Take a look at the failed Fyre Festival's promotional pitch to investors
(YouTube/Fyre Festival)
Fyre Festival's leaked advertising pitch reveals a lot about what the festival runners had planned.
The leaked document, first reported by Vanity Fair, lists "Fyre Starters" as the event's main form of advertising, with slides dedicated to 400 social media personalities — including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Hailey Baldwin — who would be paid to drum up sales by posting about the event.
Aside from these so-called Fyre Starters, the pitch does not seem to include any other form of advertising.
Also, according to Vanity Fair, many of these brand ambassadors did not note that they were advertising for Fyre Festival when they posted promotional pictures and videos for the event, which is required by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In effect, they could have been accused of misleading their fans if they didn't note that the post was an ad.
The document also reveals the company planned for five festivals over five years in honor of the five elements of the earth, saying in the pitch, "Throughout the next five years, we will traverse the globe to find untouched lands and convert them into unparalleled experiences."
This year was supposed to be water-themed.
(YouTube/Fyre Festival)
After a few slides about the the festival's business model, the pitch featured slides that were likely meant to be inspirational, but after the event's catastrophic weekend, are anything but. For example, one slide simply reads:
"WHAT IF WE REIMAGINED WHAT IT MEANS TO ATTEND A MUSIC FESTIVAL?" over a picture of an outdoor concert. But after the festival's fast flame-out, the phrase takes on a whole new meaning.
The next slide is just as unfortunate given the new context: "THE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE EXCEEDS ALL EXPECTATIONS AND IS SOMETHING THAT’S HARD TO PUT TO WORDS," the slide reads. Fyre Festival-goers who were stranded for hours without food, water or shelter might have a different take on that.
Under "Summary," the slide states: "These weekends go beyond the beauty of a remote beach, its vast landscape and perfect waters. The focus is on a global audience coming together in sharing a life changing experience."
Beyond the beach may be correct. The fans who showed up barely saw a beach before having to wait in a crowded airport to get a flight home.