With little space inside the City of Rock, smaller brands take advantage of the pre-event and try to associate their name with the mega music festival
For some years now, large companies have been competing for the busiest spaces in the world. Rock in Rio make millionaire investments to secure sponsorship status. Meanwhile, a group of smaller companies, with much more modest marketing investments, also joined the music festival. The goal is to ensure the opportunity to ride the wave of involvement around the festival and gain relevance among attendees, including many other famous names.
For the couple Vanessa Sant’Ana and Laércio Luz, participation in Rock in Rio will be an opportunity to promote Alecrim, their health food brand. Photo: Pedro Kirilo / Estadão
In addition to the music fans, the brands were also eager to return City of the rock. In the first edition after the start of the covid-19 pandemicwhich will take place from 2 to 11 September, Rock In Rio will involve about 40 companies, including sponsors and partners.
For giants like Itau, Spicy beans, nissin, nature And KitKat (by Nestlé), everything is fine: signed boxes, “vip” spaces with the presence of artists, distribution of gifts and even a chapel to celebrate the already traditional weddings of the party. In the case of minors, the focus is on trying to differentiate themselves with creativity.
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In the evaluation of Cecilia Russofrom Troiano Branding, even small brands can take advantage of events such as Rock in Rio and Lollapalooza. The way is to focus on the experience delivered to the public inside and outside the festival. “Wanting to replicate what big companies do is a trap, because having the biggest investment doesn’t mean attracting the attention of the event attendees,” she assesses.
Also according to Cecília, since this is an event that brings together an audience of many “tribes” and of different ages, more than a “big check”, supporters need planning to understand which participant they want to talk to in their activations.
Preparation
While getting the public’s attention on the day of the event is a difficult task, in some cases the way has been to start advertising well in advance. For the network of language schools KNN, the partnership with Rock in Rio has been used in the brand’s advertising campaigns for over a year. KNN Marketing Director, Gean Skrebsky, explains that the company must be present on the day of the shows, but with much less expressive activations. “For us, being the day of the shows is the smallest part of this partnership, recognition as a fan is the most important thing for us”, she evaluates.
The musical event will also have its space to give impetus to the work of beginners. This is because the festival will have a partnership with the Sebra bringing 18 entrepreneurs from Rio to the city of Rock, in Favela space.
Cidade do Rock is preparing to receive, in addition to the singers, a group of smaller companies who hope to exploit the musical event to enhance their brands. Photo: Pedro Kirilos / Estadão
for the owner of Rosemary gastronomy – one of the chosen activities -, Vanessa Sant’Ana, attending the event will help promote the healthy food brand, with a focus on vegetarianism. “People just don’t eat healthily when they have no choice, so I think the demand will be very high on festival days,” she says. Vanessa states that, to take advantage of the exhibition at Rock in Rio, after finishing the production of the items that will be sold on the day of the shows, the focus is to think about advertising this partnership in the social networks from society.
“Call attention”
But the search for new brands for big festivals is not limited to Rock in Rio. To the Hippodrome of InterlagoIn July of this year, the Lollapalooza it was also the stage for newcomers to advertise their name to the public.
For the occasion, the açaí chain oak berry took advantage of the show days to set up three dessert distribution points, in the VIP area and on the general dance floor. “Participating in this type of event is an opportunity to connect with our audience in a different way,” says the network’s marketing director, Renato Haidar. In addition to the Sao Paulo festival, the brand has also invested in appearances at events such as the Ultra Festival, in Croatia, and the Formula 1 award in Miami, USA.
According to Cecília, of Troiano Branding, with the return of big festivals in the post-pandemic period, the demand for aspiring brands to participate in these events should continue to grow. “The little ones must be unusual in these events,” she points out.
Source: Terra

Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.