Dive Brief:
- LG Electronics is creating a "LaundROO Lounge and Vintage Clothing Swap" interactive experience at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, the company announced in a news release. The appliance brand is using the hashtag #GetDirty for the campaign, which will run on the outdoor festival grounds in Manchester, Tennessee from June 7-10.
- The 3,600-square-foot activation, created in collaboration with Live Nation, will feature 25 washing machines, 25 dryers and an LG Styler steam clothing care system. Attendees camping at the site can drop off their laundry for a free "wash'n'fold experience." The lounge is air-conditioned and has mobile phone charging stations, interactive gaming stations with LG OLED TVs, and indoor and outdoor hangout spots.
- LG, which is based in Middle, Tennessee, also partnered with What Goes Around Comes Around for a vintage-clothing swap featuring 2,500 pieces. Festival attendees can choose a new look at the LG closet and leave behind their existing clothes, which will be washed and put on the rack for others to choose. Leftover clothing will be cleaned and donated to local charities.
Dive Insight:
LG's extensive LaundROO activation will likely be a welcome addition for Bonnaroo attendees this year, while also giving the home appliance maker a chance to engage concert-goers more directly. While Bonnaroo is known for a relaxed, earthy vibe, it's also held in a rural area where attendees tend to camp out, meaning that laundry services, phone charging stations and air conditioning — often scarce at these types of events — will make for a popular gathering spot.
With the clothing swap, LG is also hoping to tap into a growing resale and vintage apparel trend, popularized by consignment and thrift shops and a growing number of second-hand e-commerce sites. Resale retail is projected to reach $41 billion by 2022, with 49% of that in the apparel category, according to research from ThredUp. Resale is growing 24x more than general apparel retail, and is especially popular with younger consumers like millennials, who are also more likely to attend musical festivals.
More brands are partnering with festivals, music and otherwise, to connect with those age segments, who tend to actively seek out unique experiences that they can share on social media. At Coachella in April, Marriott's W Hotels brand let loyalty members bid on designer yurts on the festival grounds that featured shuttle and concierge services, for example. Last year, LG also set up a massive water park designed to look like one of its dishwashers for the Citi Summer Streets festival in New York City.
