Yours & Owls launches new sponsorship division Pop Sponsors [exclusive]

The Wollongong based entrepreneurs behind the Yours & Owls and Farmer & The Owl festivals are expanding their business portfolio.

It’s a sponsorship strategy and activation division called Pop Sponsors.

Lead by head of partnerships Scarlett Black, Pop will develop and execute commercial partnerships and experiential activations for all assets under the Yours & Owls company banner, that includes the two festivals and with plans to expand to external clients towards the end of 2019.

“A sponsorship division felt like the next natural step for the company,” Yours and Owls co-founder Adam Smith said this morning.

“With our growing portfolio of assets it made sense to be able to service them all internally and integrate all of the opportunities for current and potential brand clients.

“We are beyond excited to welcome Scarlett, her broad experience and creative approach is the perfect fit for our team.”

With a background in artist management and sponsorship, Black was an executive manager at Secret Sounds.

Here she talks to TMN exclusively about Pop’s plans.

Q: What are the results you’re looking for in your business portfolio into sponsorship strategy?

A: The ultimate goal for our sponsorship strategy is to curate, develop and deliver partnerships that provide value to our patrons’ experience and to our brand partners.

If our patrons are able to enjoy something unique or have a better experience thanks to a brand and we have been able to facilitate a positive conversation between a brand and a group of potential consumers then our job is complete.

We ensure that our partners are the correct brand fit and make sense for our properties.

We do this by building partnerships with brands who understand our own values along with our patrons and work closely with them to create positive experiences for our audiences.

Q: What is it about festivals – both your two and others around the country – that attracts brands? Targeted audience? A young audience that is tech- and social media savvy?

A: Traditional advertising no longer cuts through to the millennial and post-millennial audiences and music festivals are such an incredible space for brands to speak to patrons pre, during and post event.

On ground, patrons are found to be open to new experiences and so are more likely to try a new product or engage with a brand they may not usually have considered interacting with in the past.

There is also an element of trust and understanding between a music festival and its patrons.

As the alignment between a patron’s music taste and that of a curated festival allows the event to take a role of authority and influence in their lives.

Q: In terms of branding, what are the differences between Yours & Owls and Farmer & The Owl?

A: Both events are held at Greenfield sites in Wollongong. Our festivals share features of the same branding and ethos being beach culture, the owl motif and an inclusive space for music lovers and tastemakers to attend.

The key differences between the two are size and genre.

Yours & Owls Festival is our flagship event which features a lot of indie and more mainstream bands attracting 20,000 people over two days.

Farmer & the Owl is a boutique single day festival which is the passion project of the directors who curate a diverse program with a smaller capacity.

As each festival offers an individual experience, they attract different brand opportunities and partnerships as well as patrons.

Q: What aspects of sponsorship have Australian festivals not tapped into so far?

A: I recently attended Coachella where brands were doing incredible work with budgets to match.

I have to say, Australian festivals really are leading the pack in the sponsorship world and I am a big fan of what is happening here.

Technology is a great space to play in for brands and music festivals so who knows what the future holds, maybe a live stream?

Q: Your time at Secret Sounds would have been a great learning curve, their sponsorship initiates and corporate branding reach are impressive.

A: I loved the four years I spent at Secret Sounds.

I was lucky enough to learn from some of the industry heavyweights and am grateful for that.”