Friday, April 09, 2021

What Fyre Festival teaches us from its marketing strategy

It is unfortunate that one of the most successful marketing campaigns – the Fyre festival – ended up a disaster. I summarize some take-aways I had based on the class discussion and further reading:

·         What Fyre marketing sold was not a product or a service – it was a feeling. It successfully created an aura and mystery. I realize how helpful it can be to zoom out and take a holistic view while designing a campaign. Consumers will buy a product if you can convince them it will make them feel how they want to feel. 

·         The Fyre festival successfully built hype, which can be very critical in creating engagement. Instagram influencers shared posts of orange squares that spread like “wildfyre,” creating hype and ultimately selling out the event.

·         To initially create buzz, the marketers chose Instagram. Given the demographic that they wanted to reach, that of urban wealthy millennials, this was a well-chosen social platform.

·         When it comes to finding influencer partners, Fyre was equally aligned. Brands should only work with influencers who are a natural fit, have an engaged following, and a trusting audience. Beyond that, the influencers’ followers should align with the brand’s target market.

·         The Fyre Festival influencer marketing also showcased the strength of a well-orchestrated influencer marketing strategy. The influencer campaign itself was staggered. A few influencers created the initial buzz, but the influencer campaign continued, eventually involving more than 400 influencers.

·         Fyre Festival influencers demonstrated just how much their opinion matters to their vast Instagram audience. It clearly signaled the power of influencers.

·         Influencers need to be mindful on the impact that they can have. The bulk of the influencers with respect to Fyre violated FTC guidelines by not acknowledging the money they were paid in exchange for their endorsement. They also gave their audience a false impression by buying into an event without any proof of an end product.

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