Amplifying Fan Power: Two Step Inn's Successful Ambassador & Rewards Program with FEVO

Objective

C3 Presents, the team behind Two Step Inn Festival, aimed to innovate fan acquisition and reduce marketing costs through a creative referral-based rewards concept: "Buy a Ticket, Get a Beer." In addition to relying on paid advertising channels like Meta, they sought to leverage their existing fanbase by incentivizing ticket referrals. The primary objectives were:

• Lower customer acquisition costs by tapping fans as brand ambassadors.
• Reward early ticket purchasers, reinforcing loyalty.
• Alleviate the marketing team's workload by empowering fans to promote organically.

Challenges

Implementing the new referral-based rewards concept presented several hurdles. The team initially faced uncertainty around tracking referrals, fulfilling rewards, and securing internal alignment. Additionally, clear and effective communication of the program details to fans was essential for success.

Technical Implementation:

• Without specialized software tools, managing the nuances of tracking referrals, distributing rewards, connecting tickets, and providing user-friendly interfaces for Ambassadors would be highly complex.

Internal Alignment:

• Securing buy-in across Marketing and Ticket Operations teams was crucial to ensure effective communication and flawless onsite execution.

Operational Complexity:

• The referral rewards required careful tracking to ensure the authenticity of purchases and referrals.
• Wristband technology integration posed logistical challenges, including manual efforts to load rewards onto wristbands.

Marketing Communication:

• Clearly understanding and communicating the referral rewards program early and effectively to encourage participation was critical to its success.
• Ensuring fans had easy, continuous access to their referral links and tracking their earned rewards posed additional complexity.

Solution

FEVO, in coordination with C3 Presents, enhanced and adapted FEVO’s Social and Reward tools to address the challenges and provide the necessary technology and operational infrastructure. FEVO’s integration with Front Gate Tickets enabled precise tracking of referrals, and the MyFEVO dashboard provided Ambassadors with easy access to referral links and reward tracking. Plus, the C3 Presents team put together a robust marketing strategy utilizing multiple communication channels, ensuring clarity and maximized fan participation.

FEVO Social and Reward Tools:

Enabled C3 Presents to:

• Build and set up a rewards incentive program matching the description and needs desired.
• Create a customized Offer within FEVO tied to the rewards program with targeted inventory that was directly integrated with Front Gate Tickets.
• Seamlessly track referrals, automatically verify ambassador registrations, and efficiently reward ambassadors.
• Offer non-cash incentives (FestCash), reducing legal complexities associated with direct commission payments.

FEVO x Front Gate Tickets:

• To participate in the reward program, ambassadors inputted their Front Gate ticket order numbers upon registration, confirming each participant.
• Enabled Ambassadors to easily log their wristband IDs, streamlining the tracking process.

Ambassador MyFEVO Dashboard:

• Provided Ambassadors with a personalized dashboard where they could easily find their unique referral links.
• Allowed Ambassadors to track their referred purchases in real-time and clearly see how much FestCash rewards they earned, increasing transparency and engagement.

Marketing Communication Strategy:

• Implemented a robust multi-channel strategy utilizing social media announcements, targeted email campaigns, and prominent website placements.
• Ensured clear communication of program details, instructions on participation, and reward-earning mechanisms.

Reward Fulfillment:

• To manage operational complexity, C3 Presents strategically ended the reward program one week before the festival, providing the operations team sufficient time to manually load rewards onto wristbands as FestCash.

Campaign Results

• Total rewards: $1,480 in FestCash earned by reward Ambassadors.
  • Plus, C3 Presents was able to keep all breakage from incorrect wristband ID inputs and/or unused FestCash.
• Total revenue generated through Ambassador referral links: $19,566.
• Significant reduction in customer acquisition costs compared to traditional paid advertising.

Blueprint for Future Success

Based on the Two Step Inn Festival experience, here are strategic recommendations for future events:

Earlier Launch:

• Initiate the rewards and ambassador program earlier in the sales cycle to maximize engagement and referrals.

Expanded Offerings:

• Increase inventory and diversify ticket types available to Ambassadors, incentivizing broader participation.

Auto-Enroll Ambassadors:

• Allow seamless participation from all individual purchasers to increase Ambassador adoption exponentially.

Enhanced Social Sharing:

• Encourage Ambassadors with simplified social sharing tools to effortlessly promote the event.