FESTIVAL MARKETING
A proven strategy to maximize awareness, drive ticket sales, build anticipation and momentum.
OVERVIEW
Your festival deserves a marketing plan that actually works.
Your festival might be a great concept or lineup, but if no one sees or hears about it — it doesn't exist.
Our festival marketing strategy turns vision into visibility and visibility into ticket sale velocity.
We build a targeted, multi-channel plan to reach the right ticket buyers, at the right time, with the right message.
DELIVERABLES
A full-spectrum festival marketing strategy designed to maximize sales.
Target Audience
- Geography
- Demographics
- Psychographics
- Interests
Campaign Calendar
- Rollout phases
- Channel integration
- Festival, artist & partner content
- Organic and paid posting cadence
- Cross-channel campaign integration
Messaging & Creative
- Headlines, taglines & value propositions
- Offers and CTA triggers
- Ad mat copy and creative
- Retargeting & remarketing — pixel and analytics setup, conversion-focused paid media sequences, lookalike and high-intent audience targeting
Channel Strategy
- Digital
- Outdoor
- Media
- Influencers and ambassadors
- Media partners and affiliates
Platform Recommendations
- Advertising
- Email, CRM & SMS
- Conversion tracking & automation
- Street teams & field tools
OUTCOMES
REACH
Find and engage your target audience across multiple channels.
CONVERSION
Maximize ticket purchases through optimal funnels.
MOMENTUM
Build steady anticipation with a phased rollout and content calendar.
DATA INSIGHT
Realtime data to understand what's converting, what's not, and where to focus your marketing dollars.
JK MCKNIGHT
Your point of contact — and the experience leader behind AOI.
JK McKnight has spent 25 years in festival development. He founded Forecastle Festival, growing it from 50 people into a 75,000-person destination event and one of America's most critically acclaimed festivals. He later worked with AC Entertainment (Bonnaroo, Big Ears, High Water, Railbird and more). Today, he helps founders design, produce, and grow world-class festivals through proven strategy, specialized expertise, and decades of firsthand experience.
Read JK's full bioFrequently Asked Questions
A full-spectrum plan across five areas: target audience definition, a phased campaign calendar, messaging and creative, channel strategy across digital, print, outdoor, media, and influencers, and platform recommendations for advertising, email/CRM/SMS, conversion tracking, and street teams. It's built to turn visibility into ticket sale velocity.
1 month from kickoff.
We integrate organic and paid across every channel — mapping posting cadence, rollout phases, and cross-channel campaigns so festival, artist, and partner content reinforce each other. Paid media includes retargeting and remarketing with pixel setup, conversion-focused sequences, and lookalike and high-intent audience targeting.
Realtime data and conversion tracking show what's converting, what's not, and where to focus your marketing dollars. We optimize funnels to maximize ticket purchases rather than chasing vanity metrics.
We don't just build awareness — we build a targeted, multi-channel plan to reach the right ticket buyers, at the right time, with the right message. The result is reach, conversion, momentum through a phased rollout, and data insight you can act on.
Take your festival to the next stage
Schedule a free discovery call with our team. We’ll assess where you are, where you want to go, and exactly how we can help you get there.