Task
Tidal Rave is the largest and longest-running beach festival in Ghana, offering a platform for young
talents to share the stage with the country’s leading performers.
In 2022, after a 2 year covid-forced hiatus, it came back with a bang. But after some set backs which led to negative reviews online, it needed a rethink going into the 2023 event. Ahead of this year’s festival a team was tasked to revamp the experience at Tidal Rave and by so doing provide the best experience yet in its existence. After 9 editions of the festival, the 10th edition needed much rethink.
The festival needed a refresh based on experiences, a location, creative executions, and talents among others. With Tidal Rave being so crucial to youth cultural expression in Ghana, we needed to make sure that their beach canvas was going to be “giving”.
Strategic Approach-Tidal Rave Festival
Considering all the improvements being made to the festival and to correct all the negative reviews, the strategy was to communicate a changed tidal rave. The challenge was then to show people exactly what was changing so as to drive acceptance. From that, the theme for 2023 was decided as The New Rave. Key to this was to drive a co-creation and co-ownership agenda with both the Ravers and the festival’s partner brands.
Execution of The biggest Beach Festival in Ghana-Tidal Rave
Refreshed Identity
The art direction involved the merging of two symbols. The “new” sticker label and the sun. The “New” Sticker Icon represented the newness, freshness and the improved experience while the sun which is what you want when you go to the beach universally represents optimism, positive energy and a new beginning.
The New News
All the new changes to The New Rave included a new location, new activities, a new festival format, a new cashless vendor system, a new check–in–check–out process, and a new convoy system.
On the Ground
The new activities built on the key passion points – dance came to life with the Surf and Step Dance
Studio where Ravers learned trendy dance moves from the favorite TikTok dancers Music came to life on the Surf Side Stage with back-to-back DJs and MCs performances. For content creation, the festival created the Creators Cove – which provided beach and fun props for content creation.
The Cashless Market was specifically designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as young entrepreneurs by providing them with free vendor slots at the festival. This initiative aimed to foster growth and visibility for these businesses in a vibrant and engaging environment. The innovative cashless system introduced a unique New Rave experience for festival-goers, where the need for physical cash was completely eliminated.
Instead of traditional currency transactions, Ravers were required to load electronic money onto their access QR codes. This streamlined process not only enhanced the convenience and efficiency of transactions but also added a modern, tech-savvy flair to the overall market experience. By leveraging this cashless system, the festival created a seamless and immersive shopping experience for both vendors and customers, encouraging a more dynamic and interconnected marketplace.
Result
20,000 Ravers in Ghana and almost 5,000 Ravers in Liberia. 200 talented young Africans engaged as entertainers in different disciplines. who are either musicians, dancers, DJs, MCs, or content creators, among others. 19 million reach across digital and traditional platforms in Ghana and Liberia. 284K interactions. 92.1% positive sentiment score. Ravers contributed 2,000 user-generated content.
Advertising value worth $1.08 million. Young Entrepreneurs raised $500K in revenue.