TIFF: A Close-Up on Brands That Matter

Festival Street at the Toronto International Film Festival has been a hot spot for brand activations for several years. People love free stuff. Samples. Giveaways. Prizes. Surprise & delights. Yes. Yep. Sure. Mhmm & of course. They all work to associate positive feelings with brands. But do the brands even matter after people get what they want?

Some brands go further to ensure people care. It’s the Toronto International Film Festival after all. While the art of storytelling in film is celebrated, so is the art of storytelling in brand experiences. Being relevant to festivalgoers puts the spotlight on the brand, and not just the free stuff.

Transforming passersby into movie stars, allowing them to create and share their own film from a booth, and using film genres as a backdrop for interactive product demos—these are all ways brands have married their product benefits with the TIFF experience. No matter what product category the brand is in, tailoring an activation to the TIFF crowd offers a larger, more meaningful story.

Experiences that feel exclusive to the festival speak volumes. Even though something free might be part of the experience, an insightful film-related interaction is what wraps the brand experience in something relevant. But it doesn’t have to stop there.

It’s no surprise that activations, which are social at their core, amplify their brand story. Encouraging photo-ops or user-generated content celebrates the brands in a way for the whole world to see. Good thing festivalgoers love posting on social media almost as much as they love getting free stuff. A festivalgoer’s appreciation for stories is what makes him or her so valuable as a consumer though. Understanding this is what makes brands matter.

Free stuff is more memorable when there’s a story that’s attached to it.

TIFF is becoming an important example of how sponsored brands can offer relevant experiences more and more each year. The brands that make an effort to matter more are the ones that become synonymous with the excitement of the festival and create potential anticipation for their activation next year.

TIFF is sure to continue challenging brands in the coming years, remaining an opportunity for them to tell their stories just like countless filmmakers have. A world class film festival needs world class brand experiences.