More conventional marketing provided by Coachella

My last blog posting was fully owned by Emerald City Comicon, so now it's time for our music festival to shine bright like a diamond. And as we already know that people responsible for advertising Coachella are really active online (official website, social media), we'll take a closer look at more old-school ways of promoting music festivals.

First of all, let's talk about billboards.

Placed near highways and busy streets (or any other place where you can easily get people's attention), billboards guarantee that people will see your adverts. And considering the fact that people usually choose the same road to work, city centre etc. - they will see it more than once and easily remember it.

What's wrong with that? Well, you have to spend some time choosing the right design, appropriate font size and short, valuable information - because other than with leaflets, adverts published in newspapers or posts on social media, they will see it for couple of seconds only.

When it comes to Coachella, previous editions of this particular event has shown that right after announcing headliners of festival, billboards with names of the bands/artists can be seen all around Indio (and outside the city limits).

 AC/DC - headliner of Coachella Festival 2015

The Weeknd - Coachella Festival 2015

Photo posted by @abelxo (Instagram)

No wonder the same happened this year...

Calvin Harris

Photo posted by @gelibeanxx (Instagram)

Guns n' Roses

Photo posted by @cat_remasters (Instagram)

Billboards are a great choice, but don't forget about leaflets!

Eye-catching leaflet doesn't need a long list of well-known performers.

This small piece of paper really matters! Even nowadays, when poeple literally cannot imagine life without internet and social media...

But getting back to leaflets, some designs may be really simple (remember that more doesn't always mean better), using eye-catching background/header and introducing name, dates, and location of the event - so general information you need to know along with design that gets your attention.

Still, some of them can contain a huge amount of text, introducing line-ups of music festivals etc.

Which one is better? Well, I prefer the first one, but it really depends on a person.

 Which one is better in your opinion?

TV ads? Yes! TV spots are a valuable and very effective way of advertising events. Sure, they cost a lot of money, but if advert is thought through and interesting - it's gonna be money well spent.

Unfortunately there are hardly any videos available online and the thing I can show you is this description of Coachella TV advert that premiered at 2009 Grammy Awards.

Coachella's tv ad from 2009 Grammys caused a long conversation on official forum (RE: Coachella TV ad)

There are also TV spots from sponsors of festival, such as H&M:

H&M Loves Coachella (2016 campaign)

Yes, it is the advert of a new collection of clothes, but it also introduces us to the festival's atmosphere and lifestyle of people who attend Coachella. I would even risk to say, that it helps to build this 'hippie' image of Coachella Festival.

What else should be considered more conventional marketing? Adverts of Coachella above the entrance to the TCL Chinese Theatre (or any other theatre or cinema), for example.

Honestly, it looks good and gets people's attention, for sure.

Photo posted by @ric_govea (Instagram)

Speaking of Guns n' Roses, Ric can't wait for their performance and knowing that the band will reunite for Coachella 2016 makes it obvious that he's not the only one excited about this event. Honestly, can you even imagine number of people looking forward to that day?

The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.

                                                                                                                          - Oscar Wilde

Couldn't agree more. And as news about reunion of well-known band create lots of articles (both, online and in newspapers) and rumors as well - Coachella seems to be talked about more than ever. And that's good. Especially from marketing point of view.

Newsletter (Part 1)

Here's the number of emails provided by both events - from 24th February (date of signing up for both newsletters) till 25th March. And I guess it's clear that this time we'll focus on ECCC only.

Emerald City Comicon - 7
Coachella Festival - 0 

(Update: 2 weeks ago I signed up for Coachella newsletter using different email address thinking that something is probably wrong with the one I usually use... Still, never received any email.)  

As a little introduction to this blog posting, I should probably mention that newsletter is a bulletin providing information about particular topic and it is distributed to members of society or organization (fans and guests of ECCC). And as for Emerald City Comicon's newsletter, it is a smaller copy of official website, using identical header and design. What about content? Well, we're about to see what information is provided to their subscribers...


