Creative destruction to collaboration: a short history of branding at live events

Cynics and evangelists were both wrong about branding and technology at live events, says Rob King, CEO, Distortion Creative Group.

In my formative years, excessive technology and branding at live music events were widely viewed as a gimmick, or worse, sacrilegious.

Credible bands were largely seen as ‘selling out’ if they overindulged in elaborate production or product placement. The festival crowd, meanwhile, were even more guarded. They were purists who often viewed even an a mere advertising board at their hallowed gathering as a sign the event had ‘gone corporate’.

Heathen chemistry

Pioneers of the live experience soon realised that to fund their expanding ambitions, they must improve standards, meet regulations, and ultimately sway public opinion on technology and branding to broaden and increase event participation.

Branding and ‘high production’ through technology became bedfellows, and much of the onus for this sea change fell on brands themselves. Event/experiential/creative agencies started to gain more prominence, and veterans like Rob Da Bank were among those whose festival teams pushed companies to make brand presence fun, rather than abrasive.

The early rumblings of ‘cultural marketing’ boosted this and, for better or worse, customers came to love the Strongbow tents, Red Bull activations and even pampering experiences from cosmetic brands. 

‘Authenticity’ became the (slightly cringey) byword for brand activations.

Some companies, including a high-end alcoholic drinks provider at Secret Garden Party, embraced the concept of stealth creative. The champagne brand funded the construction of an elaborate drink-pouring sculpture at a festival bar, purely for the benefit of having their tipple be the end product of choice.

And, slowly, ‘Immersion’, ‘storytelling’ and ‘high production’ snuck their way into the live events lexicon through the back door. And, just like those who campaigned against phone masts in the early 2000s now complain when they lose one bar of signal, so too do consumers actively demand a level of ‘wow-factor’ production at our events.

There’s now an acknowledgement that branding is what funds, and often fuels, the experience.

Virtual taste makers

In many ways, what we have now is a ‘180’ from the 90s scene. Innovative tech and immersion are now actively demanded by ‘the cool kids’. Virtual production is in some ways the creative culmination of the event tech world, and we’re seeing it revolutionise live music and advertisements in 2025.

At Coachella, for example, Billie Eilish used live video production to transport audiences to surreal environments, with a massive LED stage displaying a shifting dreamscape of floating islands and neon cityscapes that synced perfectly with her music.

Interestingly, discussions from the developers behind the show focused more on the ‘story’ they wanted to tell through the visuals, than the tech itself. Similarly, advanced XR efforts have been showcased by everyone from international DJs to Taylor Swift and Beyonce, all the way through to forward-thinking conference organisers and luxury brands.

So, the ‘tech bros’ won then?

Not exactly. 

Brands, or bands, seeking overly indulgent projection mapping, ‘VR for the sake of VR’ experiences, and garish production choices are becoming a bygone memory at live events. So too are generic unimaginative billboards, thankfully.

The modern consumer wants tech, just like they’ve come to embrace branding. The difference is that both must be a seamless, useful, tasteful or creative part of the experience.