Since its first launch of Coachella in 1999, thousands of people have flocked to California to attend this sought-after Coachella, a six-day festival in the California desert. This year, artists like Harry Styles, Shania Twain, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, The Weeknd and Phoebe Bridgers took to the stage to perform full sets.
Of course, because of social media, this event has become less a music festival, but more of a place to see and be seen on the internet. People who experienced the past festival referred to this year’s event as an “influencer work trip”, because brands want to be seen, so they invite influencers to market them during this event.
That’s why Revolve Festival, from the clothing brand Revolve took place this year.
Revolve Festival
Revolve Festival started in 2015 and is an invitation-only party held during the first weekend of Coachella. It is worth noting that this festival is not affiliated with Coachella.
According to Raissa Gerona, chief brand officer of Revolve Group, this festival is “celebration of life and living it to its fullest”. This year, it took place on April 16 and 17, 2022, in collaboration with the hospitality group h.wood. During the press release, they mentioned a lot of companies in an attempt to attract guests. Drinks from Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand, 818; food from the California luxury supermarket Erewhon; free shopping experiences from sponsoring brands; performances by Post Malone, Jack Harlow and Willow Smith; and a pink swing set, which appears in many photos online.
What happened to Revolve Festival?
For a lot of attendees, it was not a smooth ride. It was largely related to transportation and capacity. The only way to reach this festival was by shuttle, picking invitees up in a parking lot a mile-and-a-half from the event. While waiting for the transportation, some influencers were reportedly stuck outside in the SoCal heat for hours, without food or water. Some people became dehydrated and almost passed out. According to some attendees, fights broke out in the parking lot.
The Verdict
Even if the attendees vouched this event as a disaster, it doesn’t seem like it. It was, once again, a stellar social media success.
According to Traackr, an influencer marketing platform, analyzed the data from the first weekend of Coachella. Even though Revolve Festival became viral as a failed event, they still managed to succeed. The failed festival accrued more than 5,000 posts from 700-plus influencers. It garnered more than 25 million engagements over the posts, including likes, comments, and shares. On Instagram alone, there are currently 5,000 posts with 13 million engagements. On TikTok, it has 520 posts, with over 90 million video views.
This can only mean one thing, even disasters can mean dollars. The Revolve Festival might be viewed as a PR disaster, but it is believed that this public backlash won’t see a hit because of the influencers. For regular people, they take sympathy to the attendees. Our collective cynicism over influencers has meant that although the event might have been a flop, the business won’t suffer.
In the end, the proof of success lies in the number of posts being engaged with. The rich and famous continued to party, while the spectators were sold a lifestyle. Revolve is still the real winner here.