Digicel, Red Stripe, Pepsi offer alternate Sumfest entertainment

Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau:

With 20 strong years of Reggae Sumfest, patrons had more ways to be entertained at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex in Montego Bay as Pepsi's King of Pop booth, the Red Stripe Light boardwalk, and during Digicel's 'Run It' promotion.

During each intermission on the main stage, Jamaica's own Michael Jackson and his crew of dancers stimulated patrons in an interactive music and dance session that kept everyone entertained as they waited for the next act to appear onstage.

DJ Nicco provided musical favourites on the turntables that had patrons competing with a Michael Jackson hologram, something that wooed fans into wanting to try some of the legend's dance moves.

The innovative hologram effect of Jamaica's Michael Jackson was a first, and marketing manager of Pepsi Jamaica, Carlo Redwood, explained that it was all about providing an experience for patrons at Reggae Sumfest.

"Globally, this year Pepsi is working with Sony Music Group and the Michael Jackson estate to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's album Bad, and that is where the idea came about to have his King of Pop booth at Reggae Sumfest," Redwood revealed.

He further added that the Jamaican arm of the international beverage brand launched the campaign recently and "the patrons really loved it because Jamaicans love MJ and this was interactive, they could dance with Michael Jackson and win products. Overall, it was a success and the feedback from the public has been great."

Digicel also seemed to agree with the idea of interaction after it used its hi-tech booth where virtual photo opportunities with Digicel brand ambassadors, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, were to be had.

The phone company used green screen technology to superimpose the images of patrons onto the images of the brand ambassadors.

There was also a video and track production where patrons were able to build tracks and videos from scratch and then have them sent directly to their phones, allowing them to capture their Reggae Sumfest experiences and share them with friends and family members.

"We are so excited to be back at Reggae Sumfest celebrating its 20th year in this most important of years in Jamaica's history. This year we wanted to ensure that patrons had a wholesome experience and it's great to see the response from them to our activities," said Tahnida Nunes, sponsorship manager at Digicel Jamaica.

Centrepiece

Red Stripe Light took another approach, bringing the beach to patrons at Reggae Sumfest.

From the sand to the cut-out metal barrels lit with colourful LED lights to the beach girls, the flavours of Red Stripe Light had a special taste on the beach throughout the nights at Reggae Sumfest.

The view for many from the centrepiece boardwalk by Red Stripe could not have been any better as guests had a chance to experience the music festival first class.

"We wanted to bring a different vibe to Reggae Sumfest. It was a different theme (the boardwalk and the beach bar) that reflected the colourful flavours of Red Stripe Light. The whole concept is a part of our summer promotion and Sumfest is one of the great ways to showcase this to the public," said Levaughn Flynn, public relations and brand manager at Red Stripe.