Crisis Communication Vacuum Was “On Brand” For Burning Man Festival
Caroline Catterall (lead image), CEO of Creative and PR agency Keep Left and recent survivor of Burning Man 2023 that became a mud-soaked bog following flooding from torrential rain. With her crisis comms hat firmly on, here’s Catterall’s learnings from the event…
As a newbie “Burner,” you could say it was a Baptism by fire and mud attending the 2023 event.
We’ve just emerged from the mud to read the mountain of media coverage, most of which paints apocalyptic scenes.
For sure, conditions were tough towards the end of the week. People come to Burning Man prepared for heat and dust but not rain and mud.
And for the first few magical days and nights we were inspired and awe struck at the scale, creativity, energy and beauty of what was unfolding in this makeshift “city” of 70,000 “open hearted” people around us.
When the rain first starting to fall on Friday afternoon, no one seemed particularly worried. Absolutely, no-one seemed to have an inkling that four months’ worth of rain was about to pound down on the “playa” (the Spanish word for beach the desert plain is named after).
That sinking feeling
By Saturday morning, the landscape looked very different to the start of the week. The beautiful playa had been transformed into a clay quagmire in the space of 12 hours.
Moving around the huge site became very difficult. In normal conditions, the main mode of transport is either a push bike wrapped in bright lights or a “mutant vehicle” (think Mad Max) – both became out of the question and even walking short distances was slow, hard and slippery.
Our beautiful camp Serpent Moon was located close to Centre Camp, the civic hub of Black Rock City, so my husband and I slowly made our way there on Saturday morning to see what we could learn.
After an hour of trudging through the clay ankle deep we got to Centre Camp and found the media centre. I expected it to be a hive of activity, with the comms team swinging into full crisis mode. But there was no one there except a guy handing out tequila shots for breakfast.
Eventually someone showed up and I asked what the plan was and if the story had hit the news yet, as it was going to look pretty bad. I was wondering if we should give family and friends back home a heads up. She said there was no plan at that point, and we should give family and friends a heads up if we could (internet was very limited) as the news was about to break.
Radio silence
Things didn’t get any clearer as the day unfolded. There was no real meaningful updates on the Black Rock City radio station other than the roads were closed and to seek shelter and conserve food and water.
There was a lot of hypothesising going on but very little facts around what would happen with the roads, with the port-a-loos and with The Man himself, which was scheduled to burn that night. It was basically a communications vacuum.
At most events, this would be unacceptable, and I’ve read articles suggesting the “Burning Man Organisation should be held fully accountable for sitting on their hands and putting 70,000 people’s lives in danger.”
I will admit that for a minute there when everything was so unclear, I applied my Aussie sensibilities to the situation and thought it was pretty average they didn’t have a better plan in place or a well-oiled comms machine swinging into action.
But Burning Man is a different kind of event build around 10 principles, two of which are Radical Self Reliance and Communal Effort.
“Burners” weren’t waiting for the organisers to swing into action and save them. In the spirit of Radical Self Reliance, they took matters into their own hands helping themselves and each other. Within the space of a few hours people worked out how to navigate the clay mud bog while doing their best to adhere to another Burning Man principle which is “Leave No Trace”.
After a number of failed attempts trying to walk through the mud in shoes covered in garbage bags, word got around that the way to approach it was socks, covered in a garbage bag, and then another pair of socks taped at the ankles to keep it all together, and the ensure the bags didn’t shred and leave MOOP (matter out of place or rubbish).
A burning desire to help
Signs started to pop up in neighbourhoods encouraging people to not pee in the toilets so they wouldn’t overflow, as no-one knew when the poo trucks would be able to access the playa again to clean them. All around the camps empty water containers started to appear with yellow liquid inside. It wasn’t glamorous but very much in the spirit of communal effort and self-reliance.
Stories emerged all over the place of people helping out other Burners who’d been on the wrong side of the playa when the rain hit and had gotten stranded, providing them with shelter, food and water until the roads were solid enough to walk on again. People in tents got invited into RVs to be more comfortable and people pooled food, booze and other resources.
Spirits remained high and the fun never truly stopped. People danced in their socks and lent into the madness blasting rain inspired playlists around the camps (think It’s Raining Men and Set Fire to the Rain, to name a few). Artists got inspired by the mud and started making sculptures out of clay.
