Organising and marketing a festival is a huge undertaking that requires creativity, planning, and execution. The first step to great festival marketing in Ireland is establishing a solid plan well ahead of time. This includes setting objectives for what you want to achieve from the festival, selecting channels for your message, creating relevant content to promote your event, and budgeting appropriately. Social media can be effective if used correctly, but don't neglect traditional methods like print advertising or radio spots.
Once you have your plan in place, it’s time to implement it. Make sure you spread the message across all of your channels as much as possible: create a hashtag for use on social media, send out press releases, post flyers around town, launch an email marketing campaign, and keep the conversation going online by responding to comments and sharing festival updates regularly.
When the event is over, be sure to review the results of your efforts. Measure success using metrics such as ticket sales, website visits or impressions from ads, brand mentions in social media conversations, etc. This will help inform future marketing strategies so that you can build on past successes and identify areas that need improvement.
To showcase some great examples of festival marketing, let’s take a look at one of Ireland’s most popular music festivals: Longitude. This Dublin-based event has been running since 2013, and has seen its fan base grow exponentially over the years thanks to some clever marketing campaigns.
Longitude employs an effective multi-channel approach that includes a comprehensive website, email newsletters, radio advertising spots and podcasts, print ads in magazines and newspapers for pre-event publicity, as well as strategic use of social media during the festival itself. For example, in 2019 they created ‘The Longitude App’ which enabled fans to have real-time access to performance schedules as well as other information about the festival such as artist interviews and exclusive offers. This helped to create a more immersive and interactive experience for those attending the festival, boosting engagement and interaction between fans.
The success of Longitude’s campaigns has been undeniable: since its inception, the festival has sold out every year and has consistently increased in popularity among Irish music lovers. It is estimated that over 25% of Ireland’s population are aware of the festival and its brand, with an impressive 48% of millennials having attended at least once.
These figures highlight how important creative marketing can be for festivals and other events. With careful planning, thoughtful execution and effective use of media channels, any business or organization can maximize their reach and impact when hosting an event like this.
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