1. Another Mighty Group of Comic Guests Join ECCC (25 Feb - 08:11pm)

First email from Emerald City Comicon appeared in my email box exactly one day after signing up for newsletter. With a title saying 'Another Mighty Group of Comic Guests Join ECCC', it's main focus was to introduce four new guests of 2016 edition of the event. Showing photos of these four particular guests is not enough of course - and right below we can see show floor and panel hours (with a button 'Buy tickets' next to it, so it is easier to make fast decision of coming to the show, especially if any of them is someone we really wanna meet).

The next info (and a photo we can click on, if we want to be redirected to particular site - same as with photos of the guests) is about additional event happening during ECCC, called Image EXPO. We can find out where and when it is taking place, what kind of event it actually is and what to expect from it, and it also gives us a chance to buy tickets by one simple click on the right button.

We also have a reminder of a ticket mailing deadline. And it is worth to mention that the kind of message saying 'last chance' or 'deadline' will always motivate some people to make spontaneous decisions of purchasing particular product. Another 'purchasing persuader' is information about photo OP sale beginning in couple of days time.

And last, but not least - we are provided with social media links and a couple of ads, also we can be redirected to official merch store of ECCC (in case someone would want to buy official t-shirt etc.)


2. ECCC's Ticket Mailing Deadline Ends TONIGHT! (26 Feb - 08:06pm)

Next email is mainly focused on already mentioned ticket mailing deadline. It is provided along with 'Avoid extra lines! Buy tickets here' sentence and a link redirecting to official site where you can buy your tickets of course.

The thing that stays the same for the second time is a chance to go to official store or visit social media (and we shouldn't be surprised to see it every time). Ads are also similar to previous message.

But there is still something fresh and new and it's there, on a bottom line of this email. Another group of people from comics' world being introduced.


3. Four of the Best Comic Artists in the Galaxy are Coming to ECCC (1 Mar - 09:03pm)

Another point and another newsletter. And as we are already used to those emails being there to introduce to us guests of the event (come on, what else would you expect at first place?), here it is - information about four new guests coming to convention.

And to make it easier to read through all the things I'm going to write about, as from this point I will present every email this way...

WHAT'S NEW?

- four new guests announced - another four reasons to take part in ECCC
- ticket mailing deadline being extended - a little bit more time to think about coming to convention
- photo OPs are finally on sale - good to know, especially that this particular part of the event is always sold out in a short time.
- new guest for Image EXPO
- a chance to book a hotel with ECCC website - something that should be taken into consideration, especially that prices of hotels provided on ECCC website are lower while compared to prices on different accommodation websites.
- new products in official store


4. The ECCC Extended Ticket Mailing Deadline Ends Tonight, March 4! (4 Mar - 08:33pm)

WHAT'S NEW?

- ending of extended ticket mailing deadline - and you start to think whether they will extend it once again, or not.
- new guests announced - 11
- 'spotlight guests' option - you are redirected to official website and can find out something more about guests of comicon.
- ECCC panels and Artist Alley lists go live - as simple as it can get, you are given a list of people that will take part in the event


5. More Comic Guests Swooping into ECCC (11 Mar - 00:06am)

WHAT'S NEW?

- new guests announced - 7
- photo OP session with Seattle Seahawks - Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner
- writers and publishers panels available on official website
- gaming area to be opened for ECCC - info of time and place
- ECCC Crusaders Party - it's all about heroes! And as it's a pre-event for ECCC, it gives you a chance to win tickets to Comicon and meet with some guests who will be there as well.
- info about cosplaying zone - for all the people planning on dressing up as their favourite characters
- info that you still can get purchased products before the event - that may help to make decision


6. Check out these Thursday Comic Dream Teams (16 Mar - 07:58pm)

WHAT'S NEW?

- ECCC meetup schedules - a chance to meet with people interested in the same thing as you are
- info about one-to-one discussion with Ashley Eckstein - with date and time provided
- workshops provided by Schoolism Live - whether you would like to improve your art or meet with other artists, this seems like another good reason to come to convention


7. Hang Out with Dark Horse Comics All Weekend (24 Mar - 09:48pm)

WHAT'S NEW?

- Dark Horse Comics about to spend whole weekend on ECCC - information provided along with dates and hours of particular sessions (including meetings with writers and artists, panels, a chance to see some of their work etc.)
- 'Fangirls at the forefront' session - it's not only about artists and creators, but most of all, about fans of all kind. And this particular session is presented to you by female part of comic books' world.
- Worldbuilder's Party announced - playing games and helping to raise funds to combat poverty in developing countries.
- info about Food Truck alley and Beer Garden - I guess the most important question is 'where' and yes, be sure to find your answer after clicking on the right photo
- info about Family HQ - entertainment for younger and older audience, in more "marketing" words, broadening the horizons and getting to wider target audience.

