As this summer’s music festival season draws to a close, Two IP trade mark attorney Rachel Havard has some observations on how two significant influences in her life – festivals and trade marks – are becoming more intertwined.
In my 20s and 30s, I was a regular at Glastonbury Festival, back when it was easy to get tickets for a big group of friends, friends of friends and hangers-on, and it didn’t used to sell out. With focus on worthy causes rather than brand placement, it did not feel at all commercial. Rather, you were transported to another land, even another time, for those few glorious (and sometimes rather muddy!) days around the Summer Solstice.
Some lovely festivals, like the Phoenix, sadly folded because there were too many festivals and not enough interest. These days, Glastonbury is on everyone’s bucket list, and just getting tickets for you and your closest friends can be as likely as winning the Lottery. Once again, though, festivals are everywhere!
Small bohemian festivals, which we’ve happened upon by chance, have been the most fun. The excellent Maui Waui Festival, which began in Suffolk and now moved to Norfolk, is about as far away from corporate as you can get, offering a magical escape from a world which can seem driven by consumerism and big brands. But festivals cost so much to stage. Our own village runs a great little music festival for around a thousand people each year, but could not do so without the sponsorship of local businesses, and to support charitable causes as well.
For my last summer festival of this year, I joined my teenage daughter for All Points East in London’s Victoria Park, presented by Uber One. This was a very different experience, where my day job as a trade mark attorney and my passion for a good festival merged together. From the free cans of Coke Zero handed out to several thousand of us as soon as we walked through the gate, the 19 Crimes themed area, to the sponsored stages, including Amex Unsigned and L’Oreal Paris branded stages, and the enormous Cupra branded tent housing one of the main stages, brands were everywhere, just as they are in the real world.
But did this detract from a damn good day out? Absolutely not! Big brands are wise to what a good promotional opportunity festivals can be. So many people now want to experience festivals, and exposing them to brands when they are at their most relaxed and happy is great for reinforcing the distinguishing power of those brands.
As for the bands: Sir Chloe, Wasia Project, TV Girl and Towa Bird were my highlights – best not mention that most of them were small children (or not yet born!) back in my own twenty-something Glasto days.
You’re never too old for a good festival, or to discover new music. And personally, I don’t mind a trade mark or two to jolly it all along.
If you have any questions about your own trade marks, branding and IP protection, please do get in touch with us hello@two-ip.com, or visit our website at www.two-ip.com.
