Folks like to say that “everything is bigger in Texas,” and the folks at the annual South by SouthWest (SXSW) Interactive Conference and Festival have taken that adage to heart: five days of presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of events hosted by industry leaders, and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games, and startup ideas out there. Next week, Methodologie will trade Starbucks and salmon for Shiner and queso when we head to Austin to join the fun.
Our primary goal at SXSW is to soak up as much big thinking as possible and find some new ideas to bring home to our clients and partners. Innovation is clearly in the air right now, and we want to ensure we are learning about all the exciting work going on around the world. Plus, we have a few ideas of our own we are eager to share.
There are a few areas that seem really interesting to us as we plan our schedule for the week. At the top of our list—and probably everyone else’s—is the continued evolution of the social media space. Just as we all started to get our hands around Facebook and Twitter, along comes Google Buzz to try and reinvent the paradigm. How will that impact your brand’s ability to connect and communicate effectively? Do you have to accommodate every new social media platform that emerges or can you start to be much more selective? What about the growth in location-based services such as Foursquare? We are going to be investigating what really matters to you now.
The other hot topic for everyone is mobile. There has been such a massive investment in mobile tools over the past few years, with lots of well-known brands seeing real success. It seems that every conversation we have lately eventually turns to mobile. Clients want to know how big an investment they should make, when they should do it, and how to connect the mobile story with the rest of their communication efforts. Our best advice right now is to evaluate each opportunity carefully, but don’t be afraid to take some risks.
One of the things we will be looking for are real examples and success stories that can serve to guide and inspire us in our projects this year. We know it’s easy to get seduced by the latest and greatest technology, but our goal is to always focus on the real business needs that need to be addressed. We have done that recently through the design and development of an interactive touch-screen kiosk for one client and an award-winning video for another.
If you’re going to be in Austin for fun (or business), we would love to connect, introduce you to the creamy head on a pint of Shiner, and share some stories about the future we’re all building together.
Two of our principals at Methodologie, Shannyn Roberts and Norman Guadagno, will be there, as will our IT authority Luis Antezana. Contact one (or all three, they like to share) to set up a time to meet and chat about branding, interactivity, and the general state of modern marketing.
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