Marfa Myths
Marfa Myths
WHO an annual music, film and visual arts festival hosted by Mexican Summer and Ballroom Marfa
WHAT provide an immersive cultural experience in the Far West Texas desert
HOW strategy // concepting // copywriting // analytics // community management
Marfa Truths
The Marfa Myths festival is as much about place as it is about music. Unlike traditional music festivals, none of the performances take place on temporary stages set up in wide open fields. Instead, the festival is one with the town of Marfa.
At the 2018 festival, each performance was hosted at various locations across the town, from an old military airport hanger to an art gallery to a local saloon. Walking from venue to venue, attendees gather desert dust on their shoes and witness tumbleweeds rolling across the street.
To generate excitement leading up to our fifth festival, I recommended a series of Instagram Stories called “Marfa Truths” (a play on the festival’s name) to educate festival goers about this mystical town in an engaging way and prompt additional ticket sales.
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Key Results
In my first year, we saw a major increase in followers across social media platforms. Growth rates:
Instagram: 187%
Facebook: 107%
Twitter: 98%
Our Marfa Myths Morning Mail daily newsletters saw dramatically higher open and click rates compared to industry standards:
Average open rate of 53% (industry average: 24.1%)
Average click rate of 18% (industry average: 2.6%)
Anthology
Anthology
WHO an independent reissue record label and book publisher
WHAT uncover cultural narratives
HOW strategy // concepting // copywriting // analytics // community management
Instagram Zines
To introduce audiences to the Nightcrawlers, a largely unknown kosmische trio active during the ambient electronic scene in Philadelphia during the 80s, I suggested an Instagram zine. The zine features ephemera from the era alongside quotes from the band and kosmische expert D. Strauss, positioning the group among their more well-known peers and piquing our followers’ interest. The zine was designed to feel as if the pages are all fluidly connected within the Instagram carousel (and is thus optimally viewed in app). Anthology Artifacts Vol 1 Issue 1: The Nightcrawlers Uncovered was shared on our profile and included in a feature on the music and film webzine Tiny Mix Tapes.
To familiarize audiences with Catherine Ribeiro, a French psych rock singer-songwriter active in the 60s and 70s, I oversaw the second issue of our Instagram zine series: Anthology Artifacts Vol 1 Issue 2: Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes Rediscovered. While Ribeiro comes from a lineage of other uncompromising women singers such as Edith Piaf, Nico and Diamanda Galas, her albums were never officially released in the U.S., meaning she remained largely unknown to American audiences. Through the zine, we were able to tell Ribeiro’s story in a visually-stunning way, using images from Ribeiro’s personal archive alongside marketing copy, lyrics and quotes. The zine was designed to feel as if the pages are all fluidly connected within the Instagram carousel (and is thus optimally viewed in app).
Pharoah Sanders
To maintain hype during our month-long pre-order campaign for the reissue of three of Pharoah Sanders’ most significant albums, I proposed spotlighting each of the albums in the weeks following our initial announcement through a series of Instagram Stories. Each series incorporates album art, archival photography and quotes commissioned from resident DJs at the non-profit radio station Dublab.
Key Results
In my first year, we saw a major increase in followers across social media platforms. Growth rates:
Instagram: 64%
Facebook: 52%
Twitter: 26%