Big brand-building at the Chill

With thousands of thirsty revellers from all over the UK packed into one field, the brand-building opportunities on offer at music festivals go well beyond simply encouraging young consumers to broaden their drinking horizons.

Indeed, if such activity at recent festivals such as the Isle of Wight and the Big Chill are anything to go by, they offer a chance to completely redefine a brand’s message and image.

Last weekend’s Big Chill festival in Herefordshire saw over 35,000 people descend on a tranquil valley, along with a healthy collection of emerging drinks brands eager to recruit new drinkers and provide them not only with refreshment, but also contribute to their overall experience of the festival in order that they might linger long in the memory once the taste of the drink has passed.

There can be little doubt that spiced rum brand Sailor Jerry has endured a rather turbulent 12 months since it last exhibited at the Big Chill.

After it ran a popular bar area at the 2009 event, the drink has undergone a radical flavour revamp which has brought about quite a backlash from its fans. They were unhappy with the new taste, and threatened never to buy the drink again.

Though some of these might just have been idle threats, there was indeed recognition at First Drinks that something needed to be done to attract new fans to replace those that had abandoned a drink which was in extremely healthy growth in the UK before the decision was taken to overhaul the rum.

The brand has historically paired itself with live music, so this year the Sailor Jerry area at the Big Chill was not just a cocktail bar, but also a live music stage.

Add to that a tattoo parlour and a cinema and you have an extremely festival-friendly offering. It worked, too. The bar and crowd areas were heaving well into the night, with some folk making a day of it by setting up base for the duration inside the arena.

These people might not remember the names of the bands they saw, the songs they sang or the name of the person whose phone number they have smudged across their thigh, but they will remember the Sailor Jerry arena, the giant hula girl statue, the tattoos and the drinks. In terms of building awareness among a new generation of drinkers, it’s a tactic that would be hard to better.

The same can be said of Monkey Shoulder, the Speyside-based blended scotch brand that is looking to make real inroads in the UK this year.

This year at the Big Chill, the brand developed its Treehouse-themed stand even further than last year, offering festival-goers a relaxed retreat away from the bustle and noise of the main event (even if it was up a leg-sapping hill).

Along with the usual collection of Monkey cocktails (bought with Monkey dollars), Chillers had the chance to kick back and play a spot of Backgammon or cards while listening to some slightly more chilled-out beats than those that were blaring out below.

From speaking to a number of folk over the weekend, it was clear how much they appreciated the break the Monkey Shoulder Treehouse offered during the intensity of the festival.

Extra touches such as offering a customised t-shirt service added to the installation’s appeal and ensured that all those who wanted one went home with their own little Monkey Shoulder souvenir.

Additionally, there’s always the chance that some of the stars of the festival will rock up once they have finished their own sets, and the Monkey Shoulder Treehouse played host to Saturday night headliner Plan B (who came along for cocktails with his mum) and Sunday afternoon DJ Norman Jay, among others, over the course of the weekend. Having these names associated with a brand adds a definate touch of glamour.

Monkey Shoulder and Sailor Jerry were using festivals to cultivate their images, much as Jack Daniel’s did at the Isle of Wight Festival back in May, when the brand entertained crowds in a relaxing, contemporary and stylish cocktail garden, shut away from the chaos of the festival beyond the fence.

Jack Daniel’s is a brand which needs no introduction, and certainly doesn’t suffer on the sales front.

Yet even the Lynchburg whiskey powerhouse sees the value in exhibiting at festivals, and the opportunity to reach out to a new breed of consumer.

The brand’s arena was a truly relaxing space, accompanied by some highly refreshing cocktails to boot.

In the minds of most, Jack Daniel’s is not a brand commonly associated with relaxation or, indeed, cocktail culture, yet through initiatives such as its garden at the Isle of Wight, it is seeking to reinvent the image of the brand.

Festivals today might not be the machine-bashing, free-loving hippy-fests of years gone by. Indeed, even the Big Chill is starting to resemble the corporate behemoth that is the V Festival, with Vodafone following your every move and beer cups extolling the virtues of Carlsberg being probably the best thing ever invented by mankind.

But by offering people something different from their usual festival experience (such as offering them tattoos or a game of Backgammon), brands can recruit new fans that could stay loyal for years to come.

For more on how festival and concert sponsorship can help alcohol brands, see the Brands Report which accompanies this month’s edition of the drinks business.

Alan Lodge, 11.08.2010