What makes an effective website? - Coachella

Useful information, or eye-catching design? Connection to social media, or overall simplicity? Creating an effective website takes a lot of time and requires a good plan. Yes, people visit websites looking for appropriate content - but if the layout and design is a total disaster, they may never get to the point of actual reading. However, this works both ways and well-designed site not containing of useful information will not keep people's attention for long.

That's why it is important to find a harmony between seven particular factors (7 C's) you should consider while creating a website:

1. CONTEXT

(layout and design)

Let's speak about Coachella. The first thing that pops up in front of your eyes when you open Coachella Official Website is a line-up of 2016 edition of this particular music festival. You easily notice 3 headliners, maybe 2nd line of performers and bands. As for the rest... Well, I've actually lost my interest in this orange piece (full of small letters you are unable to read unless you click on the image) and focused on eye-catching animated background instead.

And even though it's a really original way of presenting festival - I mean, you can see how it looks like in "real life" and at the same time have a hint of what to expect from the next edition - you also feel that something's terribly wrong. Or maybe it's just me, but this line-up and background don't fit well together. I don't know, but it really doesn't feel right. But again, it's probably just me.

Anyway, you are already excited about festival and all the performers you wanna see live and you click on MENU button which immediately re-directs you from this exciting site to the second page...

What has just happened?! I may not be an expert, but this is not exactly what you'd expect to see. It looks so... sad and simple. But maybe that's the point. The colour may not be appealing, but the page is really easy to read and navigate and if I'm not wrong, you open it for a couple of reasons (to buy tickets, to check out the news or necessary information regarding the venue), but watching moving pictures is probably not in a top three. Well probably and we could spend hours discussing what is right, or wrong. But I guess everyone would agree that it could be a little bit more cheerful and colourful. Especially, that we're talking about Coachella.

CONTEXT: 7/10

2. CONTENT

(what's in the site; including multi-media)

Content is your website's "to be or not to be" of attracting people by information you provide along with multi-media you choose to go with it. One bad move and your audience is gone, back to scrolling down their Facebook main page. And it's not that hard to make a mistake. Especially that every person is different and it's just not possible to reach everyone's expectations.

What can we actually find on the official website of Coachella? Well, beside general information (rules of festival, safety at the venue, camping sites), there are also different kinds of passes you can purchase, maps of campsites, countdown to Coachella... 

Line-ups from previous editions of festival

Instructions on how to get to the Valley

Maps of the venue

Information about things they do for charity 

...and some particular things I am going to mention in other parts of this assessment. So, mostly everything you could actually expect to find on festival's page is there and as I've said before, it's really simple to navigate and find what you are looking for.

Maybe I would add a NEWS page or something (because it would be great to know what is going on)... Yeah, totally forgot to mention. It's not there, so if you're looking for it, don't waste your time and go back to watching another episode of "The Walking Dead".

CONTENT: 7/10

3. COMMUNITY

(how the site enables user-to-user communication)

User-to-user communication? Here it is. Just one click away from you... Huge advantage of Coachella's official website which is COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL MESSAGE BOARD:

Creating such a forum is always a good idea. It's a place where people of similar interests may share their experiences and stories, answer each other's questions and even make friends... because it's not like they are not allowed to meet in real life. Whether you wanna buy a ticket, or give someone a ride (because you still have one empty seat in your car) - this is a perfect place to look for someone who might be interested.

Another user-to-user communication examples? Social media platforms, of course.

Website redirects you to most popular social media platforms with one click

It is pretty hard to find a person who hasn't got at least one social media account. And whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even Snapchat - it is all kind of user-to-user communication.

Comment section under one of the posts on Coachella's official account (Facebook)

Coachella is connected to highly followed social media platforms and official website redirects you to whichever you choose. But because of the fact that social media accounts of Coachella are not integrated into website, I'm going to give it one point less.

