A look at the most iconic Coachella 2023 activations
It’s that time of the year again – Coachella recently took the celebrity, arts and culture world by storm across two weekends again, for the second year post mandatory COVID pause. All eyes in BPR HQ were on the festival, not just for the celeb spotting, but to see how brands capitalised on the opportunity. For brands, Coachella is more than just an occasion for parties, celebrity sightings, and late-night shows. Above all else, it presents a colossal marketing opportunity. Each year, companies from various industries recognise the festival’s marketing potential and produce innovative brand activations and pop-ups- both on-site and around the festival grounds- that captivate consumers in unique ways. From Revolve to Clinique, the world saw a vast range of beauty and fashion brands hosting phenomenal events and sponsoring pop-ups at the festival this year.
Here’s a rundown on what our favourite beauty and fashion brands did this year…
REVOLVE Festival
eComm giant, Revolve, hosted its annual marquee influencer event with a futuristic theme of 'Best Trip', which drew inspiration from the 2023 aliencore and trippy mushroom trends. Located at a trendy Palm Springs hotel, the event featured various beauty and fashion brand activations, including Supergoop, Beis X, and Quay. Guests were treated to cocktails using Kendall Jenner's 818 Tequila as they enjoyed experiential photo moments, carnival rides and and immersive activities. This invite-only event was kept intimate this year as Revolve celebrated its 20-year anniversary and aimed to focus on their loyal brand partners, influencers, and VIP guests who have been part of their long journey.
Clinique Hydration House
Clinqiue hosted its first sponsored promotion during the Coachella weekend, consisting of an influencers ‘Hydration House’ pool party featuring several DJs and musicians. Attendees interacted with the brand through aesthetically pleasing and ‘instagrammable’ scenery, gift stations and a ‘moisture bar.’ This festival promotion aimed to highlight Clinique’s summer-long ‘Protect your Glow’ campaign targeted at Gen Z. The campaign was strategically designed for younger consumers to reintroduce the brand to them in innovative ways and to reach them during a hugely relevant and exciting cultural moment. Was it a success? Just take one search of ‘Clinique Hydration House’ on TikTok, and the 46.7M views might give you some kind of indication…
Camp Poosh
Kourtney Kardashian’s new lifestyle brand returned to the 40-acre Palm Desert Estate to host their largest event. Featuring a Poosh-style summer camp, the activation created the ultimate throwback summer camp experience with musical performances, camp activities, immersive installations, pre-festival glam stations and a variety of Poosh-style food trucks and bar activations. The Camp Poosh activation was an exclusive invite only event with over 500 guests, influencers, celebrities and friends. The Poosh ‘Campers’ were encouraged to interact with the immersive brand activation through gifting and experiential touch-points whilst enticing guests to post their VIP experience on their social media platforms.
Why Coachella is an unparalleled marketing opportunity for brands:
Hosting a pop-up or an event at Coachella is a highly effective way for brands to generate brand awareness and to connect with an enormous audience of over 250,000 festival-goers. With direct access to such a massive audience, Coachella offers a unique opportunity for brands to make a meaningful impact on consumers and build long-lasting relationships with their younger target market.
In addition to Coachella’s massive size, the exceptional reputation of Coachella is a priceless aspect of brand marketing at the festival. The positive sentiment festival-goers have towards Coachella can translate into positive brand associations for companies, resulting in a significant impact on their image. Coachella is more than just a music festival; it's a revered experience that people hold in high esteem. Amidst all the live performances, a brand activation can provide a multi-sensory encounter that immerses festival-goers on a more profound level. By delivering an experience that resonates with people, brands can tap into the emotional connection that fans have with Coachella and leverage it to establish a positive brand association. Activating in this iconic event is a surefire way for brands to make a lasting impression on festival-goers and to solidify their reputation.
With the increasing popularity of social media, Coachella has also transformed into a hub for an online fashion spectacle and excellent Instagram opportunities. Influencers share their "Coachella highlights" and "GRWMs" flaunting the latest "OOTDs" on TikTok. By offering an unforgettable pop-up experience that festival-goers will genuinely enjoy, brands can leverage this massive online exposure and encourage organic sharing on social media.Therefore, brands should focus on delivering an experience that will leave a lasting impression on festival-goers and inspire them to share their experience with their online audience.