How Breakaway Turned Merch Into Measurable Magic
Drops
Oct 29, 2025
What happens when festival merch does more than just look good?
Breakaway Music Festival isn’t new to cultural influence - their events bring together thousands of fans who live for the energy of the crowd and the moment. But this year, they wanted to take it a step further.
The Goal // Transform Merch Into a Channel for Revenue, Data, Storytelling & Long-Term Engagement
Breakaway came to One of None with a vision to evolve merch from a one-time transaction into a multi-functional growth engine designed to:
Drive Merch Sales – Provide instant value at purchase to increase conversions and on-site urgency
Increase Sponsorship Revenue – Offer measurable sponsor touchpoints and new engagement inventory
Capture Fan Data – Collect first-party insights to power smarter, targeted marketing
Build Brand Loyalty & Community – Encourage ongoing participation and connection beyond the festival gates
The Playbook // A single tap strategy that scaled across cities
One of None transformed standard tour merch into NFC-connected products - creating tap-to-unlock experiences that rewarded fans for engaging, sharing, and showing up. Every item was part of a broader digital campaign, with registration gates, smart redirects, and a mobile-first digital experience tailored by location and timing.
User Experience Highlights //
This year’s engagement layer was powered by a series of rewards and a grand prize experience - all delivered in partnership with Breakaway artists and sponsors, including Celsius, Jimmy John’s, Senorita, and Hiyo. These partners helped bring real-world value to fans through both digital and on-site touchpoints.
Grand Prize Giveaway - A time-sensitive, tap-to-enter contest gave fans the chance to win a premium prize package: a fully stocked fridge of beverages, signed posters, and two VIP passes to next year’s Breakaway festival. Countdown timers and dynamic redirect logic kept fans coming back - routing winners to a prize claim page and non-winners to thank-you offers and rewards.
In-Festival Rewards - Tap-to-claim perks for all registrants included drink vouchers, hydration packs, beverages, and gift cards - delivering real-time value directly into fans’ hands.
At-Home Rewards - Fans who tapped their jersey from home unlocked exclusive partner discounts, including 10% off the Breakaway merch store and 25% off Senorita’s online store.
Each element was designed to create moments of surprise, deepen brand connections, and reinforce Breakaway’s identity as a forward-thinking, fan-first festival.
A New Kind of Fan Experience
The Results //
28% unique tap rate - nearly a third of merch purchasers tapped in for more
89% registration rate - real data, real fast
92% reward claim rate - fans loved it
And most importantly - Breakaway now knows exactly who engaged. They turned anonymous attendees into qualified audience profiles, helping them better quantify ROI and strengthen future brand partnerships.
The Takeaway //
It’s not about adding tech for the sake of it. It’s about turning every product moment into a data-backed story - for fans, for brands, and for the business.