In 2015, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival brought in more than $84 million and attendees tweeted about it over 30 million times in the first weekend alone. Each year, the festival tends to outdo itself and 2016 was no different.
Guests soaked up the sun and pool time during the Las Vegas #WHHSH Pool Party at the Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs, Calif.
Coachella has morphed from a three-day Woodstock-like getaway to a weekend full of brands, marketing and messaging with the music taking a backseat. Brands flock each year to Palm Springs to throw the best pool party, sickest celeb-filled event and have the most sought-after guest list. Each year, most brands fall short, but others are able to capture a majority of the media and conversation surrounding the two-weekend festival. Celeb sightings, party recaps and gifting reviews occupy most of mainstream media for 10 days, with each brand hoping to get a mention, and only three to four making the cut.
Kat Graham, star of The Vampire Diaries, visited the Las Vegas #WHHSH Pool Party on Saturday, April 16. She tried (and loved) #WHHSH beer, stopped by the Red Rock Resort braid bar, and caught up with pal, Joe Jonas.
Las Vegas’ newest campaign, #WHHSH, geared toward a digital savvy, millennial audience was primed for the Coachella landscape and demographic. But how were we going to speak to the Coachella festival goer in a way that resonated and aligned? Oh, and make sure we’re among the three to four most talked about brands in our freshman year? Beer, of course. The #WHHSH campaign had been exploring product creation and distribution as a way to “bottle the essence” of the brand and take it on the road. #WHHSH Beer, already in progress, was the perfect conversation starter for the media and attendees.
The event came together as a two-day resort takeover with beer leading the charge, but Vegas being represented in a number of ways. Property partners curated service cabanas necessary to Coachella survival; local restaurants curated festival-friendly menus; Las Vegas virtually came to life at the Vegas VR station; celebrity attendees graced the beer can step and repeat; and DJs and talent kept the party going in true Las Vegas fashion.
Points guy Brian Kelly saved his travel points for the real deal and opted to test out some Vegas experiences with the Vegas VR app.
The event not only created an engaging experiential opportunity for guests in multiple ways, but also secured solid numbers in earned media and social engagement. With over 4 million social impressions, 2,000 uses of #WHHSH on social platforms and 76 million media impressions worth $8.8 million, the #WHHSH Coachella event made the list of best Coachella events in its inaugural year. Our team was able to use #WHHSH Beer to start, extend upon and amplify the conversations around Las Vegas.
Chart-topping sensation DNCE and front man Joe Jonas closed out a wildly successful weekend with an exclusive DJ set for partygoers.
