Tacos and Beats
Wave Runner Marketing helped Tacos & Beats launch their festival with two cinematic campaign videos that built massive pre-event hype—driving over 300 ticket sales before the artist lineup dropped, filling all 60 vendor spots, and contributing to a record-breaking 9,000+ total tickets sold.
Services
Content Strategy
Category
Entertainment
Client
Lucas Payne
Analysis – Building Anticipation Before the Beat Drops
Before partnering with Wave Runner Marketing, Tacos & Beats had a loyal audience but lacked a strategic launch plan to maximize early excitement and vendor participation to shy away from the previous year's lost. We analyzed previous event data, social performance, and audience sentiment to identify opportunities for stronger storytelling and community engagement before announcing the lineup.
Performance
Our analysis revealed that the festival’s online engagement spiked only after lineup announcements in past years. To change that pattern, we developed a pre-lineup content strategy that focused on storytelling, culture, and anticipation. By launching cinematic hype videos that captured the festival’s energy and community spirit, we helped generate 300+ ticket sales before the lineup was even revealed.
Responsiveness
We noticed that audience engagement dropped between major announcements. To improve responsiveness, we designed a short-form content cadence that built excitement in waves—teasers, behind-the-scenes snippets, and vendor spotlights. This consistent communication kept the audience engaged and boosted social responsiveness by 200% compared to previous years.
Problem – Great Event, Limited Pre-Launch Momentum
Although Tacos & Beats was already a recognized festival, early ticket and vendor signups lagged behind goals in the previous year. The event lacked emotionally engaging content that conveyed its full energy and cultural vibe—resulting in slow early sales and delayed excitement leading up to the lineup announcement.
Improvements
Wave Runner Marketing introduced a two-part cinematic campaign that set the tone for the festival season. The first video—a promo video—showcased the lifestyle, food, and culture behind Tacos & Beats, designed to make viewers feel the event’s atmosphere before ever attending. The second—a vendor recruitment video—highlighted success stories from previous vendors, emphasizing profitability, community, and exposure. These videos alone built enough trust and momentum to secure 80% vendor retention from the prior year and sell hundreds of early tickets.
Solution – Storytelling That Sold the Experience
Our goal was to help Tacos & Beats sell the experience before the lineup. Through cinematic storytelling, Wave Runner Marketing crafted two cornerstone videos that embodied the heart of the festival—music, community, and culture. The visual tone combined high-energy footage, warm color grading, and authentic crowd interactions to create a feeling of excitement that no artist announcement could match.
COMMUNICATION
We collaborated closely with the Tacos & Beats team through weekly in-person planning sessions, ensuring each video aligned with their vision, messaging, and event timeline. After each meeting, we immediately moved into production—filming key scenes that showcased vendors, crowds, and cultural details. This hands-on, iterative communication process allowed us to deliver both videos quickly, with every creative decision rooted in the brand’s authentic voice and energy.
