Sundance lets brands change the narrative

The Future. The Sundance Film Festival has long provided a way for brands to experiment with new marketing approaches — seemingly inspired by the films themselves. As the lines between art, branding, and fashion blur even more, there may be an opportunity for brand activations to become a more integral part of a film’s rollout in an effort to build awareness at the fest.

Moment programming
It’s not just the films that are original at Sundance. Take DoorDash for example:

• DoorDash collaborated with GroupM on a pop-up convenience store stocked with essential items (and free hot chocolate).
• The first 30 DoorPass subscribers who came in each day were also given VIP gifts (movie tickets and dinners reservations) and a daily personal assistant who could buy and deliver items from anywhere on Main Street.
• The activation was part of the brand’s strategy shift from a rideshare delivery service to a “get-you-anything-you-need” platform.

That sort of engagement with customers is why brands like Chase (the Sapphire Lounge), Acura (the “House of Energy”), and Audible (heated listening gondolas) premiere their coolest activations at the Park City festival.

Sundance audiences love something novel.