Folk’d Up on Fun: Folk Fest 2019
What do you get when you have two organizations with a mutual love of music and art, and a ton of talent?
A match made in heaven; or Bannerman Park, to be exact. When the opportunity came to partner with, and sponsor, the 43rd Annual Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, we let out a unanimous cheer. It was such a natural fit for us.
Working with the Folk Arts Society on this year’s Folk Festival was a blast! Music, food and great crowds of people. The compassion and hard work of the volunteers was incredible. We’re grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to do it all again next year.
STEVE TESSIER, PARTNER, WATERWERKS
If you’re a local, chances are you’ve packed up the car with blankets and folding chairs to head to Bannerman Park and take in the best our culture has to offer. As the marketing partner for the 2019 festival, we wanted to capture that excitement in every piece of media we handled. We wanted the spirit of the Folk Festival to sing in everything we did – billboards, social media posts, digital ads, and radio ads.
Our collaboration with the Folk Arts Society began months in advance, so we had time to develop a strategy and plan for bringing even more people to the 2019 festival. In a province that spans ages and interests, and a lineup that is just as diverse, we knew there would be no ‘one size fits all’ solution to promotion. A multimedia approach was absolutely necessary, combining digital and traditional mediums. Whether it was developing social content, recording a radio ad, or setting up interviews between media and artists, WaterWerks was ready to roll out any and all tactics needed.
The WaterWerks team were fantastic partners to the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival. With personal and supportive project management, they helped us spread the word about our festival, and took great care of our sponsors. And they weren’t afraid to get their feet muddy covering festival weekend!
ERIN WHITNEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FOLK ARTS SOCIETY NL
The lead up to the festival was only half the work, of course, as festival weekend seemed to creep up out of nowhere. We had a team hunkered down backstage making sure we didn’t miss a second of action. Every set, every tent, every piece of Festival goodness, was captured in photos and videos and shared on social media. Every important announcement, from ‘will we go ahead?’ to ‘there’s still tickets left!’ was broadcast on news outlets across the city. We didn’t miss a beat. Or a strum.
It was a wild ride, but one that we can’t wait to take on again for the 2020 festival. If you want to know how we can put our media relations or creative skills to work for you, get in touch!