From Pink Pony Club to Whiskey River: ACL Fest's Multigenerational Crowd Draws Longtime Sponsors

Hundreds of pink cowboy hats dotted the enormous crowd in Zilker Park for the last day of ACL Festival 2024, a nod to pop sensation Chappell Roan's drag-inspired, over-the-top aesthetic. But while the Chappell stans may have been the most visible, marketers have continued to return to the Austin, Texas-based music festival year after year because of the music festival's loyal, multigenerational, diverse audience—making a sponsorship worth the cost. To reach those consumers, brand activations focused on the practical needs of attendees. Compared to other major music festivals across the country, "it's a little bit more family, it's a little bit more cross-generational, it's a little bit more cross-genre," said Holly Wheeler, vice president of global marketing for Wrangler parent company Kontoor Brands. "ACL is very unique in that way." Parents who've been coming to the festival since they were young are now bringing kids of their own, said Courtney Trucksess, director of sponsorship and marketing at Austin-based production company C3 Presents, which produces ACL. "ACL really reflects the Austin demo, which is a little bit older and a little bit more affluent than than some of the other festivals we produce," Trucksess explained. Wrangler gave out branded swag. Evolving the festival sponsorship Over the last few years, brands have shifted the nature of their presence at music festivals like ACL. Rather than simply thrusting branded swag into the hands of fans, brands are now aiming to solve pain points for festival-goers, explained Alisha Strother, vice president of consumer insights, strategy, and research at LiveNation. For example, American Express, an ACL sponsor for nearly a decade, had its brand name plastered atop the main stage where ACL's diverse range of musicians performed including Dua Lipa, Tyler the Creator, a surprise Willie Nelson appearance, and Chappell Roan's rendition of Barracuda. American Express offered attendees an air-conditioned space. Rewarding loyal customers Those perks, though, were best for the most loyal fans of each sponsor. Outside of the main stage, Amex built an air-conditioned activation offering fans a "get ready with me" station to freshen up during the day. Cardholders who linked their wristband to an Amex got a $5 credit automatically added to their account. Amex also offered other exclusive perks for Platinum members, including backstage viewing for 25 people during certain performances. T-Mobile sponsored a stage and hosted a shaded, side-stage lounge area with branded swag and artist Q&As for T-Mobile subscribers. To enter the space, festivalgoers just had to show that they were a T-Mobile customer. The brand also installed a phone charging station near the beer tent, available for anyone to use. ACL is an "unmissable opportunity" to reach music fans, said Sandy Zogg, T-Mobile's vice president of marketing partnerships, business development, and entertainment. The mobile carrier aimed to offer an exclusive, elevated experience for customers during its fifth year at the festival. T-Mobile had a big presence at ACL. Honda has sponsored the festival since 2009, and hosted a similar lounge area alongside its sponsored stage this year for all Honda owners (just flash your key or proof of insurance). The space included lawn chairs, umbrellas, free non-alcoholic beverages, and branded bandanas to protect festival-goers from the clouds of dust that were enveloping the park by the end of the night during Austin's dry season. "Music is a definite passion point for youth car buyers, so that's really why it makes sense to us," Phil Hruska, senior manager of Honda marketing, told ADWEEK. "We can focus on our goals of driving sales to first-time car buyers." The benefits of this strategy show up in the data. Fans who engage with brands onsite score their festival experiences higher than those who don't, LiveNation's Strother said. According to a LiveNation survey of 2024 ACL attendees, 81% are interested in brands that sponsor music festivals, and 85% agreed that live music perks are valuable perks as part of a brand’s loyalty program. "[ACL is] so authentic to the city of Austin and the culture of Austin," said Shiz Suzuki, vice president of global brand sponsorships and experiential marketing at American Express. "It's about the focus on music fandom in Austin, and everything from food and beverage vendors—all of that is so curated, so perfectly for Austin. That makes it very, very special."

Experiential Marketing

From Pink Pony Club to Whiskey River: ACL Fest's Multigenerational Crowd Draws Longtime Sponsors

Wrangler, American Express, Honda, and T-Mobile were part of the 22-year-old festival

Kathryn Lundstrom

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Kathryn Lundstrom