Rev Indy 2019 Here in Indianapolis, we spend a lot of the year asking, “Is it May yet?” The month of May holds many exciting events for us Hoosiers and all the folks that visit Indy this time of year. Of course we love the Indy 500, Carb Day, parades, and more. But for TrendyMinds, the month of May means it’s time for one of our favorite events of the year, with a client close to our hearts — Rev, an annual event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway benefitting the IU Health Foundation. What is Rev? Rev brings together a lot of the things we love as an agency: mission-driven marketing, long lasting client relationships, a great cause in our community, and of course food, drinks, music, and an excuse for a fabulous outfit. Rev is a fundraiser that supports the Indiana Health Foundation statewide trauma and critical care programs and efforts to make patient care safer and faster. TrendyMinds has been driving marketing for Rev since the event’s inception in 2014. We direct and carry out marketing efforts across all channels. And though Rev itself is only one day, we work year-round on its marketing to make sure the event sells out (in record time this year!) and maximizes its community impact. Branding In previous years, we had a theme for Rev: Drive in 2018 and Inspiring Victory in 2017. This year, we decided to align Rev more with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway branding, “This is May.” Since Rev is the unofficial kick-off to the greatest month in racing, we thought it fitting to pair up with the IMS to align our designs. Our main color was pulled from the IU Health standard red, as the event benefits the IU Health Foundation. Then we pulled in secondary colors from the IMS brand to round out the Rev color palette. Web Once we had solidified the 2019 Rev branding, we went to work updating the website. The website is truly the home base for Rev and the first place people go when looking for information about the event. The site tells users exactly what Rev looks like and what to expect: chefs and entertainment, experiences, impact, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, and ticket and product purchasing. It features a straightforward, long-scroll design so users find what information they’re looking for quickly.Email We used email to update past and present Rev attendees of big news, primarily through monthly newsletters from January (see it here) leading up to Rev in May. They share information about ticket sales, entertainment lineups, celebrity chefs, volunteer opportunities, and more. We also featured the Rev-Maker’s Mark Bourbon made exclusively for Rev 2019. Our goal was to keep past and present Rev attendees engaged and in the know while keeping emails aligned with messages and visuals on other channels. Emails were short and simple, but featured engaging and functional design to spark interest and ensure clarity in communication.Social Media Social media is a key part of our promotional strategy for Rev. We focused on current and consistent posting across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with a mix of videos, branded graphics, and Rev-related imagery. In coordination with our overarching strategy, we focused on communicating what Rev looks like through images of food, fun, entertainment, and philanthropy. We consistently used Rev’s hashtags: #RevIndy, #Rev2019, #ThisIsMay, and #WhyIRev.Film and Product A sponsor collaboration with Maker’s Mark led to a chance to film and promote the Rev-Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon. Our team created two films: one showcasing the blending process and another slick “sizzle video” to generate excitement on social media. We showed the full story of how the one-of-a-kind bourbon for Rev 2019 was crafted at Maker’s Mark, and built up some hype around the special-edition batch. We promoted both short films on social media and the Rev website, and they’ll be featured at the event itself too. By telling the story of the one-of-a-kind bourbon through film, we were able to show that Rev is a unique event — something that people don’t want to miss out on. Print and Signage In addition to promotions leading up to the event, our team created all printed materials and signage for the event. We started designing print items early on, like save-the-date cards, step and repeat backgrounds for events throughout the year, and business cards. In January, we started coordinating and designing myriad items including sponsor boxes, tickets, insert cards, event schedules, parking passes, and maps — just to name a few. Signage for the event itself is a huge undertaking. We’re getting ready to cover the IMS with food vendor signs, directional signage, banners, parking signs, and even life-sized IndyCar cutouts.App While we’ve had several years to get into the groove on projects like promo videos and signage, this is just the second year for the Rev App. It has everything that attendees need to know leading up to and during the event — all in one place. It includes things like an event schedule, food vendors, links to Rev’s social media, and a newsletter signup. Because Rev is such a large event, we also designed a live GPS map this year, a feature that helps users find their favorite food vendors, stages, or entertainment acts relative to where they are at the IMS.We’re looking forward to a fun evening of food, music, entertainment, and celebrating with our hardworking team at the best Rev yet.