COMMUNITY: 9/10

4. CUSTOMIZATION

(site's ability to tailor itself to individual users)

Website enables you to create your own personal account.

It allows you to write messages on forum and connect it to your social media accounts. It is also neccesary to activate your festival wristband. What else? Hmm...

Oh, I see. You are also given a list of performers/bands and can create your own line-up

Personalized line-up (Coachooser)

And that would be all... There's no possibility to choose another language. I actually don't think you can use it to sign up for email newsletter (and that's only one example). Not many possibilities, but it's better than nothing.

CUSTOMIZATION: 7/10

5. COMMUNICATION

(how the site communicates with users or vice versa)

Coachella-to-user communication is another step I'm going to talk about. First of all, already mentioned social media.

No wonder that with so many followers, Coachella's main way of communication with users is through social media platforms. Clearly it is really fast and easy way of sharing news, pictures and videos and everytime someone shares a posting, there's a huge possibility it will get to even wider audience. Conclusion? Pretty good and very effective.

Another way of communicating with users? Email newsletter.

As simple as it can be. You can sign up and get news about Coachella straight to your email box. And here it is, last but not least... You can download official Coachella app for your mobile phone.

Everything that's important in one place and really easy to use. How cool is that?

COMMUNICATION: 9/10

6. CONNECTION

(how the site is connected to other sites)

Coachella's website is connected to:

1) Social media accounts + Google Play and App stores

2) Front Gate Tickets website

3) Valley Music Travel website

CONNECTION: 7/10

7. COMMERCE 

(site's suitability for transaction and purchase)

The last thing I am going to mention is site's suitability for transactions. All you gotta do is to choose the right package of tickets (eg. including meals, or camping site) that suits your needs and click on it. Website redirects you to FGT website where you can easily finish your transaction.

I'm not actaully sure what else would you expect in this area... That's why I'm going to give it eight points. Why not more? Well, transaction process is really easy, but number of packages and types of tickets which you are able to choose is so big, that it only makes you confused. 

COMMERCE: 8/10

______________________________________________________________________________

RESULT: 7,7/10

Defining the target audience

Before starting my actual comparison of marketing strategies provided by ECCC and Coachella, I'd like to spend a couple of minutes to speak about the target audience.

As we all know, advertising is aimed at people who are potentially interested in particular product - that is why defining a target audience is a first step taken towards success. What is it all about? Well, designating a group of people you are trying to sell a product to (people who are more likely to buy tickets and participate in the event) makes it easier to create a relevant advertisement.

Age, race, gender, religion, social class, hobbies, lifestyle, careers... 

People are different (they have various needs and wants) and it is just not possible to reach all of them. That's why it is important to decide who would be interested in buying offered product/coming to the event? And the answer to this particular question seems to be one of the main ingredients of good marketing strategy.

Keeping track of what's hot in the comics market can be a lot of work

What should be done? The person that is responsible for marketing should try and paint a picture of the customer. Emerald City Comicon, for example. We picture loads of comic books' fans. But who actually are they?

Are there more men or women? - Some people would probably say that comics world is a men's thing. But is it for sure? Alex Alonso (Marvel's editor-in-chief) says:

"(...) the eyes don’t lie. If you go to conventions and comic book stores, more and more female readers are emerging. They are starved for content and looking for content they can relate to."       

18-25 or 40+? - It's not only about one generation of people. Not me, or my brother (and believe me, we love comics and films based on them)... it's my dad who reads most of them.

Where are they from? - ECCC is organized in Seattle (WA), but people from different states will also come to the convention. And what about people from different countries? Are they ready to travel so far to be a part of this event? Or do they have a chance to take part in any similar events happening in a different place, but at the same time.

What other things are they interested in? - For example: COMIC BOOKS lead to FILMS BASED ON COMIC BOOKS, which again lead to ACTORS AND THEIR UNFORGETTABLE CREATIONS. So we could safely say that organizing Meet & Greet session (signing posters or a chance to take a selfie and chat) with actors is a good idea that will make more people come to the event. I would definitely go for that, if you ask me.

And as we look at the program of ECCC 2016 Convention - M&G sessions are a part of the event. Conclusion? This practice actually works.

And as you can see, you don't have to be necessarily linked to marketing to know all of these things. The truth is, we could literally spend hours on asking new questions and creating new theories without further notice. Because that's pretty good fun. 