As the ground begun to dry, we wandered back out to the playa in our socks and met a couple who had just gotten married, found parties popping up at the stranded art cars abandoned during the rain and got a chance to appreciate the art without the blazing sun and heat that usually characterises the middle of the day.
The great escape
One top tip if you’re travelling to Burning Man from Australia is to allow some wiggle room for your return flights home. We didn’t and as such, decided to take our chances and attempt exodus from the playa on Sunday evening, before the roads had “officially” reopened.
As our journey began to Gate Road on the still slippery road the volunteer staff told us we were free to leave but the roads were wet and “No one was coming to help us if we got stuck”. It was our responsibility to be radically self-reliant at this point.
On the way out, the principles of Communal Effort appeared again. RVs, including ours, were getting stuck in the slippery clay all over the place.
People stopped where they could help push vehicles. We were blessed to encounter some very pragmatic fellow escapees that showed us the best way to get a stuck RV moving again was to pack old towels under the wheels to provide traction in the slippery mud. It worked!
Burning Man is not for everyone. A few old time “Burners” told us that if you couldn’t handle the weather, you probably shouldn’t be there. And they’re probably right.
In the wash up of 2023, it’s tempting to say it all went horribly wrong and heap criticism on the organisers for not handling the comms better, but Burning Man is not Coachella.
It’s an arts and community event run by the participants – the organisers are nearly facilitators.
When the storm hit this year, it was the participants that rose to the challenge. There was no rioting, no looting, no bad behaviour. Just thousands of people banding together to manage the situation and have as much fun as possible with lots of hugs dished out along the way.
It took us months of prep and endless lists to be ready to attend Burning Man, but it was totally worth it. Those few days before the rain hit will live large in our memories as some of the most fun and enriching moments of our lives. And even after the rain hit, it was still bloody memorable.
I’m hoping to practice some more radical self-reliance in my everyday life. It’s not such a bad thing to be able to stand on your own two feet and deal with a bit of hardship, with a smile still on your dial. We now have unfinished business with the event as we didn’t get to see the Man burn, so will be back.
Latest News
Marketing From The Cockpit: How Creativity Transformed AB InBev From A Brand Buyer Into A Brand-Building Powerhouse
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) VP of global brands, Richard Oppy, explains how in just five years the marketing function turned the world’s largest beer buyer into the upper echelon of brand building. Ab InBev has cleaned up at Cannes and the Effies, while driving record levels of organic growth. And, all this in spite of […]
Cebu Pacific Launches Campaign To Showcase The Philippines As Major Destination For Aussies
In case you needed another reason to visit the Philippines.
Elon Musk’s X Corp Defeats eSafety In Federal Court
Is it just B&T or is Elon Musk slowly morphing into Darth Vader minus the chokehold?
TV Ratings (12/05/2024): Framer Brings Home The Bacon
Lovelorn famers continuing to do good TV numbers. As desperate roof tilers & abattoir employees say "what about us?"
Starcom Pips PHD & Kaimera To Win Gold At Nine’s Agency Games – Check Out All Of The Photos And Coverage Of The Event
Starcom proves the top agency at Nine's Agency Games. Thankfully, no one has asked for urine testing either.
Zitcha Solves In-store Retail Media Measurement With Game Changing Venvee Partnership
Does your in-store retail media measurement resemble a kitchen draw with the screwdrivers & plastic bags? Help is here.
Menulog Delivers More Beef Than Drake and Kendrick Combined, Via Thinkerbell
This "more beef" ad could have also used William & Harry, Oasis, and Bruce Lehrmann & just about everybody.
Komo Tech Announces Landmark Partnership With Fanatics Events To Revolutionise Live Event Experiences
This partnership promises to "revolutionise live event experiences". Hopefully it doesn't alert any sniffer dogs too.
SCA “Disappointed” After ARN and Anchorage Capital Withdraw Takeover Bid
ARN's bid for SCA trips up at the final hurdle. It's also unclear if other states will have to suffer Kyle Sandilands.
About Bloody Time – News.com.au Campaign Secures Win For Endometriosis Sufferers
News.com.au puts aside its passion for 'China set to invade' & overcharging Sydney cafe articles to do some real good.
Fast 10: B&T Talks Brand Rituals, Keeping It Fresh And DE&I With Affinity Media’s Angela Smith
B&T's probing Fast 10 is so quick it's liable for double demerit points on public holidays.
