Electric Forest's Pre-Festival Community Building

What they did

Instead of just running another ticket giveaway, Electric Forest intentionally brought their feel-good ethos online with The Wish Machine.  Through this initiaitive, fans were invited to wish for exclusive perks (VIP Upgrades, special behind-the-scenes experiences and more) - but there was a twist: you only "earned" your wish by promising to commit to a good deed. Think planting trees, volunteering at a local charity, or starting a community garden.

The festival didn't just talk about values. They turned their values into action.  Every pledge was posted to a digital wall, transforming giving back into a community-building movement. 

Some of their tactics for the campaign:

• The perks weren't predetermined. Fans made their own wishes (VIP perks, an engagement moment, etc)
• Digital UGC wall to display pledges to any fan that landing on their website - making kindness visible and communal
• A data-capture element, not only to reach out to winners, but to build their first-party database of fans
• Pre-festival timing built anticipation months before the gates opened

Why it worked

• Values in action:  Electric Forest (EF) didn't say, "we're about community" - they showed it.  Fans want brands that live their ethos, and a wish through positivity aligns perfectly with the Electric Forest brand: magical, positive, community-driven, and filled with love. 
• UGC with purpose: By creating a digital wall of good deeds on their website, EF made fans' good acts visible, making participation in the campaign feel communal
• Data-driven kindness: The integration with Tradable Bits gave EF a way to turn these good deeds into real, actionable insights.
• Momentum builder:  Dropping this before festival season primed fans with positivity and anticipation.

How to steal this idea

If your brand stands for something bigger than your product, use that energy in your campaign:

• Exchange values for access: Let fans “earn” perks through actions that reflect your mission, like acts of kindness, environmental protection, or nominating a hero in their life. 
• Share fans' content: A UGC wall on your site or social shoutouts makes participation feel communal, and fans feel seen
• Lean into your brand aesthetic: It doesn't have to be a "wish machine"; this idea could also work as a fan leaderboard where more tasks = more points, or an "unlock to win" mechanism where perks are unlocked through actions
• Make it trackable: Learn from your fans' behaviours and customize your future communications with them accordingly

One idea for next time

Bringing the good deeds to life visually. While the campaign showcased fans' pledges and wishes in text form, they could have "brought these deeds to life" by leaning into social, or encouraging fans to share photos or videos of themselves completing good deeds in Discord threads or Reddit communities, and on their website . A "Kindness Gallery" at the festival would also be a great full-circle moment for fans, seeing how the folks in their festival community show up outside of the event. With both of these actions, EF could build up awareness (and affinity for) the Wish Machine Initiative for future festival years.