On the other hand, some people would choose tools that nowadays world offers us on a daily basis...

 YouGov Profiles (UK) - Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

Pretty interesting. Thanks to internet tools such as YouGov Profiles (UK), everyone can find out sample demographics of Coachella Festival's participants. Mostly male, aged 25-39, middle class. Interested in music and american football. Listening to BBC Radio 2, shopping at Primark, using Facebook and so on...

Of course using YouGov or another similar website is a good idea to start with, but could you rely on it? Do we really believe someone responsible for such a huge event like Coachella would actually use it? Of course not. At least not me.

There are some other ways to create the picture of target audience, like checking out the data collected for previous editions of the festival. Let's talk about tickets purchased online. Do we only choose them and pay without sharing any other information with the ticket selling company? Exactly. We provide our personal details which can be used to create customer's profile.

And what about line-up of the festival? People come to music festivals to see their favourite artists and bands and depending on genre of music, other groups of people has to be taken into consideration.

Creating a demographic profile of audience is really important

Appropriate research methods, useful websites, knowing how to use the information you are already provided with - all of that lead to well-recognized target audience's profile.

Speaking of websites, it is hard to imagine todays world without internet. People use it to check out the news, contact with friends and family, do shopping, listen to music, watch tv etc. It is a tool that offers huge possibilities - to advertise an event, for example. And yes, I'm thinking of social media platforms.

With hundreds of thousands (I should probably say "millions") of people using social media, it would be a sin not to advertise events online. I mean, social media users not only follow official accounts of Coachella and ECCC - giving the idea of how many people are actually interested in those events; helping to create a profile of a customer - but they also share photos, videos and informations posted on those accounts, making it easier to get to wider audience.

Number of people following two chosen events on social media platforms

Those numbers are really impresive and they show us how many people follow the news about both events. Of course the number of followers is constantly changing and there are people who check out social media accounts more often than others - but still, it kind of gives you the idea of how many people are reached by Coachella and Emerald City Comicon. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Next time we'll speak about official websites of both events so make sure to check it out. 

I'll try to compare them and decide on how many points (in a scale of 1 to 10) they actually deserve.

A little bit about both events

EMERALD CITY COMICON

Are you looking for a perfect occasion to put on your favourite Batman outfit? Well, Emerald City Comicon is a place for you. Event organized in Seattle seems to be a paradise for true fans of vintage and modern comic books, but also for people who simply wanna have fun.

Spider-Man, R2D2 and the Phantom (of the Opera) - Emerald City Comicon 2015

This premier comic book and pop culture convention gives you a chance to meet with fellow cosplayers (because who doesn't want to dress up as their favourite character), chat about comic books with some of the biggest names in the industry and even take a look at their work. Who knows. Maybe you'll get inspired to create your own storyline.

Exhibitor Artist Alley

Sketching - live art session

But that's not all! It's hard to forget that attendees have the opportunity to talk and take a selfie (don't forget it's 2016) with beloved actors, directors and screenwriters. If you are not a fan of comic books - or you just don't know it yet - meeting with people who are responsible for creating your favourite movies and tv shows seems like a big deal.

Jenna Coleman and Sean Astin - ECCC 2016 guests

Sounds interesting?
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COACHELLA FESTIVAL

Have you ever heard of Coachella? Of course you have. Even if you are not interested in this particular event, there will always be that one friend of yours who can't stop talking about it. Eventually you'll have to admit that Coachella is not just a music festival, it's a lifestyle.

Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

Organized at the end of April in Indio, California, festival offers a variety of live concerts by world famous artists (different genres of music: from indie to hip-hop and rock), but is also a great opportunity to meet with friends and spend some crazy time in the environment full of exciting art, good food and... celebrities.

Art installations make it feel really special

Actors, singers, bloggers... they all visit Coachella every single year

Why so many of them decide to attend this music festival? Well, conspiracy theory says that they all get paid to show up because their attendance is a good way of advertising the event. Well, maybe.

I prefer to think that this is all about music and unique atmosphere. And with a line up like this...

Guns n' Roses will reunite for Coachella

... you have to admit one thing. That there must be loads of people who will be there for music, not because it's cool.