The Wickerman Festival - Essay Example

The Wickerman Festival School The Wickerman Festival - An Overview Dubbed as one of the most eclectic and weirdest musical events, the Wickerman Festival is a much-awaited gala held in Scotland. It is attended by the most diverse crowds which range from hard-core music lovers to young couples along with their children (Walton 2005). This festive tradition, described as "the Glasto of the North," features music of myriad genres, activities that appeal to children as well as trade stalls and late bars that cater to adults. Aside from the wide-range musical offerings, another highlight of this "cutting edge' festival is the burning of the 25-foot wickerman which marks the end of the program ("The Wickerman Festival" 2005). This paper discusses the beginnings of the Wickerman Festival as well as its musical and cinematic influences. Furthermore, this paper analyses the strategy undertaken by the organizers and proponents of this event to promote the event to its intended market. History Depicted as Scotland's alternative music, dance and arts festival ("Cultural Profiles"), the Wickerman Festival started in 2001 by founder Sid Ambrose. As Ambrose narrated, he was approached by a group of teenagers to come up with a one-off music event that would serve as a showcase for local bands (Devine 2005). Ambrose found a venue for the promising concept in the village of Dundrennan, near Kirkcudbright, a few miles from the Isle of Whitorn where the cult horror classic "The Wicker Man" was filmed in 1972 (Johnstone 2004). In this regard, the festival theme stems from the classic horror movie and tends to attract the movie's following (Johnstone 2004). However, the organizers have found a more profound meaning to celebrating the Wickerman Festival which is derived from the traditional gatherings of northern tribes in ancient times ("The Wickerman Festival" 2005). Influences As mentioned, the influences of the Wickerman Festival are as follows: Cinematic Influence The Wickerman Festival is said to be primarily influenced by the cult horror classic with the same name. "The Wicker Man," first released in 1973, is based on the ancient fertility rite that took place during the Beltane festival of the Celtic Calendar ("The Wicker Man"). The Celt gathering occurred prior to the planting season when people prepared the ground for the planting of crops. This ritual was done by burning the wickerman, an effigy built from twigs, debris, corn husks, dried plant and other flammable organic components which is supported by wooden frames. After the elaborate burning ritual, everyone gathered up the potash produced, which would be utilized as fertilizer, and spread the matter on the fields ("The Wicker Man"). However, daunting myths have been associated with the wickerman ritual, which is further fuelled by the horror film. "The Wicker Man" featured Christopher Lee and was written by Anthony Shaffer. Albeit it has been described as a "campy, low budget, B-grade horror film, the film has become one of the most sought-after horror classic and created numerous followings ("The Wicker Man"). Cultural Influence Aside from the burning of the wickerman highlighted in the film, the Wickerman Festival serves to commemorate the same Celtic tradition in terms of the new friendships formed and myriad ideas exchanged during these ancient gatherings. This musical, dance and art salvo attempts to bring back the sense of adventure involved in the celebrating the summer growing season ("The Wickerman Festival" 2005). As isolated northern tribes journeyed to the designated place of gathering, the host tribe ensured that shelter, food and entertainment are sufficiently provided to encourage guests to interact. In the same way, current host tribe, Rerrick Events is tasked to guarantee that the crowd from all over the world experience fun and enjoyment. ("The Wickerman Festival" 2005) 2005 Wickerman Festival Now on its fifth run, the two-day takes place on a 120-acre site in Galloway on the 22nd and 23rd of July 2005. The Wickerman Festival is spearheaded by founder Sid Ambrose along with Rerrick Events and supported by the local community. In line with this year's theme, "Fun, Fire and Freedom," featured are the following: Music For this year, the Wickerman Festival musical line up includes classic and up-and-coming local bands. The roster of talents, which would grace the seven stages set, comprises of The Stranglers, Dreadzone, Antiproduct, Neville Staple, Mohair, Poor Old Ben, Degrassi, Sound Development Agency, Space Ritual, Alabama 3, Arthur Brown, Dangleberries, Mostly Autumn, Mercedes, The View, Mr Greenfinger and Elaine Palmer among others. ("The Wickerman Festival" 2005) Given the above line up, festival attendees are provided with a wide musical array to choose from - from rock, dance, ska, reggae, to punk, new metal and northern soul ("The Wickerman Festival" 2005). Dance and Visual Arts In view of the fire theme, Fire Dancers is set to perform and light up the night with dazzling flame exhibition (Walton 2005). Moreover, sculptures and artworks are on display during day time (Devine 2005). As mentioned, the end of the festival is marked by the burning of the wickerman which is met with slack jaws and wonderment as if in a trance (Devine 2005). Other Features The Wickerman Festival also features a children's area organized by the Galloway Children's Festival Group. In this way, kids could enjoy games, stories, magic, face painting and bouncy castles among others. In addition, there are late bars where people could hang out and trade stalls where they could purchase souvenir items. ("The Wickerman Festival" 2005) Analysis of Marketing Strategy In this section, the target market of the Wickerman Festival is identified. Furthermore, the marketing strategy undertaken by the event organizers are presented using the SWOT analysis approach. Target Market Given the breadth of choice, the Wickerman Festival tends to attract a diverse market. More than just a concert, this festival is considered as one of the most diverse cultural events in the world since it is deemed appealing to "punks, crusties, folkies, ska and scooter boys" (Devine 2005). Aside from the local crowd, people from as far as Australia and South Africa faithfully return to Scotland to attend the festival (Devine 2005). Moreover, the Wickerman Festival is an event for the family, where couples along with their children can have fun listening to bands and playing in the area allocated for children's activities. This group is particularly recognized by the festival organizers as indicated by the ticket pricing scheme. The