The Freedom Program 2016 Cannes Young Lions Registration: M-101-110 ONE GOOD THING ABOUT MUSIC, WHEN IT HITS YOU, YOU FEEL NO PAIN. -BOB MARLEY
: THE WAY THAT MILLENNIALS GIVE IS UNIQUE Millennials don t give to organizations. They support causes. (1) They expect a higher level of transparency from brands and agree that they are more likely to give if they can see exactly where their money is going. (2) The more steps there are to donating, the higher the drop-off rate. Organizations who are doing it best offer a seamless experience, often with immediate gratification. (2) WHAT DO MILLENNIALS VALUE THAT HAS INFLUENTIAL POWER? What motivates Millennials is a desire to affect their cause through your organization with their friends. - Derrick Feldmann, CEO of Achieve and researcher for The Millennial Impact (2) Sources: 1. http://nonprofithub.org/fundraising/understanding-motivates-millennials-give-npo/ 2. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/11/millennials-most-giving/3962781/
MILLENNIALS VALUE EXPERIENCES OVER MATERIAL GOODS Nearly 80% of Millennials say some of their best memories are from an event or live experience they attended or participated in. (3) More than 7 out of 10 say that they would like to increase their spending on experiences in the next year, prioritizing real-life adventure over material goods. (4) Events help Millennials gain a sense of community; almost 70% believe attending events makes them feel more connected to other people, the community, and the world. (4) 8 OUT OF 10 MILLENNIALS admit the coolest brand experiences they ve ever seen somehow involved music in a live setting. (5) Sources: 3. http://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2015/07/marketing-to-millennials/ 4. https://eventbrite-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/marketing/millennials_research/gen_pr_final.pdf 5. http://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2015/08/09/study-sponsoring-a-live-music-events-makes-millennials-trust-and-recommend-your-brand
WHY MUSIC FESTIVALS? IT S WHERE MILLENNIALS SHARE (AND SPEND) More festivals launched stateside in 2013 than in history (6) During music festivals, fans flood their social media feeds with photos, videos and posts highlighting festival fashion, top performances and more. In just the first weekend of Coachella 2015, fans posted more than 3.5 million tweets A 2014 Eventbrite study found that 75% of the social conversations about music festivals are created by fans in the 17-34 age group The five biggest festivals combined grossed more than $183 million in ticket sales in 2014 not including sponsorships or merchandise, food and alcohol sales Sources: 6. https://www.umbel.com/blog/entertainment/6-factors-driving-massive-growth-of-music-festivals/
MAKE THE EXPERIENCE MORE ABOUT THE JOURNEY For the most part, it s easy for Millennials to decide they want to attend a music festival. They research lineups, purchase a ticket, invite their friends, book travel, and show up for a carefree weekend full of fun and live entertainment. But what they often don t consider is that the journey isn t quite as seamless for all of their peers. For those with disabilities, planning to attend something like a music festival can pose quite a few physical, financial and logistical challenges. Whether it s about the ease of getting from point A to B, or merely having the freedom to physically navigate these spaces, we want to show Millennials just how easy they have it - while putting the journey, itself, front and center.
#MOVEDBYMUSIC In Chicago, Atlanta and Austin respectively, Variety will strategically place Freedom Program branding along the pre-festival routes We will take over a selection of key subway stations, sidewalks and bike lanes with uplifting messaging to pre-seed importance of the festival journey
ENHANCE THE JOURNEY HOST THE FIRST-EVER HIDDEN STAGE SCAVENGER HUNT 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. As festival attendees approach Variety branded checkpoints, hidden beacons will push notifications to their phones via the festival app People will be given the choice to opt into a Hidden Stage Scavenger Hunt. Upon joining, Variety will deliver the first clue Each clue brings fans closer to their final destination, The Variety Secret Stage, as well as messaging about the Freedom Program Participants are encouraged to share a selfie to their social channels throughout their journey along with the hashtag #MovedByMusic In collaboration with Live Nation, we will work to secure celebrity music influencers who support the Freedom Program to rock the stage During each show, Freedom Program content will be shown and fans will be encouraged to donate seamlessly via the festival app and interactive tap-to-pay beacon units Each beacon checkpoint is equipped with Selfie & Share capabilities to encourage social posting
GIVING IT LEGS EXTENDING OUR MESSAGE S JOURNEY CONTENT CONVERSATION COOL CINEMA Tap into Live Nation to create a custom content series: Challenge artists to perform their popular songs without amps and additional tools to represent how things are made when you don t have access to the equipment you need Generate awareness of Variety and the Freedom Program by demonstrating the awesome music that s created when musicians make the best of what they have Feature empowering and motivating stories of handicapped Millennials and their journeys to music festivals Spark social conversation by amplifying content on heavily consumed social platforms Spotify in contextually relevant environments like Mood Booster playlists Seed videos across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & YouTube Incentivize engagement and sharing with the potential to win VIP experiences on-site at selected festivals Through a custom partnership with NCM, give kids who don t have the opportunity to attend music festivals the ultimate virtual experience Hold events at NCM locations to live-stream performances of popular artists at festivals Invite Variety sponsored children to attend fun screening events Seed custom content as cinema previews with a custom Shazam call to action that allows audience members to donate during key holiday timing
$50K* Branded OOH path to festivals $600K** Lollapalooza event partnership and on-site activations $100K* Branded OOH path to festivals $600K** Music Midtown event partnership and on-site activations $600K** Austin City Limits event partnership and on-site activations* $100K NCM Cinema events and distribution of custom content *Overall Live Nation investment $1.8M **Overall OOH branding investment $150K $300K Live Nation content creation partnership $325K Utilize Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & YouTube to seed donation promoted content $225K Custom Live Nation content seeded across Spotify Mood Booster playlists $100K Shazam recognition of content in theaters to drive to donation landing page
WHY IT WORKS An emotional connection to Variety will be drawn with Millennials as it is facilitated through a main passion point, music The Hidden Stage music festival activations provides Variety with an owned stage to engage with Millennials Provides a first hand opportunity to see the benefits of Variety and their cause Creates a seamless donation process as Millennials are already credit-cardconnected via their mobile festival app The short burst windows for donation on-site will drive a sense of immediacy Visits to #MovedbyMusic landing page during and post festival actvations Analyze social media platforms to: Measure engagement Increased social followings Positive connotations and posts Increased brand awareness and affinity resulting from Press Releases surrounding on site activations and first ever Hidden Stage Scavenger Hunt, measured by postfestival surveys deployed by Live Nation Engagement with seeded custom content