If you want to know what your corporate clients are going to be asking for in the next six to twelve months, stop scrolling Instagram and start paying attention to what big brands are spending their experiential marketing dollars on right now.

Because Coachella just handed us a roadmap.

I'm the person who sent my friend Zach running around Coachella with one job: capture every single photo and video activation you can find.

 What he came back with was a full breakdown of where the industry is heading, from the activations that absolutely nailed it to the ones that missed the mark (you know who you are👀. And in this post, I'm sharing it all. 

Because whatever you see brands investing in at events like Coachella? That's what's going to be sitting in your client's RFP in about twelve months. And I want you to be ready.

Whatever you see brands spending their experiential marketing budgets on at Coachella is what people are going to be asking you for this coming year.

 

The State of Experiential Marketing at Coachella 

Coachella isn't just a music festival. It's one of the most high-stakes experiential marketing events on the calendar. Companies spend enormous portions of their brand activation budgets to show up there, and they do it because the audience is influential, the content is shareable, and the pressure to look cool is real.

That's why what shows up at Coachella matters for your business. These brands aren't experimenting randomly, they're spending real money on what they believe will resonate. And that trend data trickles down.

There are also VIP areas at Coachella that aren't accessible to the general public, and one in particular, one Zach couldn't get into, is already making waves. I've felt it in my own business. But even just from the public-facing activations, there's a lot to unpack.

Mistake #1: Great Build, Terrible Output, The Coca-Cola Lesson

Out of all the brands at Coachella, Coca-Cola, one of the most iconic brands on the planet, had one of the most underwhelming photo experiences.

We're talking a basic iPad setup taking a photo and printing a black and white strip. The strip looked like it was going for a vintage vibe, but the execution fell flat. Grainy output, strange coloring, and lighting that did absolutely nothing for the people stepping in front of it.

Here's the lesson: a beautiful build means nothing if the output isn't good.

I'm not saying Coke didn't get foot traffic. People still showed up. But when you're operating at that level, with that budget and that brand recognition, the output should match. Good lighting is not optional. White balance is not optional. And if your image is making people's skin look strange, that's a problem no amount of brand equity is going to fix.

A beautiful booth with a bad output is just an expensive disappointment. The photo is always the proof.

For photo booth business owners, this is a critical reminder: no matter what your setup looks like from the outside, the image you put in someone's hand is your product. That's what they share. That's what represents you.

What Look-Down Booths Tell Us About Where Clients Are Headed

One of the clearest trends across multiple activations at Coachella was the overhead or "look-down" booth, a camera mounted above the subject, capturing a top-down perspective. 

Multiple brands experimented with this, and the results were a mixed bag. Which actually makes it one of the most educational comparisons in the whole breakdown.

White Claw got it right.

White Claw built an enclosed booth with a camera directly overhead, wrapped interior walls, and a fisheye lens effect that made the whole thing feel intentional and designed. You stepped in, posed, and walked away with a four-photo image that looked genuinely cool. Great lighting, an interesting perspective, and a professional build. This one worked.

Method had two. One that landed, one that didn't.

Method's shower-themed look-down booth was a standout. The angle, the set design, and the product placement combined to make it look like you were a tiny person inside a giant shower, with the Method product front and center. Clever, branded, shareable.

Their other look-down booth, in what appeared to be a "hair room" setup? I honestly couldn't figure out what it was trying to do. And if I couldn't tell, the average guest probably couldn't either.

The takeaway: concept matters as much as execution.

A look-down booth without a clear reason for being a look-down booth is just a camera on a stick. But when the perspective serves the story, like stepping into a branded shower, it becomes something people actually want to share.

The Plywood Booth People Paid $12 to Step Into

This one genuinely made me laugh, and then made me think.

Someone built a photo booth out of plywood at Coachella and charged $12 a pop. Just a handmade booth and a line of people willing to pay for it.

Why? Because the experience felt authentic. There was something raw and unexpected about it that resonated with the Coachella crowd. It was different. It stood out. And people paid for it.

This is a reminder that premium pricing isn't always about premium materials. It's about perceived value, novelty, and experience. If you've been waiting until you have the "perfect" setup to charge what you're worth, stop waiting. 

People paid $12 to step into a plywood box. Your professionally lit, beautifully wrapped booth is worth more than you're charging.

Barbie and Pinterest Nail the Details That Drive Sharing

Two activations stood out for different reasons, and both have a lot to teach us about what makes a photo booth experience go viral.

The Barbie booth was simple. A great backdrop the client supplied themselves, clean lighting, a branded wrap, and absolutely beautiful image quality. The white balance was on point. The lighting was flattering. And it became one of the most shared photo booth moments from the entire festival. 

Lesson? Simple done well always beats complex done poorly.

Pinterest did something completely different. They didn't allow phones inside their activation, which is a bold move, because they wanted people to actually experience it rather than just document it. Inside, they had multiple stations, including a charm-making setup. And the photo experience used lenticular prints.

Now, if you haven't heard me talk about lenticulars before, where have you been? 

Lenticular prints are a format where two images are layered together, and as the print moves, the image shifts. It's old technology, but it's having a massive moment right now. Why? Because it's tangible. It has movement. It feels more luxurious than a standard print. And Gen Z, who is obsessed with all things analog, absolutely loves them.

