However, even with such a large crowd on hand every year, there is still a decidedly anti-advertising and anti-consumerism vibe, which makes it extremely important for companies to take a completely different approach to capturing the attention of their target audience.
In other words, businesses cannot simply purchase billboard space or put up a table that invites people to interact with their products. Instead, forward-thinking companies such as Social Discovery Ventures are taking advantage of Burning Man’s long history of art installations in order to tell their story.
It is worth noting, though, that something as overtly promotional as a Coca-Cola tribute to Andy Warhol’s famous Campbell’s soup can paintings would never be accepted by the Burning Man crowd. This means that any company that wants to merge marketing with art will need to have a truly innovative vision.
As of 2014, Burning Man had to start limiting the crowd to stay within the population cap of 68,000 that has been imposed by the Federal Bureau of Land Management, reports the Huffington Post.
Within these large annual crowds is a fascinating mixture of Fortune 50 CEOs, celebrities and counterculture enthusiasts. Art has always been a major draw for participants, and technology has enabled people to take this in bolder and bigger directions.
In recent years, some of the most notable ticketholders have included Lady Gaga, Daniel Pinchbeck and Sergie Bryn, each of whom have reportedly been observed enjoying the art installations and talking about technological advancements.
When you consider the marketing power behind getting someone such as Lady Gaga to tweet about a specific art installation, it becomes easy to understand why so many companies are trying to find a way to market their products inside of the festival without dishonoring the overall purpose of Burning Man.
This is where Social Discovery Ventures comes into play. Unlike the typical marketing company, this art and technology-driven business has been evolving their approach since 1993. This has led to the development of social discovery methods and a strong emphasis on making contributions to society.
For example, Social Discovery Ventures is well-acquainted with the power of art, and they work with an eclectic group of skilled individuals to present educational lectures and innovative installations.
Burning Man returns on August 30, and OracleTang, which is the contribution from Social Discovery Ventures’ Dmitry Volkov, will be one of the many art installations in place that harness the power of technology.
This piece will not have any overt marketing themes, but it is still anticipated to be a prime way to increase social discovery because OracleTang will actually observe and respond to the behavior of its viewers.
Video Presentation: OracleTang Russian installation for Burning Man Counterculture Festival 2015
Future Burning Man events may have many more art installations that were created with the same primary purpose as OracleTang, but it should still be possible to keep the anti-consumerism vibe alive due to this particular unique marketing approach.
Social Discovery Ventures is far from the only group that is planning to take the combination of art and technology to new heights at this year’s festival. Another prime example is the virtual reality camp that will be opening after raising more than $10,000 via a Kickstarter campaign.
The VR Camp’s successful fundraiser proves that attendees are interested in seeing more technology at Burning Man, and this opens the door for projects that have a very subtle marketing focus. After all, it is not difficult to imagine something minor being incorporated into the background of a VR experience that helps push a particular product, service or company.
It remains to be seen how successful the VR Camp and Social Discovery Ventures’ art installation by Russian contemporary artist Oleg Kulik will be, but there is one thing that appears poised to hinder the entire Burning Man experience for 2015: an infestation of bugs, according to Business Insider.
Recent reports indicate that at least two different species of bugs are swarming all over the Burning Man site, and they offer a disturbing mixture of painful bites and foul odors.
This is not something that attendees typically need to be prepared for because the dry location tends to prevent a lot of bug life. Therefore, companies that are utilizing Burning Man as a way to increase social discovery just might want to consider having some bug spray on hand.
