It all started when our ABC client asked us to pitch on the on air package for the CMA Fest. I put together some ideas that hit all the parameters I was given, but deep down I knew there was more to it. This was the largest music outdoor country music festival in north America and they had been doing it for a while. And there were things that had been inherited and codified along the way in their brand that needed a fresh set of eyes and a long hard think on. Long story short, we lost to the incumbent but CMA was so impressed with our thinking and work, they came back for us to look into reworking the entire festivals brand and execution. A relatively simple ask and a deep suspicion and blown up into exactly the kind of project we were thinking was needed and hoping we would have a chance to work on.

One of the main issues is that CMA Fest focuses on "pop" country, and while most of the other musical genres have developed their own voices and identity, pop country was forever dancing between traditional country and various pop genres. and the pop country vision and identity looked it. CMA wanted to move away from a lot of the country tropes the genre was still dancing with and needed a vision that made sense.

I dove deep into rock and roll and pop genre art and branding including festival posters, album art, and music videos to see what commonalities and differences there were. What was resonating with the audience and what could it tell us about the audience.

Ultimately I was able to create an updated mini brand guide for the pop country genre that informed how I would move the team forward on the CMA Fest branding.