The Coachella Kingdom
Have you heard of Coachella?
No? Alright, Coachella is an American music and art Festival in the Southern desert of California. Literally everyone is crazy about this festival.
"(...) one of the most critically acclaimed music festivals in the world, eleven times selected by Pollstar as the “Festival of the Year”." - Goldenvoice Productions
Annually, it starts in mid April and lasts for 10 days. Who you find there? The Taylor Swift squad, the Kardashians and Beyoncé by the side of Jay Z, and I'm not talking about Coachella's main acts. They are visitors, like you and me.
Being seen at Coachella is more important to some than it is to others. The preparation for Coachella can take weeks before the 10-days-festival starts. For celebrities and artists, their posts on Social Media is crucial and some posts have gone viral.
This year's Queens of Coachella, crowned by obsev include Vanessa Hudgens, Ashely Benson and Kendall Jenner. They are young, hip and they represent the beauty of Coachella. It's their outfits, attitudes and fandom that crowns them.
Those Coachella icons are important for the fashion industry. Brands like H&M, asos and Missguided launch entire fashion lines every year which determines that year's Festival fashion trends.
Sponsoring at Coachella:
Sponsorships is main reason why the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is the most profitable Festival in the United States. Organisers and the Board of Goldenvoice Productions, however, want to keep the advertising on Festival soil as low as possible. It would distract visitors and artists from the atmosphere.
In 2011, Heineken was the first brand to sponsor a tent which is now known as the "Heineken House".
(http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/diplo--friends-warren-g-to-headline-heineken-house-at-coachella-valley-music-and-arts-festival-300247979.html)
In 2015, H&M sponsored a little tent with the merchandise of the H&M loves Coachella fashion line. Click here for the official press release.
A new Reality
Besides the television network AXS TV and radio channel Sirius XM, YouTube is a sponsor that has a live stream of the opening of the Festival using VR 360 degrees worldwide, offering three different channels and locations to choose from. So even if we're not there, we still get the vibe and the experience which makes me want to go there even more!
And this year, Virtual Reality hit Coachella!
Ticket holders got a cardboard VR viewer inspired by Google Cardboard which could be used with the Coachella VR mobile app (available on Android, iOS, and Samsung Gear VR). The Content offered and insight of previous events using 360-degree panoramic photos, virtual tours of the 2016 festival site, interviews, and performances to get visitors even more excited.
Click here to see more content for the VR Coachella perspective, created by vantage.tv
Overall, Goldenvoice Productions claimed that the total amount spent last year on media related promotion was $700,000.
Using virtual reality, we get to experience festivals on a new level, and all from our sofa! Using 360-degree videos, live streams and photos we are closer than ever without being there. It excites us, who can't afford tickets to another continent to participate. It allows visitors to experience virtual reality and get familiar with new technologies and for suppliers. For technology companies, this is the ideal opportunity to collaborate with bigger organisations and brands.
To give you an idea of what Coachella looks like from the Virtual Reality side of life, check out the video and feel the Vibe!
