Sponsoring concerts is a popular and effective way to get a brand’s logo in front of thousands of fans, but make that concert private and consumers feel extra special. Private concerts offer exclusivity, perks for existing customers or brand awareness for future ones.
Mastercard, American Airlines And Hilton Hotels—OneRepublic
In November, Grammy-nominated band, OneRepublic played two concerts exclusively for American Airlines AAdvantage Mastercard cardmembers. The band made its first stop at the Fillmore Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania having just released its fourth studio album, Oh My My. The following day, cardmembers in Dallas were treated to an exclusive concert at the House of Blues.
“Working with Mastercard and American Airlines to bring intimate, one-of-a-kind performances to our fans is really exciting for us,” said Ryan Tedder, lead singer of OneRepublic in a statement.
These concerts rewarded existing customers for their loyalty by putting them first on the band’s tour.
OneRepublic is also working closely with Hilton Hotels, as part of their Music Happens Here program. Music Happens Here is an integrated music program that provides Hilton Honors members with exclusive concert experiences, as well as music and artist connections. The program builds on Hilton’s exclusive partnerships with Live Nation and Spotify.
Toyota—#25thHour Lollapalooza
Toyota rocked the 2016 Lollapalooza music festival with a first-of-its-kind Snapchat geofilter that doubled as a limited-time “golden ticket,” granting access to a pop-up event. Toyota’s “25th Hour” surprise concert featured performances by Grammy-nominated recording artist, Leon Bridges and Outkast rapper, Big Boi.
“What better way to celebrate Lollapalooza’s 25th year than by adding an extra hour of music with an amazing talent like Leon Bridges,” said Florence Drakton, social media marketing manager for Toyota. “We used Snapchat filters in a unique way to invite guests to our pop-up concert—ones who share Toyota’s same passion for music.”
By surprising festival attendees with a private concert, Toyota reinforced brand awareness and rewarded those who spread the word through Snapchat.
SiriusXM
Satellite radio provider, SiriusXM offers its subscribers the chance to win tickets to private concerts from such artists as Jon Bon Jovi, Korn and Tim McGraw. These concerts are livestreamed across the appropriate station, offering exclusive first-looks at albums before they’re released.
“It’s an important night for us,” said Korn guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer. “We’ll be celebrating our album release, while bringing together our hometown fans and the listeners of SiriusXM Octane, who have been so incredibly supportive of Korn for so long.”
A recent study by EventTrack revealed that 98 percent of consumers capture content at live events and 100 percent of those who capture content share it across their social media networks. While 83 percent of consumers share content from events up to 15 times—nearly half (47 percent) would prefer to share content they captured versus content fed to them by a brand.
