Every April, the journey to Coachella valley becomes its own kind of spectacle. Dotted along the roads leading towards the California desert, billboards are used by artists to promote their own set. In recent years this has evolved into something far more commercially charged.
Coachella billboards serve a simple purpose to build anticipation. They are used as extensions of the stage itself, teasing visual breadcrumbs.
In recent years, brands have begun tapping into the cultural currency of the Coachella corridor.
Rhode
It’s unsurprising to see Hailey Bieber’s skincare and beauty brand pop up in the Californian desert. Rhode has become that of a cultural beacon firmly positioned at the intersection of social-media, beauty and celebrity.
The simplicity of the creative design taps into current beauty and skincare marketing trends, where product-first storytelling and transparency out perform heavy branding.
Redken
Redken has leaned further into the artist billboard tradition featuring ambassador and headline act Sabrina Carpenter. “The longer you wait, the better if feels” cleverly plays into the use of the product while nodding to Carpenter’s musical brand.
Rather than simply promoting their product, Redken has instead embedded itself into the festival narrative through Carpenters role as both an ambassador and performer.
Ollipop
Ollipop’s Coachella valley billboard promotes its new flushable wipes whilst tapping into the festivals culture. It utilises humour and puns to deliver a layered message ensuring the ad lands as both a sharable cultural moment and a functional festival reminder.
The billboard cleverly nods to the highly anticipated headliner, Justin Bieber, while also referencing his song Peaches featuring Giveon and Daniel Caesar all whilst playing on the colloquial use of the word as a cheeky euphemism for the body.
Euphoria
Euphoria’s billboard leans into the surrealism of the show. It balances provocation and promotion, using religious symbolism to promote the shows upcoming season that is set to be released the same weekend as Coachella.
The billboard positions Euphoria as an experience rather than a show. It taps into the same cultural language of spectacle that defines the festival itself.
