What Manufacturers Can Study From AT&T’s Essence Fest Activation
For the artists acting on AT&T‘s Dream in Black stage at this 12 months’s Essence Fest, it was all about celebrating the 30 years of historical past behind the annual celebration of Black tradition and neighborhood. The pageant takes place in New Orleans and among the many main sponsors is AT&T, which has been a long-standing companion since 2018.
To indicate its assist for Essence Fest’s main milestone, the telecom model featured a robust lineup of performances and programming all through the pageant weekend via its Dream in Black division, a signature AT&T platform in-built 2018 that helps and empowers the Black neighborhood to check a greater tomorrow.
Programming consisted of panels pertaining to movie, enterprise, tradition and empowerment workshops for younger ladies. For the musical performances, the AT&T crew leaned into the Nineties, mid-2000s and past with a lineup that included Grammy-winning artists Ambré and Mýa.
Ambré, a New Orleans native, was a part of the celebration NOLA: A Love Letter offered by AT&T Dream in Black, whereas Mýa wrapped up the weekend programming with a efficiency of her hits that dominated millennial hearts within the viewers.
Mýa made her debut within the Nineties and gained a Grammy for her collaboration with Lil’ Kim, Pink, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott for his or her cowl of “Girl Marmalade” in Moulin Rouge. Ambré, an R&B singer-songwriter, has nabbed Grammy wins and nominations for her work with celebrity H.E.R.
Mýa and Ambré sat down with ADWEEK to debate their partnership with AT&T, what they search for in model partnerships, and recommendation for at this time’s manufacturers on forming significant connections with the Black neighborhood.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
ADWEEK: Inform me about your partnership with AT&T and Essence Fest.
Mýa: Proper off the bat, I believed it was an attention-grabbing concept, the Dream in Black [platform] celebrating Black tradition. And New Orleans itself is a fantastic place with a lot tradition and a spot that everybody involves. It’s additionally Essence’s thirtieth celebration, an enormous milestone. I like being part of cultural occasions. All of the points of Essence Fest—I like what it stands for. It’s motivating, it’s inspiring, it’s empowering.
Ambré: It got here from eager to have a good time Black tradition and New Orleans tradition particularly. That’s one thing that I all the time satisfaction myself on. So it simply sort of labored out that manner. However I positively assist the message AT&T is placing out.
What do you search for when partnering with manufacturers?
Mýa: The mission assertion [of a brand] could be very a lot the point of interest and ensuring that it’s not some ego-driven [partnership]. It’s about ardour, empowerment, after all, and neighborhood. I like the humanities and any technique to convey folks collectively from all ages and backgrounds. It’s additionally essential to signify tradition. Nevertheless it’s all the time been in regards to the mission assertion for me.
Ambré: That’s one thing that I’m positively making an attempt to be very intentional about: doing the analysis and ensuring I do my due diligence and [know] what sure corporations signify. I search for issues that stand on integrity and imply one thing. It ought to come from a spot that they’ve one thing they’re making an attempt to share moreover simply promoting. It may be a product, however what’s the message behind the product?
We live in a second the place manufacturers are getting known as out for shallow advocacy. What’s your recommendation to manufacturers relating to genuinely supporting Black tales and tradition?
Mýa: It’s all about being on the bottom, or at the least being related to people who are from the tradition in order that the tales, the challenges and the lives are being represented accurately. [Make sure] it’s not only a verify or exploitation or one thing that “seems good.” Be very genuine in what you’re making an attempt to convey. Who’re you making an attempt to encourage? Even for fundraisers. We see it on a regular basis. Are [the funds] actually attending to folks in your audience? Or is it exploitation? There’s duty for manufacturers.
Ambré: There’s no “a technique.” Behind these corporations, there are millions of workers. It’s not only one particular person essentially endorsing one thing or one particular person pulling the strings. Errors are going to be made relating to that as a result of you’ll be able to’t actually cater to everyone. Nevertheless it’s simply extra about understanding the integrity of the model. I’m not an knowledgeable. However I personally really feel it’s simply reaching out to the neighborhood that you just cater to.
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