Capturing the Essence: Greyhound Creative’s Media Triumph at Brighten the Corners 2024

In the bustling world of music festivals, capturing the vibrancy, energy, and essence of the event is a critical component of effective marketing. This year, Greyhound Creative took on the ambitious task of producing and managing all content creation for the multi-venue Ipswich-based music festival, Brighten the Corners (BTC) 2024. Our approach was focused on delivering high-quality content swiftly and strategically to boost ticket sales for both the current and upcoming years. Here’s a detailed account of how we successfully executed this project.

In the bustling world of music festivals, capturing the vibrancy, energy, and essence of the event is a critical component of effective marketing. This year, Greyhound Creative took on the ambitious task of producing and managing all content creation for the multi-venue Ipswich-based music festival, Brighten the Corners (BTC) 2024. Our approach was focused on delivering high-quality content swiftly and strategically to boost ticket sales for both the current and upcoming years. Here’s a detailed account of how we successfully executed this project.

A Strategic, Output-Specific Approach

At Greyhound Creative, we understand that the true value of content lies in its strategic deployment. For BTC 2024, we implemented an output-specific approach, meticulously planning each piece of content to serve a precise marketing purpose. Our primary goals were to drive immediate ticket sales for the festival and to create compelling promotional material for future marketing efforts. We had understood, that in previous years captured by others, the opportunity to showcase a 360 degree view of the festival throughout the content was missed. Therefore, we were looking to create content that showcased not only the artists present at the festival, but the audiences, multiple venues, architecture of the town, behind the scenes shenanigans, sponsors, partners, food & drink vendors, festival branding, volunteers, crew and more. 

Man performing on a stage in a black shirt performing live on a stage, drinking canned water, captured by Greyhound Creative in an Ipswich music venue.

Pre-Festival Preparations

1. Client Consultation and Planning

Our journey began with a series of detailed consultations with the BTC organizers. Understanding their vision, objectives, and target audience was crucial. We outlined our deliverables and set clear milestones:

  • Immediate Deliverables: High-quality photos and Instagram reels to promote day ticket sales and gather attendee feedback.
  • Long-Term Deliverables: Comprehensive photo libraries and video content to fuel next year’s marketing campaigns, with specific purposes in mind. 

2. Team Assembly and Roles

To ensure we covered every moment of the festival, we assembled a dedicated team of eleven skilled photographers and videographers from all over Suffolk, Norfolk and London:

  • Ricardo Markin
  • Ollie Hosier
  • Kezia Tan
  • Matthew Jolly
  • Rue Hackett
  • Ellie Koepke
  • Jahed Quddus
  • William Blakesly-Herbert
  • Joe Nial
  • Steven Spicer
  • Samuel Bignell 

 

Each team member was chosen for their unique skills and ability to work collaboratively under pressure. Roles were clearly defined to ensure smooth operations and optimal coverage, meaning that nothing was missed. We briefed each member on their work attire, rules and guidelines, file formats, their schedule and more. 

Man holding a camera whilst looking at another man's camera, by a multi coloured barrier in Ipswich.

3. Equipment and Logistics

We meticulously planned the equipment logistics, ensuring every team member had access to the necessary cameras, lenses, stabilisers, audio gear, as well as charging solutions on hand for their equipment. Backup equipment was also prepared to mitigate any technical issues that could arise during the festival.

On-Ground Execution

4. Day 1: Capturing the Opening Energy

As the festival kicked off, our team was strategically positioned to capture every key moment. From the main stage performances to the bustling food & drink stalls and excited crowds, we aimed to encapsulate the vibrant atmosphere of BTC, putting Ipswich, Suffolk on the map, as well as showcasing the fantastic line-up of artists on display.

Key Activities:

  • High-Quality Photography: Our photographers captured over 800 high-resolution images, focusing on candid crowd shots and interactions, artist performances, key sponsor involvement and branding, food & drink vendors and showcased each of the stunning venues. 
  • Video Highlights: Our videographers were briefed to record dynamic footage, including artists on stage, backstage activities and crowd reactions.

 

5. Real-Time Content Delivery

One of our standout achievements was the real-time content delivery. On the second day of the festival, we released an Instagram reel showcasing highlights from Friday. This reel played a crucial role in boosting day ticket sales for Saturday, leveraging the excitement and FOMO among potential attendees.

Key Steps:

  • Rapid Editing: Our video editor worked overnight to sift through footage and photos, selecting the most impactful moments.
  • Immediate Publishing: The edited reel was published on BTC’s Instagram early Saturday morning, ensuring maximum reach and engagement.

6. Day 2: Continuation and Engagement

The second day was about maintaining momentum and capturing any elements we might have missed. Our photographers and videographers continued their diligent work, ensuring comprehensive coverage.

Key Activities:

  • Continued Photography & social media publishing.
  • Feedback Promotion: The second Instagram reel was designed to sell early bird tickets for 2024 and was released a few days after the festival. 
Picture of a three piece band performing live in a dark room for Brighten the Corners 24

Post-Festival Success

7. Swift Content Delivery

One of our most impressive feats was delivering over 800 edited photographs within two days of the festival’s conclusion and the video content that went out with them. This rapid turnaround allowed BTC to maintain the post-event buzz and immediately begin utilising the content for marketing purposes. We also categorised and sent over each of the photographs to the respective artists to use for their only marketing purposes, ensuring they tagged the festival to gain further brand awareness. Thanks to the internal graphic design & animation team here at Greyhound, we were able to provide animations to sit on top of the festival video content, free of charge. 

Key Steps:

  • Efficient Workflow: Our team had a well-defined workflow, from selecting and editing images to final quality checks and file distribution.
  • Collaboration Tools: We used advanced collaboration tools to ensure seamless communication and quick approvals for the internal team at BTC, artist management and sponsors/partners of the festival. 

 

8. Strategic Content Use

The content we created will be strategically deployed across various platforms, including social media, the festival’s website, and email newsletters. This multi-channel approach ensured maximum visibility and engagement.

Key Strategies:

  • Social Media: Regular posts featuring the best photos and videos kept the audience engaged and excited. The use of social media has ensured that the festival sold out of super early bird tickets for 2025 within an hour, and the supply of early bird tickets completely depleting within the day following. 
  • Email Campaigns: Targeted emails with highlights from the festival and links to photo galleries helped maintain contact with attendees and potential future visitors.
  • Website Galleries: High-resolution photo galleries were uploaded to the festival’s website, serving as both a memento for attendees and a promotional tool for next year’s event.

 

Achieving Financial Efficiency

One of the highlights of this year’s project was our ability to pay our staff double compared to last year, all while maintaining the same overall budget. This achievement was possible due to optimising resource allocation. This included careful planning and efficient use of resources allowing us to save costs in non-critical areas.

Woman on a big stage in a shirt performing live on a stage, captured by Greyhound Creative in an Ipswich music venue.

Looking Ahead: Planning for 2025

Conclusion

Managing the content for Brighten the Corners 2024 was a challenging yet rewarding experience for Greyhound Creative. Through meticulous planning, strategic execution, and a dedicated team, we delivered high-quality content that not only enhanced this year’s festival but also laid a strong foundation for future marketing efforts. Our success is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and a client-centric approach.

As we reflect on this accomplishment, we are filled with excitement and anticipation for the future projects and opportunities that lie ahead. Greyhound Creative remains committed to delivering excellence, capturing the essence of every event, and driving impactful results for our clients. A big thanks to the incredible team at BTC that put on another successful festival on in our hometown of Ipswich, putting Suffolk on the map. You can find our content in action on the BTC Instagram

 
– Ric