By Georgina Iceton, Senior Vice President – AEG Global Partnerships
The ‘social media generation’ – Gen Z and Millennials – is known for being hard to reach. The collective turn-away from traditional media combined with the fragmentation and saturation of social media makes it harder for brands to cut through. But there is one channel that is largely underused, despite high engagement: live entertainment.
Music is often an escape, bringing people together to create joy, community, and a sense of belonging. Live entertainment is firmly embedded in the UK’s cultural identity, driving extraordinary ticket sales – with fans seizing opportunities to see their favourite artists and make lasting memories with their friends, families and like-minded music lovers.
Gen Z and Millennials are the most passionate about their music, with our recently released report, The Live Effect, revealing that 9 in 10 young people have attended a live event in the past three years, with 13% attending more than 10 comedy, sporting or music events.
But high demand is not just a boon for artists. Brands can get in on the action themselves, before, during and after live events, taking advantage of strong emotions and memorable experiences to shift brand perceptions, increase their social media followings and drive purchase intent.
From attention-grabbing on-the-ground activations to digital campaigns that promote products that help consumers get in the spirit, brands can draw on fans’ anticipation and the hype around live music events to engage with Gen Z and Millennial fans to make their experiences extra-special.
End-to-end integration
From Oasis to Lady Gaga, last year’s live music events captured fans’ attention and imagination – with plenty more to come in 2026, with Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Doja Cat and My Chemical Romance all on tour. Two in five (41%) Gen Zs have dressed up for a concert, gig or festival, with consumers of all ages investing in everything from international travel to beauty to attend and feel at their best.
Brands in these categories can and should align their digital campaigns with purchase behaviour, based on timings and generational tendencies, but developing activity as part of a partnership that includes on-the-ground activations allows them to integrate fully with the customer journey. The always-on nature of these partnerships builds trusted relationships with fans, who come to know and expect brand partners to be as passionate about the content as they are, and add an extra layer of magic to events.
Engaging with young people throughout their fan journey also comes with the added benefit of peer-to-peer social sharing. With the right partnership activations, brands can become part of fans’ content, from get-ready-with-me’ videos to advice on how to make the most of the event, further enhancing engagement and strengthening positioning.
Heightened emotions create opportunities for connection
Brands that interact with fans before the real fun even begins start from a stronger position when it comes to building lasting connections. Fans at live music events feel joy, excitement, nostalgia and inspiration, and brands that can heighten those emotions are sure to be remembered. Working with event organisers themselves can bring brands closer to fans, providing more opportunities to connect throughout their journeys and reinforce messages across channels.
The high levels of engagement stimulated by strong emotions means that lower levels of conscious attention are required to absorb brand messages and encode memories. Add the fact that fans’ attention is more focused during gigs and festivals than when talking with friends or family, watching a movie at the cinema, streaming content, or scrolling on social media into the mix, you have a winning combination that allows brands to become part of the magic when they use touchpoints effectively.
Establishing relationships with fans early on makes them even more receptive to messages and more eager to investigate activations, giving brands a chance to build deeper connections face to face. With younger generations, who are more likely to make purchases around events, engage via digital channels as well as on-site and seek added value, the opportunities are almost endless.
Make a good day great
The power of long-term campaigns that draw on all elements of the marketing mix to create emotional connections is unrivalled – but the biggest gains can be made on the day of the event. From artist signing tents and members-only areas, to unique curated merch and discounts, as well as themed experiences for specific events, the surprise and delight brands offer live on in fans’ cherished memories forever.
Brands benefit from a halo effect, especially if their presence and activations feel like a natural extension of their identity. Engaging with brands at live events, or even just seeing them present, builds understanding amongst fans and establishes a connection that shifts their perceptions and increases brand equity. Across American Express presents BST Hyde Park and All Points East in 2025, overall brand equity increased by 41% on recall, and a further 57% on engagement.
This brand equity can help to move consumers down the funnel. Simply recalling a partner increased consideration by 63%, with interaction resulting in a further 45% uplift. But engagement also leads to action.
Two-thirds (64%) of festivalgoers agreed that they are more likely to follow a brand on social media after enjoying their activations, while 49% have made a purchase decision based on a brands’ association with an event. This increases to 73% and 65% of Gen Z and Millennials respectively, highlighting the positive impact that sharing young fans’ best moments can have for brands.
Winning over the ‘social media generation’
Live music events present the perfect stage for brands to engage with Gen Zs and Millennials, who go out of their way to make their experiences of seeing their favourite artists even better. When brands step in to add extra sparkle – either at the events themselves or via other marketing channels, they are met with fans’ full attention and positivity.
Festivals and concerts have an unrivalled ability to connect brands with young fans, driving real, measurable results, and helping to build deeper, long-lasting relationships. Fandoms are powerful for these generations, and brands that can truly embed themselves within communities will win over these hard-to-reach audiences.
