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360i RECAPS THE BEST OF SXSW INTERACTIVE 2014 Fresh from a few busy days in Austin, 360i is bringing you the top highlights from SXSW Interactive 2014. Read on to learn about the themes, personalities, startups and brands that moved and inspired us this year.
7 THEMES TO WATCH
SETTING THE PACE FOR THE REST OF 2014, HERE ARE THE TOPICS THAT ROSE ABOVE THE NOISE AND LIKELY WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE CONVERSATION IN THE COMING MONTHS:
WEARABLES 2.0
When wearables rst launched, they seemed to be used more as a fashion accessory for trendsetters and early adopters and less as useful tools that could be leveraged by the masses. With the boom of devices designed to offer tangible and accessible benets to their wearers though, that has all changed. From medical implantables able to track blood pressure, to tools that allow people to control the things around them to make everyday actions easier, wearables prove their worth when they provide insight into our current lives, and foresight about what we should do in the future. Brands will be especially eager to use these technologies to satisfy a consumer need and connect people to their products via physical experiences in physical spaces.
DR. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, futurist, astrophysicist and star of FOXs recently
re-launched show COSMOS, took his talents to Austin to deliver unique insights about the Universe around us. Our team was most struck by his infectious curiosity (curiosity is one of 360is core mantras) and passion. Says one of our ambassadors, He creates wonderment and curiosity in a way I havent seen in a long time.
DANAH BOYD, Principal Researcher at Microsoft and author of Its Complicated: The Social
Lives of Networked Teens, discussed the way teens use social media in their everyday lives. While Millennials are currently top of mind in marketing circles, the current teenage generation their mindsets and the future trends associated with them is one for brands to keep an eye on.
MARK CUBAN, tech investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is known for his outspoken
and blunt demeanor and he delivered on this reputation in Austin. He joined Guy Kawasaki for a candid discussion around the state of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. He also subtly promoted his latest project, Cyber Dust, which is a private messaging app that operates like SnapChat for text. Leading the popular session Go Home Marketing, You Are Drunk was content strategist & Brain Trafc CEO KRISTINA HALVORSON, who urged marketers to recalibrate their approach and reground their organizations in pragmatism. Brands can achieve this by going back to the basics and starting with the consumer need/want by xing whats broken instead of nding things to break.
140-character medium. Speaking to how television shows are integrating transmedia into their strategies, Graver shared examples of how networks are bringing fans into the storylines of their favorite programs. A re-tweet is the new autograph, he said.
JOANNA COLES, Editor in Chief of Cosmo, spoke about the ways in which consumers seek
out relatable characters in the media they consume yet also appreciate when these characters have an unexpected twist along the way (e.g. Walter White: a high school chemistry teacher who moonlights as a meth manufacturer). Brands can aspire to similar combinations of familiar and unexpected in their own marketing to achieve the same resonance with their audiences.
ADAM SAVAGE, host of the popular Discovery Channel series MythBusters, delivered a
keynote that emphasized the role of science education in creative industries such as digital media and TV. Speaking passionately about his experiences across both scientic and artistic pursuits, Savage underscored the need for experimental sciences and arts in public education.
ALFRED LUI, Chief Design Ofcer at Seer Labs, gave an inspiring talk called Reorienting
UX Design for the Internet of Things. A designer of wearable technologies himself, Lui provided interesting insight into the opportunities and challenges faced by the UX community as the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes more prevalent. To learn more about Lui, check out his presentations on Slideshare.
ROY SEKOFF, Founding Editor of The Hufngton Post, spoke about how the media company
evolved HuffPo Live into what it is today by focusing on engagement (and not just content). Giving people a platform from which to respond via video and to do so in real-time changed the game for the news consumption experience and created one of the most social experiences on the web.
CHELSEA CLINTON, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, focused her talk on the ways
technology is being used in developing countries and how it can be used to make a real difference in the world. She stressed that things dont always have to be innovative to be valuable, and that innovative isnt always new. Some of the most effective and highly-used technologies in Africa for example are simple ones that already exist and dont involve extravagant new apps or technology.
START ME UP
Here are a few of this years standout startups (though there was no single breakout star in 2014):
STARTUPS THAT FLEX THE IMAGINATION (& DO OTHER COOL THINGS, TOO)
Company: Bobler What it does : Think of it as the voice version of Instagram. Reason to care : Sound (and voice in particular) is a strong conveyor of emotion, which provides opportunities for brands to connect with consumers on an even deeper level. Company: Easel What it does : Easel allows for easy digital manufacturing. A heavy engineering background used to be needed to develop tech products, but now Easel makes it possible in a few simple steps. Reason to care : Easel is a new take on the 3D printing model in that you actually invent the object you want to make. Brands might be interested in partnering with Easel to engage consumers at promotions and events to create highly unique and personable products. For example, a toy company could allow kids to dream up and actually create their own playthings. Company: Scentee What it does : Scentee creates devices that release specic scents when connecting with a smartphone. Reason to care : We recently partnered with Scentee to develop Oscar Mayers Wake Up & Smell the Bacon app. This company is one to watch for brands looking to create physical experiences for fans.
BRAND-LAND
Theres no doubt about it, this was the year marketers made their presence known in Austin and did so in a big way. Here are a few of our favorite activations, #clients and non-clients included:
We worked with our client SUBWAY to develop a Think Flatizza experience that utilized electroencephalography (EEG) technology to allow people to play a virtual tug-of-war game simply by concentrating on objects on a screen. SUBWAY was a headline sponsor at SXSW this year, and provided several other experiences and Eatovations on the ground in Austin.
CHEVY, a repeat SXSW sponsor, had a large set-up outside of the Austin
Convention Center and provided free lifts to people unable to hail a cab. The useful perk not only allowed people to experience the cars rst hand, but it also created an environment in which people associated the brand with happy thoughts (namely, relief and rescue).
SAMSUNG was also out in force, promoting its new Milk Music
app. Milk Music is a streaming music service similar to those offered by Apple, Google and Nokia. Samsungs promotion included an interactive experience that allowed people to create their own album covers, driving home the message that Milk Music delivers a customized and personal experience. Tapping into Millennials penchant for Mario Kart, PENZOIL brought a live-action version of the popular game to Austin. The experience allowed participants to get into go-karts and race over various power-ups (detected via RFID chips on the cars) that had real-world implications such as a speed boost.
ABOUT 360i:
360i is an award-winning agency that drives results for Fortune 500 marketers by making brands culturally relevant amid the rapid pace of consumer behavior change. 360i is a highly strategic creative and media partner for clients that brings together digital specialization in insights, strategy, social, inuencer marketing, search, analytics and media with a deep understanding of how people discover brands and share stories across all channels. This year 360i was consecutively named the top digital agency according to Advertising Age, Adweek and MediaPost, in addition to being recognized among the industrys most innovative companies by Fast Company and Creativity. The agencys clients include Coca-Cola, Kraft, Mondelez, Toyota and Unilever. For more information, visit blog.360i.com or follow us on Twitter @360i.