Pinterest printed their lenticulars using a sticky backing rather than the traditional folder/flap method, which meant the two parts couldn't be separated. It created a more polished, premium finished product.

I've said it a thousand times: lenticulars check every box.

Lenticulars have tangibility, movement, and luxury feel, everything that a standard 4x6 print doesn't have. And they're only growing.

Miniverse, Snapchat, and the Activation Already Generating Phone Calls

Miniverse built a miniaturized version of the fairgrounds inside an installation and had a photographer shooting portraits from below, using a wide angle lens to create that elongated, "giant-in-a-tiny-world" effect. The entire box was part of the set, including a built-in sky backdrop, mountains, and branded elements. It was immersive, creative, and genuinely shareable.

The lens distortion could have been improved with more space or a different focal length, but honestly? No one in the crowd cared. They were stepping into a world.

And then there's Snapchat. 

The Snapchat key chain station is already generating phone calls to my business.

Here's what they did: they built a beautiful mirrored enclosed photo booth. You went in, took your photos, and then, instead of just getting a print, you got a key chain. Branded on the back with "818" and the Snapchat logo, and your photo on the front. Then guests went to a separate charm station and customized their key chain before leaving with it.

Was the photo quality exceptional? Honestly, no. It looked like it may have been an iPhone, and there was some color casting from the interior lighting. But nobody cared. Because they were walking away with something they were actually going to keep.

Key chains went viral for weddings last year. Our post about them literally went viral. And now they're crossing into the corporate side, and the demand is only going to grow.

The image quality wasn't even that good, and nobody cared. Because the key chain is what they came for. Tangible wins.

 

The Bigger Trend: Tangible Is the Future

Here's the through line across every activation that worked at Coachella: tangible outputs win.

People aren't excited about a digital file anymore. They get hundreds of those every day. What they want, what they'll wait in line for, what they'll share, what they'll keep, is something they can hold.

Key chains. Lenticular prints. Charms. Physical mementos with their face on it. 

And here's the best part: you probably don't need to buy any new equipment to offer these things.

If you have a DSLR booth, you already have the hardware for lenticular prints. LA Photo Party software handles the format, and a few other platforms have started supporting it too (though I personally stick to LA Photo Party for lenticular, it's my tried and true). Key chains are a print format your existing setup can likely handle. 

You don't need to rebuild your business. You need to know what's coming so you can add the right services, pitch them to the right clients, and be ready before everyone else catches up. 

Your DSLR booth can do far more than you probably know. The gear isn't the gap, the knowledge is.

Why Corporate Is About to Be Your Biggest Opportunity

Coachella isn't a fluke. It's a signal. 

The brands that showed up there: (Coca-Cola, White Claw, Method, Pinterest, Snapchat, Miniverse) are spending serious money to create memorable physical experiences. They know that the interaction a photo booth creates, the data it can collect, and the shareable moments it produces make it one of the most powerful marketing tools at any event. 

And that awareness is going to trickle down to your local market. To the mid-size companies hosting product launches. To the brands doing pop-ups. To the marketing teams planning their holiday parties and award shows. 

They're going to start asking for key chains and lenticulars and overhead moments and enclosed branded builds. And you need to be the person they call when they do. 

Key Takeaways

• Coachella is one of the best real-world indicators of what experiential marketing trends are about to go mainstream
• Output quality matters more than build quality, a beautiful booth with a bad image is a missed opportunity
• Look-down/overhead booths are trending, but they need a clear concept behind them to resonate
• Lenticular prints are growing rapidly and offer a premium, tangible alternative to standard prints
• The Snapchat key chain activation is already influencing client requests in the corporate market
• Tangible outputs like key chains, lenticulars, physical mementos, are where the industry is heading
• You likely don't need new equipment to offer many of these trending services
• Corporate photo booth bookings are the next major growth opportunity for photo booth entrepreneurs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a lenticular print for photo booths? A lenticular print is a format that layers two images together using a ribbed lens material, creating movement or a "flip" effect as the print is tilted. It offers a more premium, tangible experience than a standard photo print and has seen major growth in the events and photo booth industry.

What software do I need to offer lenticular prints? LA Photo Party currently supports lenticular printing and is a well-tested option. A few other platforms have introduced lenticular support, though results may vary. Catalina recommends LA Photo Party for tried-and-true lenticular printing.

Can my DSLR photo booth offer key chains and lenticular? In many cases, yes. Your existing DSLR booth hardware can support lenticular prints and key chain outputs with the right software and print setup, without requiring new camera equipment.

What is a look-down or overhead photo booth? An overhead or "look-down" booth uses a camera mounted above the subject, either directly above (ceiling mount) or at a high angle, to capture a top-down perspective. It creates a unique, flattering angle and has become increasingly popular in experiential activations.

Why is corporate the next big opportunity for photo booth businesses? Brands are increasingly investing in experiential activations that drive engagement, capture data, and generate shareable content. Photo booths deliver all three, making them a valuable tool for corporate events, brand activations, and product launches, and that demand is moving beyond large festivals into smaller, local markets.

What made the Snapchat key chain activation so effective? The Snapchat booth succeeded because it offered a personalized, tangible takeaway, a branded key chain with the guest's photo, rather than just a digital file or standard print. The added charm station created an interactive, memorable moment that people genuinely wanted to keep and share.

Ready to add lenticular or key chains to your services? Everything you need to get started is inside Photo Booth Mastery Hub.

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