More than 75,000 people came each day to the 16th edition of Austin City Limits October 6 to 8 at Zilker Park, although organizers anticipated potential uneasiness in light of the mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival earlier this month. In response, ACL featured increased security with a larger police presence and more safety measures, and producers C3 Presents offered refunds to attendees that didn’t feel comfortable attending the large festival.
Many fans still came out to see headlining bands and musicians such as Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, and Gorillaz. (The festival continued on its second weekend from October 13 to 15.) To increase accessibility, the layout of the grounds changed from previous years, with more entrances and exits, as well as a second food court and larger wine lounge. Verizon and AT&T boosted cell phone coverage for the Zilker Park area during the three-day weekends.
In addition, several brand activations had charitable components, from inviting guests to assemble disaster-relief kits to offering charitable donations for posts to social media. Here’s a look at how brands and sponsors such as State Farm, American Express, Honda, and more engaged attendees.
As a major sponsor of the festival, American Express installed a two-floor lounge, American Express Experience, produced by Live Nation. The company sponsored the festival’s cashless component, which had attendees link wristbands directly to their credit cards.
The first floor, which was open to the public, evoked an artist’s lounge. People could design their own flags, screenprint bandanas, and purchase apparel that could be customized with embroidery designs. There was a custom luggage-tag station and a corner with makeup from Milk Makeup.
A corner of the loft was transformed into a live canvas, where people could draw on various objects including a car.
The second-floor lounge was reserved for American Express cardholders, and featured comfortable sofas and armchairs, Wi-Fi, and succulent planters with built-in phone chargers. A bar with a floral green wall served drinks.
The lounge had a direct view to the American Express stage, which featured headliners such as Jay-Z and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
As the major car sponsor, Honda had a wide presence during the festival. Honda sponsored the artist-signing stage, partnering with local shop Waterloo records. In front of the stage were two newest editions of the Honda Civic that people could check out; one was designed by artist Dabsmyla. In addition, the company partnered with local rideshare company RideAustin to offer free rides to the festival gates each day until 5 p.m. Each car was equipped with ACL-branded canned water and Honda bandanas. Marketing Factory produced Honda's activations.
Near the festival merchandise store was Honda’s Rebel motorcycle showcase. The vehicle and three helmets were decorated on the spot throughout the festival, and the finished works will be auctioned off for charity. The car company also partnered with influencers like ThankYouX, who captured content for Honda.
Along with live streaming performances through Red Bull TV, the company paid tribute to late musician Tom Petty through the Red Bull Air Force. Three skydivers jumped from a plane, one holding the Texas state flag while the other two spouted out pyrotechnics. Meanwhile, on stage was a screening of a 2006 performance at the festival of Petty and the Heartbreakers playing “Free Fallin’.”
Miller Lite set up its traveling Bar 75, produced by MKG, at the festival. There was a magnetic board where people could recommend similar bands for the headliners. Another white board asked people to recommend songs for different moods.
The decor reflected a literal but playful take on the bar's designation as a place for "real fans."
The vacation rental site HomeAway, which sponsored a stage at the festival, fashioned an upside-down house as a photo opportunity in which fans pretended to hang from the ceiling. The brand gave away a free backstage pass every day to random fans.
The insurance company State Farm set up a lounge called "Here to Help" that promoted volunteerism. It featured guest-comfort amenities like charging stations and storage lockers, and offered free gear such as hats, miniature fans, and fanny packs. The space hosted intimate performances from bands and musicians playing the festival, who also talked about their volunteering experiences.
The lounge promoted its new site, Neighborhood of Good, which links customers to local nonprofits and causes. Each day, the lounge hosted a different charitable activity linked to nonprofits. One day, guests decorated bandanas for adoptable shelter pets. Another activity had guests putting together disaster-relief kits for hurricane victims.
Decor in the company's signature red color combined themes of volunteerism and music. An augmented-reality wall of posters highlighted different causes as well; staffers with iPads could activate the animations. The Marketing Arm produced the experience with video production from XI Media Productions.
Local distillery Tito's brought back its plinko game where participants could win swag. Next to the game was the Love, Tito’s mural where people were encouraged to post images on social media with the hashtag #LoveTitos. The company donated $2 per post to pet nonprofit Emancipet, which offers affordable spay/neuter services and veterinary care. People were also encouraged to write out what they love on the mural.
Chipotle set up its own food stand separate from the festival’s official food concessions. It served burritos along with the food company’s newer item, queso. To help promote the stand, it created a giant hashtag sculpture noting #LifeIsBurritoful.
New to the festival was the ACL Crafts corner, where people could pay to participate in craft activities such as tie-dying shirts, creating flower crowns, and painting paper umbrellas.
