper connection with attendees and made the brand an essential part of the festival experience.

Connect with the right audience

The thing that too often turns brands away from humour and fun in marketing—especially on a mass scale— is the idea that you can’t always control who is going to get the joke, or who it might alienate. With so many different UK festivals catering to so many specific audiences, brands have a pretty well-defined sense of who they can connect with, both demographically and culturally. Whether you’re looking to bring the fun to young pop fans, get a little dark with middle-aged metal heads or laugh with a chilled out older set, there’s a festival that can make that happen.

By leaning into fun, creating memorable experiences, and engaging audiences in unexpected ways, brands can earn the affection and loyalty of festivalgoers long after the music stops. The key to success lies in understanding the audience and delivering on the things they love in a way that feels genuine.