It's that time of the year again, when the My Coke Fest takes place in Johannesburg at the Newmarket Racecourse and in Cape Town at Kenilworth Racecourse. Marketing an event like this is a challenge, especially given the its history and the sheer magnitude of the event. Two years ago, the event was slammed as badly organised and poorly executed. Last year, when the event moved to the Newmarket Racecourse, the reviews were phenomenally positive.

A large part of good communication is the ability to distinguish between the positioning of the event and its perception in the market place. While the organisers may want to position it in a certain way, the perception could be dichotomous. To bridge the gap, one needs a strong integrated communications campaign to ensure a free and timeous flow of information to the media and consequently to the people who will attend the event.

The task of communicating the event and the arrangements surrounding it has been left in the capable hands of Penny Stein and her team at Penny Stein Promotions. Below is the most recent press release Penny issued, highlighting the arrangement that have been put in place to ensure a successful 2008 My Coke Fest, focussing on the brand activation elements and what can be expected from the event....

"If you haven’t bought you’re MY COKE FEST 2008 ticket, what are you waiting for? 2008 MY COKE FEST is set to be the biggest rock fest in S.A to date! Go get yours!

Brought to you by Coca-Cola South Africa and, 5fm in association with Big Concerts, the 12- hours of straight rock set to take place on 21 March in Johannesburg at the Newmarket Racecourse and on 24 March in Cape Town at Kenilworth Racecourse is not to be missed!

Gates open at 10am for you to Rock On The Coke Side Of Life. Fans will be treated to live performances of some of the most sought after bands in the world - KORN, MUSE, CHRIS CORNELL, KAISER CHIEFS, GOOD CHARLOTTE, 30 SECONDS TO MARS, sharing the stage with a delicious local line-up which includes PRIME CIRCLE, WONDERBOOM, CRASH CAR BURN and LONEHILL ESTATE performing in Johannesburg, and VAN COKE KARTEL and SHY GUEVARAS performing in Cape Town!

BESIDES THE ROCKING LINE-UP, FANS CAN EXPECT:

Info Lanyards: Need a map of the venue? Not sure what the line-up is for the day? Don’t worry, Coca-Cola MY COKE FEST 2008 has thought ahead to give you a smooth MCF experience!
On arrival at the venue, fans will receive lanyards with info tags including venue maps, contact details around the venue should you need assistance, show line-ups, etc. This will serve as a special memorabilia from this biggest rock fest to date in South Africa!

Info booths: Should you have any queries regarding the concert or questions at the venue, branded and numbered booths will be placed around the venue to answer these.

Platform For The Disabled: MY COKE FEST 2008 accommodates - and wants to make this an exciting and memorable experience for- all rock fans from different backgrounds. There will be a platform set for the disabled and wheelchairs by the stage to give the ultimate rock experience of their life, too!

Rock Angels & Rock Dogs: Funkily dressed Rock Angels and Rock Dogs will be on hand to show you around the venue, hand you sun tan lotion, lip balm, refresher towels and other consumables that will make your experience rock even harder.

Chill Zones: 12 straight hours of rock in the sun doesn’t have to get you hot and bothered! To give you the ultimate refreshing rock experience at MY COKE FEST 2008, there’ll be shaded areas where concert goers can put their feet up and take a breather.

Have Your Say: Want to be heard at the 2008 MY COKE FEST? Look out for the film crew who want your feedback on the bands and the show – check out the screens and see if you’re famous!

I sang at My Coke Fest: Take ‘have your say’ to the next level… At MY COKE FEST 2008, you can have your time to shine! Throughout the day fans will be randomly selected around the venue to sing a verse/chorus of their favourite international band and, in return they will, be given a limited edition “I sang at MY COKE FEST 2008” rockers t-shirt. Footage of the rock stars ‘wannabees’ will be shown on BIG screens by the stage.

Style My Coke: Missed the opportunity to enter the MY COKE FEST 2008 Superfan Competition? Did you enter, but didn’t make it through? Are you still dreaming of meeting your favourite rock star? At the MY COKE FEST 2008, you have the second chance to make it happen for yourself! Concert goers can buy a Coke bottle with their favourite Style My Coke local band bottle wrap at the branded Style My Coke zone where they’ll also draw a badge to stand a chance to meet artists. There are three chances per International band, and they will be allocated on a ‘first win – first serve’ basis.

Superfan: If you didn’t enter the competition, you have missed out on this once- in- a life-time chance to rub shoulders with some of the world’s biggest rock stars! The six lucky winners from the MY COKE FEST 2008 Superfan Competition will have the privilege to meet the international rock heavyweights on the line-up. Their prize also includes attending the MY COKE FEST 2008 Press Conference with partners, backstage passes at the shows and other prizes of a fairytale any rock fan can dream of. There is no better way to living large on the Coke Rock Side Of Life!

Mist tunnel: Keeping cool throughout the day at the MY COKE FEST 2008 is not a privilege for some, but for all concert attendees. There’ll be the ever-popular mist tunnels to refresh your rock spirit and keep you going.

Power Play Ninjas
Feel the Kick! Look out for the Power Play Ninja’s - they are giving away cool bandanas and will keep you rocking throughout the day with the kick of Power Play.

Coke Light Maze
Take a trip through the Coke light maze and be rewarded with an ice-cold Coke light and a cool place to chill for five mins!


Hot, Hot, Hot Refreshments
Chaywa will be selling tea and coffee for those who wanna warm up or stay up!


Thirsty?
Dehydration is not the name of the game at the 2008 MY COKE FEST! In Joburg, you can expect 80 000 litres of Coca-Cola, 210 bar counters with 64 draught taps manned by 300 barmen who will serve more than 64 000 litres of ice-cold beer, ciders and spirit coolers!

In Cape Town expect 40 000 litres of Coca-Cola, 100 bar counters with 32 draught taps manned by 150 barmen who will serve more than 32 000 litres of ice-cold beer, ciders and spirit coolers.

Hungry?
There will be 25 vending outlets selling around 50 000 meals in Joburg and in Cape Town there will be 15 vending outlets selling around 30 000 meals.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO WWW.MYCOKEFEST.CO.ZA and WWW.5FM.CO.ZA."