Sanremo Festival is increasingly similar to Milan Design Week

It is now clear that, in the era of social media, the world of brands, celebrities, and social media coexist in a single large system where cultural events, art, and marketing collaborate to create meaningful connections but above all culturally relevant moments for an era dominated by algorithms. In this sense, the Sanremo Festival just concluded reminded us closely of the role that the Salone del Mobile in Milan has assumed in recent years, where "design" is an excuse for any brand, even in fashion, to organize some activation: both are nationally relevant events that attract a wide audience and represent a crucial moment for their respective sectors. But there is more: both have become the ideal stage for brand activations and pop-ups, thus transforming the strategy of extreme presence into an essential promotional tool. We say "extreme" because for these activations, both for Sanremo and for the Fuorisalone, the brands that want to interact with the public often do not even operate in the sectoral context at the center of the event and participate, indeed, more to be present than to delve into the specifics of music or interior design. 

The first to come up with the idea of a promotional space to be used during the daytime hours preceding the festival in Sanremo was last year's Marco Mengoni with his experiment of the "Lido Mengoni." This recreational area, separate from the Ariston but still within the context of the Festival, was a kind of hub open to the public and entirely dedicated to the singer and his team, who organized events and concerts there to interact with the public, showing the more human and public-facing side of the singer, whose fans could see going literally on a pilgrimage, and creating a unique experience for those present who in turn fueled the social media buzz. This experiment showed that collateral initiatives during the Festival can have a significant impact, especially from the standpoint of valuable EMV, earned media value (which essentially is a figure that expresses the value of "free" advertising generated by the social media coverage of a certain event thanks to the public), involving the entire audience of the city which therefore includes not only the followers of a certain artist but also industry professionals, curious individuals, followers of another artist who happen to be in town during the hectic days of the Festival. 

After the success of the Lido Mengoni project, initiatives multiplied at a glance: Geolier transformed the trattoria Al Sessantuno into a real pizzeria collaborating also with Deliveroo in several Italian cities; La Sad set up the Sad Van, a truck distributing merch and becoming a meeting point with the band; Ghali opened Casa Ghali together with Ikea, a public apartment where he welcomed fans every afternoon with a real schedule of meetings; Mahmood distributed golden cards for a prize draw of a phone, the Golden Card, and set up the Letto Truck, a bedroom-themed installation where he organizes meetings with fans and a Pajama Party. And then the winner Angelina Mango opened La Noioteca, another meeting space with fans and various activities; BigMama inaugurated La BigMama Rosticceria, where she welcomes fans and even serves hot table dishes; Mr. Rain created the installation Two Swings at Bagni Italia, citing the set-up of the stage of his performance; Dargen D’Amico organized initiatives in Piazza V. Muccioli, including the distribution of a comic book inspired by his song Onda Alta and meetings on themes of his new album while Il Tre created Civic Il Tre in Piazza Bresca, another meeting point while Giochi Preziosi organized a karaoke evening at Casa di Paola e Chiara with the special participation of the two artists to promote the new CantaTu.

These initiatives offer fans the opportunity to interact directly with their favorite artists and to experience a unique experience during the days of the Festival – just like fashion brands (but also almost every other brand) which, on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile, present every imaginable product or simple installations that create engagement with the public. But why has this strategy become so widespread and successful? In addition to the immediate visibility offered by the event, there is a cultural and technological change to consider. Before, communication by musicians during the Festival was mainly mediated by the press, with few opportunities to stand out on stage and tremendous pressure to make an immediate impact. With the advent of social media and especially memes, the true fuel of the recent success of Sanremo (which, let's face it, before the phenomenon of Twitter and memes was literally dying) singers can communicate directly with their audience, without intermediaries, creating a vast collateral and interconnected narrative of which the evenings of the Festival represent a common culmination. Just think about how frequent, this year, the Instagram stories and TikToks behind the scenes were, capturing candid moments and interactions between the various competing artists. So collateral activities during the Festival become a way to tell oneself and one's message in a more complete and multifaceted way, but above all to bind to oneself the audience of the most devoted. From pop-up stores to thematic initiatives, each activity is designed to reinforce the artist's image and the message of their music, involving both those present on-site and the online audience through social media.

Finally, and perhaps even more importantly, these initiatives offer a platform for collaboration with brands, which see the Festival di Sanremo as a unique opportunity to showcase their products and associate them with prominent names in the Italian music scene. The exclusivity and temporariness of pop-up activities (as well as the frequent presence of artists as authentic "hosts" as in the case of Ghali or BigMama) create a sense of urgency and interest around the dual brand of the artist and the supporting company, generating buzz and visibility. The "collateral" projects during the Festival also become a way to actively engage the public and create a unique and memorable experience whether it's about Geolier's themed pizzerias or debates on the theme of immigration, certainly more demanding but in line with Ghali's civic commitment, these activities offer an opportunity to interact with the public in a direct and authentic way, creating emotional connections and strengthening the bond between the artist and their fans. A series of changes that demonstrate how the Festival di Sanremo has become much more than just a music event. It has become a stage for creativity, innovation, and promotion, where every brand and every artist tries to stand out and leave their mark – as well as multiply their sales. Unlike the Salone del Mobile, though, at least here the music is better.