Coachella: The California music festival-turned ‘marketing mecca’

Coachella’s weekend one headliners — Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone — drew a star-studded crowd of over 125,000 festival-goers each day. Timothée Chalamet, Anya Taylor-Joy and Kate Hudson were there. 

… And so was Jake from State Farm. 

Jake snapped pictures with fans within rapper Travis Scott’s record label, Cactus Jack’s festival activation, where State Farm displayed Cactus Jack x State Farm varsity jackets. The jacket, embellished with State Farm’s ’80s Good Neigh Bear teddy bear and a cactus patch, is only available to on-ground fans who enter Coachella-exclusive sweepstakes. 

Yes, the red varsity jacket is fresh (and handy for chilly desert nights). But aside from its partnership with Scott, who performed at Coachella last weekend and in 2017, what does State Farm have to do with the 26-year-old festival? 

Jake from State Farm sporting the Cactus Jack X State Farm varsity jacket. (Photo credit: FleishmanHillard, used with permission)

“Coachella is more than a festival — it’s a cultural epicenter that brings together music, fashion and art, making it the perfect place for State Farm to connect with broad and engaged audiences,” State Farm’s head of marketing, Alyson Griffin, told Campaign. “For State Farm, showing up inside the Cactus Jack activation was an opportunity to meet fans where they are.”

Griffin admitted that “traditionally, insurance brands don’t show up in fashion or spaces such as Coachella.” But State Farm, along with brands across tech, cosmetics and culinary sectors, are breaking into the live music space — and seeing fan, influencer and A-list celebrity interest along the way. 

“This year, we saw brands showing up with more intention and creativity than ever before,” Griffin explained. “From immersive pop-ups to one-of-a-kind merch drops, it’s clear that Coachella has become a proving ground for brands to authentically engage with culture.”

As we approach Coachella’s second weekend, there’s more to anticipate than performances from Charli XCX and Ed Sheeran. From off-ground opportunities such as Kendall Jenner’s 818 Outpost and Revolve Festival to on-ground activations such as the Red Bull Mirage, here are some of the buzziest brand moments that coincided with Coachella weekend one.

818 Tequila’s 818 Outpost

Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila designed a refreshing refuge for Coachella Valley’s over 100-degree weather — serving 818 cocktails and DJ tunes while featuring more than 40 other brands. Jenner may have gained inspiration from her sister Kourtney Kardashian’s Camp Poosh, a Coachella wellness getaway that celebrated its third year last weekend.

Repping the Kardashian klique, the 818 Outpost featured a bandana vending machine for Khloe Kardashian’s Good American clothing brand; Lemme gummy gifts from Kourtney Kardashian’s vitamin and supplement brand; a vodka vending truck for Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter vodka brand; and Kim Kardashian’s skincare brand, SKKN BY KIM products. 

Hailey Bieber (one of Jenner’s longtime friends) posed for pictures with Jenner in a photo booth designed for Bieber’s cosmetics company, Rhode. The maroon photobooth dispensed free peptide lip tints and 818 tequila shooters as photo props. 

@haileybieber bestied so hard our brands collabed at Coachella @Kendall Jenner ♬ Sex And The City - Main Theme - Geek Music

Aside from a VIP lounge where Jenner and Bieber lounged in sundresses and sunglasses, sipping from pastel 818-branded HydroJugs, the 818 Outpost was open to the public. Coachella-goers customized sneaker laces with charms in a Skechers booth, chowed down on pizza and tacos from Postmates Pit Stop food trucks and spritzed setting sprays at makeup creator Patrick Starrr’s One/Size beauty stand.

Gifting suites with accessory, drink and cosmetic products by brands including Liquid I.V., Bloom, Salt and Stone, Havaianas, Emi Jay and Anablue were flooded with influencers and general festival-goers. GoPuff, Bumble and Quay also had stands at the outpost for snacking, socializing and sunglasses try-ons.

@emily.lorem my fav event of the year �� @Kendall Jenner @drink818 @rhode skin @Quay @lemme @Good American @ONE SIZE BEAUTY @Emi Jay @SALT & STONE @Prince Street Pizza #818outpost #drink818 #freebies #haul #rhode #kendalljenner #coachella ♬ Blue Moon - Muspace Lofi

Revolve’s Revolve Festival

A handful of celebs and socialites sneak between Coachella’s grounds and a private estate for Revolve Festival, an invite-only festival hosted by fashion retailer Revolve. The two festivals’ attendees and brand presence heavily overlap, as Revolve Festival has typically occurred during Coachella’s first weekend for the past eight years. 