ticket fee of 45.00 for the weekend already accounts for the camping and parking. In addition, free admission is granted to children under the age of 14 so long as they are accompanied by adults ("The Wickerman Festival" 2005). With this type of crowd, the Wickerman Festival becomes a melting-pot event as people from different cultures descend on the remote farm venue on Solway to celebrate what the festival has to offer. SWOT Analysis This section discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the current marketing strategy implemented to promote the Wickerman Festival. Furthermore, it identifies the opportunities for future development and potential threats that organizers may need to confront. Strengths One of the distinct strengths of the Wickerman Festival is that it is marketed as a small family-friendly event where everybody can enjoy. Given the big musical events like T in the Park, organizers of the festival prefer to stick with a downsized event with a relaxing atmosphere. This theme appeals to a specific market niche which consists of people who want to enjoy the arts in a laid back environment. Another strength is the diversity of its offerings. There bands from various genres that would cater to a wide variety of taste. People with different musical preferences converge in the festival and frequent tents where music that suits their specific taste or mood is being played. Furthermore, the organizers have seen to it that the festival becomes a family event where both adults and kids can have fun and strengthen familial ties by doing artistic activities. The festival also provides facilities and assistance for the handicapped including wheelchair access, disabled parking and provision for guide dogs ("Cultural Profiles"). Ticket price, which is set at 45.00 this year, is inclusive of camping and parking fees. This price level is deemed highly affordable especially for families and groups of friends. The relatively lower price would attract a lot of people who are looking for an inexpensive way to have fun. Weakness A perceived weakness of the Wickerman Festival is the limited sponsorship. Given the small number of sponsors, there may be limited financing for the both the planning and holding of the festival. The lack of funding may adversely affect the overall quality of the show. Furthermore, level of security, maintenance and provision of other services may be compromised due to the lack of financial support from private entities. To address this, organizers may have to largely depend on ticket sales to cover festival expenses. In this regard, they will have to attract an increasingly larger crowd for ample funding. Should this happen, people's perception of the festival being a "small family event" may be changed. This may discourage habitual festival-goers and negatively affect attendance for succeeding years if this issue is not managed systematically. Opportunities It is reported that the Wickerman Festival drew crowd consisting mostly of the movie fanatics. However, the festival has attracted its own following which numbered from a few thousands in the past to greater than 10,000 people in the previous year (Devine 2005). Furthermore, the event has been mentioned in widely read publications like the Italian Vogue and Fashion Forever: 30 Years of Subculture by Iain McKell and Liz Farelly, where an entire chapter featured the happenings in the 2004 Wickerman Festival (Devine 2005). The growing crowd size evidently serves as an opportunity for effectively marketing the Wickerman Festival. As the number of audience patronizing the event increases, more sponsors will be enticed to support the event. Furthermore, a longer line up of bands will be featured in the event. Especially for the new ones, the Wickerman Festival is an opportune venue for bands to promote themselves. Threats Threat to the success of the Wickerman Festival is mainly statutory in nature. As mentioned in one report, Jamie Gilroy, a local farmer supporting the festival, cited that the local government has increased the fees charged for permits and licenses. For instance, the new formula for computing policing fees has resulted in higher amount charged. In addition, entertainment license is now required which means organizers would have to cover bigger expenses (Lloyd 2004). Given the limited sponsorship, these issues become a substantial financial threat to the Wickerman Festival. Another threat is that as the number of festival goers substantially increases annually, the essence of what makes the event a constant hit, i.e. being "small, friendly event," may be lost. This may happen should the organizers fail to effectively address this issue. In view of the recent bombing in London, people may refrain from attending the festival due to terrorist threat. This may translate to a lower attendance for the Wickerman Festival this year. Future Development As the number of festival attendees dramatically increases each year, organizers may consider scouting for a bigger venue for the Wickerman Festival. This will ensure that the place will not be too crowded where people can freely move around. Moreover, organizers may opt to advertise more aggressively in the future. This may be done by contacting magazine writers who believe in what the festival has to offer. By establishing good business relationships with these people, they may be persuaded to feature the festival in their respective magazines. This may be done by marketing the Wickerman Festival as an event that primarily supports local bands and aims to provide high quality entertainment for music and art lovers. Cited Works "Cultural Profiles", (2005), Available: http://www.culturalprofiles.org.uk/Scotland/Units/pdf/956.pdf (Accessed: 2005, July 19). Devine, R. (2005), "Culture: Wickerman gets revelers really fired up", (Times Online), Available: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1685273,00.html (Accessed: 2005, July 19). Johnstone, D. (2004), "Forget big festival horrors and chill out with the Wickerman", (Scotsman), Available: http://www.scotsman.com/id=808032004 (Accessed: 2005, July 19). Lloyd, M. (2004), "Cost threat to Wickerman Festival", (BBC News Online Scotland), Available: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/Scotland/3823395.stm (Accessed: 2005, July 19). Walton, L. (2005), "Wickerman Festival: July 22-23, 2005", (My Village), Available: http://www.myvillage.com/pages/bars&music-music-festivals-wickerman-festival.htm (Accessed: 2005, July 19). "The Wickerman Festival", (2005), Available: http://www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk/ (Accessed: 2005, July 19). Read More