Regatta eyes festival season with Kendal Calling brand partnership
Outdoor clothing brand Regatta has overhauled its marketing proposition as it sets out to lighten the load of Kendal Calling festival goers through a range of initiatives including click-and-collect and camping angels.
Consolidating its brand experience efforts from 10 festivals in 2014 to just three this year Regatta is hoping to help more people than ever before “have a great time outdoors”.
“We took stock of what we did last year and where we got the best quality interaction,” Regatta PR manager Jemma Volp-Fletcher told The Drum. “We’ve picked Keswick Beer Festival, Winter Wonderland and, the big one for us, Kendal Calling as we thought they had the most potential and fit with the direction we’re taking a bit more.
“Last year at Kendal Calling the experience was unbelievable, we met so many wonderful people and people had on retro Regatta from 25 years ago, it was exactly what we hoped we’d find but didn't dare to expect”
Inspired by the brand’s heartland and capabilities of its clothing Regatta has announced the launch of a camping range especially for the summer festival season with a click-and-collect outlet at Kendal Calling.
“For us it’s about making things easier for people. Saying ‘this might be the only thing you do in the outdoors this year, and were here to help.’ Kendal Calling is a great place for us to go back to and not only do things bigger, but better,” added Volp-Fletcher.
“For example, if you’ve no idea how to put up a tent you can get advice from our experts. The last time I went to a festival I remember having to ask a neighbouring group for a mallet,” she laughed.
“We want to encourage people to have fun and not to have to think about all the things that bog you down. With us it’s a safe pair of hands and you can get on with having the fun.”
In addition to the click-and-collect offering, camping angels and branded experiences within the Kendal Calling site at Lowther Deer Park, Regatta is also mounting an environmentally conscious push with its ‘Gruffy Tent Team,’ a band of talented artists and graffiti artists who will customise festival goers' tents in a bid to encourage them to take them home.
“The festival is really big on leaving no trace and so are we. We really want people not to leave rubbish behind so we’re hoping that by customising the tents people will be more willing to keep it and take it away as a memento of the weekend,” she said.
Of Keswick Beer Festival and Winter Wonderland which, by Volp-Fletcher’s own admission is more of an “urban adventure,” Regatta will be pushing in-store experiences at the former and competitions and social experiences at the latter.
“As far as we’re concerned if you’re outside you can benefit from Regatta,” she remarked.