Along with live performances from Lil Wayne and Tyga, Revolve Festival is a huge hub for celebrity brand activations — during her own performance, Cardi B sprayed her Whipshots alcohol-infused whipped cream into audience members’ mouths (and dancers wore whipped cream bikinis during a Revolve after party to further promote the brand). 

@revolve Serving up good vibes & @Whipshots ���� @Cardi B hit the #REVOLVEfestival stage to turn up the heat with her biggest hits & boozy whipped cream �� Stay tuned for more from the hottest party in the desert �� #revolve #cardib #whipshots ♬ ERASE - GXMZ & Repsaj

Kylie Jenner hosted a Sprinters sports-themed pool party to launch a Palm Springs pack of vodka sodas from her brand Sprinter. Beyond Jenner’s brand, hydration wasn’t an issue at Revolve Festival — BODYARMOR Flash I.V. served electrolyte slushies and LaCroix premiered its newest sparkling water flavor, Sunshine.

Revolve partnered with more than 25 brands for activations sprinkled throughout the festival, including a pop-up pastel mini mart shelves stocked with Mixsoon’s viral Korean skincare products; carnival games created by luxury accessory brand Vivrielle; and a Sinners cocktail bar to promote the horror movie’s premiere. Revolve promoted its own brand with influencer gifting suites of outdoor clothing racks at the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs, along with a Festival Shop edit on its website. 

On-ground Coachella brand moments

Although off-site cocktails or gifting suites have appeal, Coachella-goers mustn't travel far for immersive brand experiences. Here are four on-site brand activations that stood out last weekend.

One of the largest week one surprises was Red Bull’s unveiling of the Red Bull Mirage — a glass pyramid venue directly across from the Quasar stage. With a full-length Nobu sushi bar, DJ sets including DJ Pee.Wee (or Anderson .Paak) and air conditioning, reservation for festival-goers cost $350. Reservations quickly sold out on Coachella’s weekend one, and the Red Bull Mirage served many A-list customers including actress Emma Roberts and Tom DeLonge of Blink-182.

(Photo credit: Presley Ann / Getty Images)

Fans seeking out an alternate beverage visited the Heineken House. First launching at the Barcelona Summer Olympics in 1992 and expanding to Coachella over two decades ago, Heineken House has been a staple for both Olympic events and the Palm Springs festival. The beer garden provides a more intimate live music experience with a capacity of around 5,000 guests and its own musician lineup, which includes T-Pain and Bob Sinclair this year.

(Photo credit: Phillip Faraone / Getty Images)

Amid such extensive live music lineups, Neutrogena is encouraging fans to “feel the music, not the sunburn” by setting up sunscreen sampling stations of their Ultra Sheer SPF 55. Celebrating its third year as Coachella’s official sunscreen partner, Neutrogena is supplying over 200 gallons of Ultra Sheer sunscreen throughout Coachella’s two weekends and hosted a pool party on Sunday to wrap up week one.

@neutrogena_us Calling all our festival besties, our SPF stations are waiting for you ☀️�� @NiaSioux #coachella #festivalseason #sunscreen ♬ Oh waiterrrrr - Happy family

The best festivals have something for everyone, and Coachella and Pinterest collaborated to design a creative space for fashion-forward fans. Pinterest searches for “Coachella aesthetic outfits” increased 769% since last year, and the platform took note. Collaborating with Chappell Roan’s creative director Ramisha Sattar, Pinterest designed a live installation where fashion fans can create collages and try on trends with help from on-site stylists and makeup artists — emulating the feeling of stepping into a life-sized Pinterest collage.

@pinterest new life goal: getting Pinned by @styledbyjules ♬ original sound - Cheaper Than Therapy

To weekend two and beyond

It may seem random that Jake from State Farm made an appearance at Coachella — until realizing that Neutrogena, Red Bull and 818 Tequila showed up, too. Live music festivals have transformed into a mod-podge of marketing moments that extend past billboards or product handouts — it’s marketing that aims to create memories for fans on top of their music experience. 

Festival fans are leaning in. A Live Nation global study found that 90% of live music attendees believe brands elevate festivals and concerts. Live Pinterest boards, lip treatment-dispensing photo booths and product launching pool parties enhanced Coachella’s weekend one. But what’s next for brand moments at live music festivals?

Stay tuned for the debrief from weekend two.