How New York’s biggest music fest uses tins, pins, and stickers to make every ticket holder feel like a VIP.
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GOV
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story By Mark Healy Design by LUcy quintanilla
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photoagraphy and videos by lucy Quintanilla, video editing by Tiffany Burchard, photo production by nikki miller
Around the time Gov Ball moved from one New York island (Governors) to another (Randalls), organizers decided to deliver wristbands in something more memorable than a puffy envelope. They settled on a tin and called in samples from a manufacturer. “The subway tin from was originally made for Wrigleys, says Tom Russell, one of the festival's founders. And what’s more New York than a pack of gum repurposed as a subway? One filled with straphangers only a New Yorker would recognize.
In case you forgot, the whole point of the tins is to deliver RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) wristbands to their rightful owners so they can get into the festival. And once they’re there, the wristbands beam back a ton of useful data about crowd flow, bathroom access, and who’s buying tacos.
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The subway is filled with New York oddities—the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, Carmelo Anthony, a Mariachi band that actually plays on the subway. Jen Stiles, Director of Festivals at Founders, which runs Gov Ball, says the Easter Eggs on the tin also show up IRL. “We have surprise busking acts walking around the festival. Name a ridiculous act—whether it's a mariachi band or a Bollywood barbershop quartet—and we’ve probably had them."
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If you’re going to bother creating a custom tin container for every ticketholder—actually only the first 65,000 ticket-buyers will get the premium packaging—you’re going to fill it with brand-building extras, like stickers and pins.
As always, the goal was to enhance the ticket holder experience with a memorable wristband delivery vessel a.k.a the tin. “We thought, what can we do that's unique packaging that people would really want to hold on to and keep as a keepsake,” Russell says. “And because if it's living on bookshelf or your bedroom or living room whatever, it’s also a marketing material.”
At this point the creative team knew they needed to make a series of icons to use for ad materials and signage—simple identifiable symbols for things like french fries or paint brushes or the occasional ship’s wheel to evoke the festival’s nautical heritage. After all, the earliest Gov Balls, which were held on an actual island, could only be reached by boat.
We wanted the characters to reflect you might see on a subway but also that you’d see at the festival,” Russell says. “So you’ll see a mariachi band you could see on the L train but you could also see walking around the grounds festival.” Jen Stiles, Director of Festivals and Events at Founders, the company that runs the festival, loves that the Easter Eggs on the tin also show up IRL. “I'd like always we always like to have surprise busking acts at the festival whether it's a mariachi band or a Bollywood barbershop quartet. You name of a ridiculous busking act and we've probably has them.”
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Most VIP ticket holders spent less time in the VIP area, generally ducking in and out to take a break or go to the bathroom. Russell says, “Our assumption was that people were using it as a lounge space, but the scans showed people were stopping in and that racing to another stage to see another band.” (Gov Ball says it doesn’t sell or share the data the wristbands collect but they come in handy in the event that staffers need to contact friends and family if a concertgoer needs help.)
The upside down skyline on this tin evokes the idea that every summer, the Governors Ball turns the city upside down.
The creative team used the simple icons from the previous year’s tin and turned obligatory signage into a bonus. “We did a partnership with Pintrill [a Williamsburg, Brooklyn company that makes collectable enamel pins] and then we actually had a secret compartment in the tin where we put the pins.” Those Gov Ball pins are still in circulation.
If you’re going to bother creating a custom tin container to house every wristband (actually, only the first 10,000—20,000 or so ticket-buyers get the premium) you’re going to fill it with brand-building extras, like stickers and pins.
The goal of the creative team is the same every year. “Each year we try to be a little bit different just to keep people on their toes and get people more excited,” says Russell, who is a co-founder of Founders Entertainment, which owns Governors Ball. “When everything is digital and scannable, a tin sort of doubles down on the tactile experience. You know that the ticket stubs you order for every other concert are going to seem a little less exciting.”
Those words first appeared in highlighter orange that someone spray-painted on a piece of plywood at the first Governor’s Ball in 2012. The message stuck: “You’re Doing Great” was quickly adopted as an encouraging mantra for festival staff and eventually found its way onto festival onto tins and pins and stickers. “We started seeing volunteers saying it to each other as kind of a staff signature. It seemed to go with the whole ethos of our festival being a positive, upbeat New York event,” says Stiles. “And it’s remained a staple of the messaging. We started integrating it more into our ads and our videos. And you know you'll see it somewhere on the packaging.”
The cityscape artwork on this circular tin captures springtime in New York but also twilight. “We wanted it to be discernibly New York City,” Russell explained, “and to tie into that golden hour when the sun's setting and you can see a little bit of the golden sun with the night sky.”
Most VIP ticket holders spent less time in the VIP area, generally ducking in and out to take a break or go to the bathroom. Russell says, “Our assumption was that people were using it as a lounge space, but the scans showed people were stopping in and that racing to another stage to see another band.” (Gov Ball says doesn’t sell or share the data the wristbands collect but they come in handy in the event that staffers need to contact friends and family if a concert goer needs help.)
The upside down skyline on this tin evokes the idea that every summer, Gov Ball turns the city upside down.
The genesis for the newest tin actually began with last year’s phone charger, a cassette shaped add-on you could buy along with your wristband. This year, the Founders creative team set out to build a fitting home to put the charger in, and the idea for the Walkman was born.
The Walkman tin not only perfectly captured a ‘90s vibe but it would also prove to be the perfect promotional vehicle. A few lucky ticket-buyers received an actual Walkman and a cassette. “And on the cassette it says, Congratulations! You've just been upgraded to VIP.” They extended the tactile throwback theme by using another ancient recording device to drop clues about the lineup. They asked people to send their names and addresses on a Gov Ball Reddit thread, randomly picked ten of them, and sent them VHS tapes. It was up to the winners to figure out how to play to unlock clues on the tape. “People went to their grandparents and to the library and bought $5 VHS players at Brooklyn flea markets," says Stiles. "It was wild. People were very resourceful.” And then, they recorded the clues on the video with their phones and posted it on Reddit. “That got people super engaged and excited," Russell adds, "and then once all those went, we headed into our holiday presale, which was the most successful it’s ever been.”
As they started planning this year's packaging, the Gov Ball creative team set out to evoke a ‘90s vibe, while also integrating the cassette-shaped phone charger that (for some ticket-holders) would go inside. “It had to be a Walkman,” Stiles says. “So we went on eBay and bought an old school Walkman Sport.” They don't call it a Walkman—it's officially a personal portable audio device—but the heritage is clear.
The words "You're Doing Great" first appeared in highlighter orange someone spray-painted on a piece of plywood at the first Governor’s Ball. The message stuck and the encouraging mantra first embraced by staffers found its way onto tins and pins and stickers. “It seemed to go with the whole ethos of our festival being an upbeat New York thing,” says Stiles. “And it’s remained a staple of the messaging. You know you'll see it somewhere on the packaging.”
Those words first appeared in highlighter orange someone spray-painted on a piece of plywood at the first Governor’s Ball in 2012. The message stuck: “You’re Doing Great” was quickly adopted as an encouraging mantra for festival staff and eventually found its way onto festival onto tins and pins and stickers. “We started seeing volunteers saying it to each other as kind of a staff signature. It seemed to go with the whole ethos of our festival being a positive, upbeat New York event,” says Stiles. “And it’s remained a staple of the messaging. We started integrating it more into our ads and our videos. And you know you'll see it somewhere on the packaging.”
