How Breezer’s consumer engagement is gaining traction from the hip-hop movement

India’s hip-hop scene has grown exponentially in the past decade with new renditions of music, art, and dance emerging every day. Breezer Vivid Shuffle (BVS), India’s biggest hip-hop festival has transformed into a cultural phenomenon, and has witnessed performances by over 225 artists, participation of around 340k shufflers and 24 international judges, and has been activated in 320+ cities so far.

In an interaction with Adgully, Arti Hajela, Regional Brand & Category Head, RTD Bacardi, speaks about the journey of Breezer Vivid Shuffle over six seasons, India’s growing hip-hop movement, engaging with consumers through the festival route, and more.

How did the idea of Breezer Vivid Shuffle come into reality? How has the journey been from Season 1 to now Season 6?

Breezer Vivid Shuffle has observed phenomenal growth over its past five seasons. Introduced five years ago as a dance festival to provide a platform to India’s most authentic underground artists of this genre, the fest has since transformed into a cultural phenomenon, that is, pushing the overall hip-hop culture to greater prominence in the country. Given a national stage to performances by over 225 artists, participation of around 340K shufflers, and 24 international judges across 320+ cities, it has been a rewarding experience to see this festival emerge as a confluence of culture, community, and talent. We are proud of the space that the festival has created for itself as India’s largest hip-hop league as a result of the overwhelming love it has received from audiences and artists year after year. With each passing season, it has given street art, culture, and performance a larger national platform.

What is your go-to market strategy for this season?
Keeping our consumers at heart is central to all our marketing and advertising strategies. This is why we continue to renew and adapt our strategies in line with changing consumer needs and interests. Over the past couple of years, pivoting to virtual was the need of the hour as consumers looked for enriching at-home experiences. With on-ground events finally opening up, there is now enormous scope to engage with consumers offline once again. Specifically, Live Music Market - Forecast and Analysis Report 2021-2025 predicts a CAGR of 6% between 2020 and 2025. With consumer preferences evolving, and with consumers looking for engaging, immersive, and culturally relevant experiences, there is an immense opportunity for us to engage with them offline through the festival route – and that is the vision that we took with Breezer Vivid Shuffle Season 6. By adopting this strategy to bring the #BeatsOfTheStreets offline for this season, the idea was to deliver a thoughtfully curated experience that appeals to our consumers’ senses, while also leveraging the full marketing mix to generate authentic brand awareness.

What are BVS’ commitments to celebrating the hip-hop movement in India by creating avenues for artists?

Breezer Vivid Shuffle, one of our most successful brand extensions, is all about championing homegrown hip-hop talent in India. Created with the intent to represent the talent of the underground fraternity and provide opportunities to the community, the festival has since evolved into the platform for India’s growing hip-hop movement.

Today, the hip-hop scene is taking over India, with many up-and-coming artists carving a niche for themselves alongside others who are making waves by giving a local spin to the genre, with sub-genres like colloquial and anti-caste rap. The idea with BVS is to keep opening up avenues for the most sensational hip-hop talent in the country by providing them with a national stage and connecting them with relevant audiences as we expand our footprint each year in order to elevate the hip-hop culture further. This year’s festival has been a host to some exciting performances by artists like Raftaar, Krsna, Brodha V, Seedhe Maut, Hanumankind, Wicked Sunny, DJ Proof, Dino James, Khasi Bloodz, Meba Ofilia, and more across Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Guwahati. As the hip-hop community continues to grow, we are excited to further this vision and expand with our next seasons.

How is Breezer Vivid Shuffle creating an immersive experience for hip-hop enthusiasts and emboldening the power of this art form?

Breezer Vivid Shuffle is not just a music festival, but a cultural experience to truly transport audiences to the world of hip-hop. We wanted to go a step further by touching on other elements that are central to hip-hop, such as dance and fashion, since the festival has carved a niche for itself amongst music enthusiasts by showcasing some of the most sensational hip-hop talents in India. Keeping this in mind, we encouraged audiences to show off their moves at open dance cyphers, update their drip at the street-style souk, and enjoy delicious food – all under one roof. Additionally, the platform also hosted #BeatsOfTheStreets – a digital dance battle judged by international stalwarts – Marie Poppins, Boubou, and Outrage – to deliver a fully immersive experience for hip-hop enthusiasts across the country.

What were the expectations from the BVS festival this year?

The overall vision with Breezer Vivid Shuffle as it came back this year for its 6th edition was the same as it has always been – to give street art, culture, and performance a national stage, only this time we made it bigger and better. By bringing the festival on-ground for the first time in two years across the cities of Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Guwahati, we wanted to engage with India’s growing community of hip-hop lovers in a more meaningful and relevant way as they sought out in-person experiences. We have put a lot of hard work into making this happen at scale and finally offline and are elated that the festival has been successful in striking the right chords with hip-hop enthusiasts in the country.

What makes Season 6 stand out and the inspiration behind #BeatsOfTheStreets, looks like quite an interesting campaign.

The inspiration behind bringing alive the #BeatsOfTheStreets with this year’s festival came from all the excitement and enthusiasm that has been drumming up in the country on two fronts – hip-hop and festivals. The hip-hop wave has been growing strong in India with more artists, music lovers, and fashion enthusiasts joining the cultural bandwagon over the past few years. Additionally, with evolving consumer preferences, it has been observed that more people are curious about experiencing this rapidly expanding hip-hop culture full throttle and in person. This is what inspired us to serve our audiences with a musically inspired exhibit that celebrates the #BeatsOfTheStreets this season. This was also the first time that we took BVS on the ground in a festival format, making this year even more special for us and India’s hip-hop community.