Creating The Ultimate Brand Experiences At Splendour In The Grass 

Live music is a cultural marker. It defines us and inspires us, but how do we design for the experience economy in live music?

Splendour in the Grass is the biggest cultural experience for Millennials in Australia. Over 4 action-packed days, attendees can discover the best musicians from around the world adjacent to immersive experiences in art, craft, culinary delights and cultural moments that become engrained as life-long memories. The festival returns to North Byron Parklands for its 19th edition and continues to expand with a wide variety of projects from our brand partners to excite a highly engaged audience.

In the 1989 baseball movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner drops the line “If you build it, he will come”, when planning for Millennials this is not always true. As modern marketers, it is important to plan using native insights to ensure success. If we put our heads down without truly considering the audience, we risk building it and nobody coming.

There are some key rules with planning that don’t have to be convoluted. It is a process that starts with current data, engaging experienced people who live and breathe the audience’s passion while applying core insights into what sparks human imagination and emotion. A great experience doesn’t need to be everything to everybody, quite often it is finding a golden nugget that triggers a contagious moment for attendees. Other times it can simply solve a problem that keeps people coming back, but at the end of the day, a great experience is critical to building long-term brand health. 

Splendour in the Grass sees growth in the number of brands activating on-ground each year. Many brands return year-on-year, others are new to the space, but each year’s event has a key moment to help shift the perception and engagement of the audience.

This year we see a diverse group of brands collaborating with Secret Sounds Connect to help enrich the Splendour experience. Visa, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Carlton Dry, Strongbow, Contiki, Red Bull, Rimmel, Jacob’s Creek and G.H.MUMM all return to create relevant Splendour stories for their respective brands. We also welcome new activations from THE ICONIC, OPPO, Tinder, Bonds, Durex, Herbal Essences and TOM Organic.

Genuine festival experiences can show up in different forms:

• For Visa, mobile payments will streamline thousands of transactions where attendees can tap to pay and Visa will also host a perfectly curated outdoor cinema. 
• Smirnoff returns with THE WILDS where mixed drinks will be served with big tunes. 
• Captain Morgan is inviting audiences to board the ship with The Captain delivering unexpected events throughout the festival.
• Carlton Dry will bring their beer to life creating an uncomplicated world.
• For a special spin on nightlife, Contiki is back with their infamous Tiki Karaoke Bar where attendees can impress the crowd with their vocals. 
• THE ICONIC carryover their surprise club, The Laundromat, from Falls Festival. Seek it out and enter for an epic fashion inspired party. 
• Red Bull will kick off the party Thursday night as they continue to support music across the globe. 
• Tinder deliver their own special SWIPE RIGHT™ Song Requests for music lovers through well-known DJ’s playing hits at the Tinder Block Party. 
• Bonds are creating a life-like bedroom to showcase the best Bonds has across refined clothing basics and festival brights.
• Rimmel makeup artists will offer the perfect service to keep attendees festival looks fresh and self-expression edgy all weekend. 
• Jacob’s Creek is pouring great wine and tunes at The Winery and G.H. MUMM will bring your favourite bubbles at the Champagne Bar.
• TOM Organic will offer a sampling of its premium organic cotton pads and tampons. 
• Herbal Essences will keep your hair fresh and beautifully fragrant with their wash and style station onsite. 
• Icebergs Dining Room & Bar will provide a premium dining experience with curator and restaurateur Maurice Terzini, supported by Visa, Smirnoff Infusions, Red Bull Organics and Hoegaarden.

The best experiences on-site are quite often the ones who offer a clever twist and one that provides a window into the hearts of attendees. 2019 is going to be a special year.