Events-ticketing giant Live Nation Entertainment and wireless carrier Vodafone have created a mobile application that lets consumers get information about concerts, the latest news about the bands and participate in promotions.

The application also has an alert system that informs consumers about every new concert, so they are always informed about the latest events. The partners are running multichannel media campaigns to get the word out about the application.

“We partner with Vodafone Spain and Britain, and the variety of services we collaborate to provide is very appreciated by the consumers,” said Simon Lewis, London-based president of international marketing partnerships at Live Nation. “The Vodafone runs across all Live Nation events in Spain for whatever artists that we have available.

“The artists see the marketing value—for Rogers Waters and all of our artists it has been great,” he said. “We sell a large portion of the tickets through their network—you wouldn’t just buy it because you’re a Vodafone consumer, you purchase it because you are a fan.

“That’s the great part—we are reaching true fans of these artists via Vodafone’s mobile network.”

Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, CA, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, and then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment.

Live Nation signs artist as a record label, but predominantly takes the role of a promoter, rather than owner of the music.

Mobile drives ticket sales
Mr. Lewis said that Live Nation is just starting to visualize potential of increasing mobile connectivity and the impact it is having on its business.

The focus of the Vodafone partnership is providing a huge amount of information on shows, festivals and other events, including travel options.

With Vodafone, Live Nation can communicate with consumers via SMS to let them know, for example, when different acts are going to be on stage.

And, of course, mobile devices offer the opportunity to close transactions while consumers are on the go.

“Mobile connectivity helps us give a great service to consumers,” Mr. Lewis said. “The immediacy of being able to buy tickets via mobile devices, whether it is SMS or a straightforward click-to-buy mechanism, means that no longer do consumers have to wait to get home to get their tickets.

“They have the leisure and the pleasure of the convenience and immediacy of mobile ticketing,” he said.

Where venues are set up to read the bar codes, it makes it more convenient for everyone, per Live Nation. That offers the potential to promote an event, sell tickets to it and redeem those tickets all using mobile devices.

Mr. Lewis said that the increasing adoption of mobile technology by fans means that they are increasingly confident and competent using their phones to use various services, including making transactions.

“Buying tickets is a great way for mobile networks to demonstrate the dexterity of their services and their range of products,” Mr. Lewis said. “We as a business across all of our markets find the mobile sector a very interesting place to be.

“We’re right in the middle of it—because our fans are out and about, they are on their mobile phones,” he said. “The mobile technology is evolving, and as devices get more appealing to consumers, the opportunities will only increase.

“We’re working with the right partners in terms of the wireless industry.”

Vodafone, Live Nation
Vodafone’s relationship with its consumers was based on traditional sponsorship of live music and mobile content management.

The company tapped DLB Group Worldwide, a global advertising agency and independent non-conventional ad network with presence in the U.S., Spain and Latin America to craft the campaign.

“The goal was to introduce Vodafone as an active partner within the live music sector, provide its clients with a exclusive service and increase the brand awareness within young people that attend music events,” said Ricardo de la Blanca Brigati, founder/CEO of DLB Group Worldwide, Miami.

“In the case of this agreement with Live Nation, the goal was to increase its media coverage,” he said.  

The agency’s goal was to enable all Vodafone users around the world to buy exclusive pre-draft tickets for concerts worldwide.

With its new positioning, “Power to you,” Vodafone reinvented its investment in music, opening interactive channels of communication with mobile users through pre-draft concert tickets.

During the first month of launching, the project quadrupled its mobile users.

On the first day of the presale campaign, Roger Waters reached 8,000 visits.

Facebook fans are now more than 40,000.

The ticket sales objective has been surpassed by far, opening a new line of revenue through mobile ticket sales.

In the case of Vodafone, it has exceeded by far the expectations of clients using the system, as well as the brand exposure within the live music events, per DLB Group.

And in the case of Live Nation, the agreement has allowed the company to sort out the timing of its selling process, and it has increased its media coverage.

“The concept is that only for being a Vodafone client, there is priority to buy tickets 48 hours before anybody else,” Mr. de la Blanca said. “This is an important privilege, since the main concerts do sale out within the first selling days.

“This was also the case with Roger Waters that sold all tickets within the first three days,” he said. “The mobile payment is still in process.

“The idea is that people could buy the tickets through their mobiles devices and received QR code that could be checked on the front desk and redeemed for entrance to the venue.”

Final Take
DLB Group