FriendlyJordies Journalist Calls The Police After Allegedly Being Informed Of Gangland Threats By ABC Reporter
What's better than a Walkley Award for journalism? Getting a hit put out on you by a Sydney underworld drug gang.
Two Iconic Brands Seal The Deal With Exclusive Strategic Partnership
Wonderfully, a horse turned up for this press photo. Better again, everyone went home with some manure for their roses.
JCDecaux Wins Tender To Retain Sydney Airport
Shopping at airports has always been a paradox. On one hand there's the duty-free, on the other there's $24 schooners.
QMS Adds Hills Shire To Sydney Network
Forget the hills being alive with the sound of music, as Sydney's Hills district comes alive with new outdoor.
Taboola Targets Large Advertisers With Taboola Select
Taboola unveils its new Taboola Select offering. It's a lot like diet vanilla Coke without any aspartame risks.
Enigma Appoints Ren Frise As Director
Ren Frise sounds like one of the cooler characters in the new Star Wars films. Alas, he's all the more earthbound.
Imran Masood Named As VP AUNZ at DoubleVerify
DoubleVerify continues with the insidious scourge of American job titles, as Imran Masood named VP of APAC.
OMD Brisbane Announced New Leadership Team After Rob Swinton Departs After 20 Years
A good time to go for the best desk in the office as OMD Brisbane announces reshuffle.
“Get Sh*t Done”: QMS’s Tennille Burt On The Importance Of A Consistent & Impactful Leadership Style
We can all buy into Tennille Burt's "get shit done" mantra. Yet, it never seems to work when trying to put laundry away.
Cairns Crocodiles The Work: Healthcare Sponsored By Alternaleaf
Every so often the mighty advertising industry uses its powers for good. This is one of those times.
ThinkNewsBrands To Play A Major Role At CMO ANZ Summit
I think we can all agree that being front and centre is a better place to be than back and off centre.
TV Ratings (09/05/2024): Carlton Beats Melbourne In Nail-biting Win
We venture a bet that viewers had no nails left by the end of this game!
Woolies And Suncorp Marketers On Why Brands Are Investing BIG In Netball
Brands finally understanding the potential of netball in Australia. And that's despite the Matildas' ongoing efforts.
Apple Apologises For ‘Tone Deaf’ Culture Crushing iPad Ad
AI may be the route to a smarter & efficient humankind, but for most of us it means "Shit, I'm going to lose my job!"
TEG Group Nabs Belinda Shaw From Boral
Belinda Shaw certainly not shy of challenge as she shifts from a cement firm over to a ticketing one.
NBL Slam Dunks New Network Ten Broadcast Deal
Do you think shooting hoops would be a better use of your spare time than drinking heavily? Discover the truth here.
Qatar Airways Becomes Partner and Official Cargo Airline Partner of MotoGP
B&T can't recommend Qatar Airlines enough. Qatar itself would give Hell's fires a run for their money such is the heat.
Rebel Bondi Junction Pulls Kangaroos Jerseys From The Shelf
Despite some adverse press, this is probably the correct thing to do by the sports retailer.
Dineamic Rebrands To serve Up Honest Food, Via Bullfrog.
Are ready-meals the new status symbol of the super busy? Much like hands-free phones & wanky personalised number plates?
TikTok Joins Adobe-founded Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) To Help Combat Misinformation
With all this talk of the Chinese government spying on us, B&T embarrassed we haven't got that much to be spied about.
Cannes In Cairns Delegates Called Upon For AI Reef Challenge
Just by attending Cannes In Cairns you can help save the Reef! Which may offset the damage you do not saving your liver.
Man Of Many Launches Sydney Whisky Month – A Luxe Whisky Fair
Sydney's getting its own whisky month. Topics of conversation to avoid include the Middle East & Peter Dutton's head.
Challenger Signs Three Year Partnership With Sydney Film Festival
B&T loves the Sydney Film Festival & not just because it enables us to wear black turtlenecks & say noir over & over.
Truths & Tensions Of The Modern World: Nature Study Reveals Only 50% Of Aussies Feel Optimistic About The Future
Worrying study finds half of Aussies pessimistic about the future. An overwhelming majority detest the McPlant burger.
Bernard Salt AM On Why The Best Is Yet To Come For The Aussie Ad Industry
The demographer & futurist predicts a rosy future for Australia's ad industry. Alas, no tips for Randwick this Saturday.