UKSA’s Year in Sponsorship: Part 1

After two years of Covid-19 induced cancellations, the next few months looks set to deliver an action-packed programme of spectacular summer festivals, with Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight among the first to get the party started. True there are still major challenges for the industry, but the relaunch of this vital sector of the UK cultural economy is undoubtedly a welcome sight.

The return of festivals isn’t just great news for fans, artists and event organisers, it’s also a high impact opportunity for sponsors to reconnect with audiences. With dozens of events stretching from Boardmasters in Cornwall to TRNSMT in Glasgow, brands have a myriad of opportunities to build a sponsorship programme that reflects their current strategic priorities. Affordable, adaptable and inherently authentic, festival sponsorships represent a compelling alternative to the sports platforms that secure the lion’s share of attention.

So what exactly are the benefits of sponsoring festival? Well below are six key factors that have wooed the likes of Vodafone, Cinch and the Co-op.

Youth-skewed audience: Brands have been complaining for decades about how elusive young audiences are. But festivals are crammed with Gen Z and millennials. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic hit, Mintel issued a report in which it said 49% of Gen Z (16-19s) had attended a festival in the course of the previous year. The figures were almost as strong for millennials, with 43% of 20-39 year olds attending a festival. Such is Britain’s love of live music that, according to Mintel’s research, “a staggering 61% of festival-goers would prioritise going to a music festival over a holiday within the UK; and 57% would prioritise this over a European holiday.” No surprise then that brands like EE are so prominent on the Festival scene. In May, the mobile network announced that it would once again be Glastonbury’s technology partner this year. It also predicted data usage at the event would double compared to 2019.

On the ground engagement: For sponsors, festivals mean a captive audience for 3-5 days. That’s a perfect opportunity to introduce or reacquaint young audiences with their brand. Sometimes, this might involve sampling. But the more sophisticated festival sponsors have realised there are certain goods and services that young festivals really can’t do without. This has given rise to mobile charging points, places to wash clothes and schemes where people can swap their warm can of beer for a cold one. Carling’s Cold Beer Amnesty, for example, still stands out as one of the great examples of brand ingenuity to emerge from the festival sector. Another brand that saw an opportunity to reinvent itself via festivals was retailer Co-op – which recently renewed its partnership with festival organiser Live Nation UK. Launched in 2018, and now extended to 2026, this partnership involved Co-op building pop-up supermarkets at Live Nation events including Download, Latitude, Reading & Leeds, Creamfields and IoW Festival. Live Nation UK president of marketing partnerships Jim Campling says: “Co-op’s presence at our festivals is incredibly important and additive to the fan experience. Since the beginning of our partnership, we’ve seen remarkable customer engagement and participation with Co-op supermarkets at events.”

Bespoke/Multi-tiered opportunities: Festivals lend themselves to a wide array of sponsorship packages. They can deliver title packages, individual category packages – or sometimes both. Vodafone, for example, has just signed up as Official Connectivity Partner for BST Hyde Park, in a deal brokered by AEG Global Partnerships. This event also has a title partner, and is referred to in full as American Express presents BST Hyde Park. Sometimes, it’s even possible to sign deals that deliver multiple event sponsorships. Cinch, for example, has a deal with Live Nation that covers five events. Latitude, Creamfields, TRNSMT, the Isle of Wight Festival and Edinburgh Summer Sessions are all branded as ‘Cinch presents’ events under the terms of the deal. Worth noting also is the geographic spread of the events. This provides an additional opportunity for regional sponsors to get in on the burgeoning festival scene.

Social Purpose Angle: Social purpose and summer festivals are perfect bedfellows for a couple of reasons. Firstly, festival organisers know that their predominantly youth audience will have demanding expectations around issues of race, gender, equality and environment (as will the highly-vocal artists that perform). Secondly, they also know that local communities/councils will expect them to leave everything exactly as they found it. For sponsors that are seeking to establish their social purpose credentials, this makes festivals the perfect platform. Keep in mind that some festivals take an overt stance on some issues – rather than just integrating them into their overall programme. The best example is LGBT+ festival series Pride – which has been sponsored by Barclays for years. New additions include IHG Hotel and Resorts which joined up with Pride this year. Also worth noting are events that have strong eco-credentials. The most notable of these in the UK is Green Man Festival in Wales – though it’s worth noting that this particular event doesn't do commercial sponsorships. For festivals that do take commercial sponsors, but also have a strong environment commitment, try visiting this website. Latitude and Bestival are among those making a concerted attempt to achieve sustainability targets.

Extended Opportunity: Festivals only last a few days, but a carefully planned sponsorship programme can actually last for six months or more. In March 2020, for example, Weetabix On The Go announced a partnership with the Isle Of Wight Festival which it then promoted for months via on-pack and sampling activity. The beauty of such relationships is that they can be brought to life by offering free tickets giveaways. Free tickets to events are also a way for festival sponsors to secure additional coverage on social media, radio and in the press. After the event, there are further opportunities to extend the partnership – via use of digital content such as festival behind the scenes footage and event audio. Car brand Kia and Boardmasters built a multi-tiered partnership in 2021 that included an inspiration zone at the event, co-branded digital content and a bespoke Kia EV car model designed to appeal to the surfer community. 

Not as grungy as you imagine: Senior marketing execs who went to summer festivals two or three decades ago might have recollections of coming home covered in mud with the hangover from hell. This, of course, is still part of the experience if you’re 17 years-old – but festivals have also learned that there is a cohort of consumers willing to pay a bit extra to do festivals in style. With this realisation, summer festivals are emerging as a potential corporate hospitality alternative to Wimbledon et al. Tag on a backstage pass or after-party and Festivals start to look like the kind of hot tickets that appeal to a certain kind of client. Festivals also used to be no-go zones for most families. But with events like Camp Bestival, the sector is also opening up to music fans with kids. And that creates an opportunity for an entirely new tranche of sponsor.

Interested in entering the UK Sponsorship Awards? The 2023 edition of this prestigious annual event will open for entries at the end of summer 2022. There is a dedicated category for Live Entertainment & Event Sponsorship. For more details on the event and how to enter, visit the official UKSA website.