Recap of SXSW 2015 Talks and Events

1. BPN RECAP
SXSW ‘15

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 Began in 1987
 Held annually in Austin, TX
 10 days of panels, keynotes, media
presentations, workshops, music
showcases, film screenings and more…
 Broken into three main sessions:
 Interactive: 3/13 - 3/17
 Music: 3/17 – 3/22
 Film: 3/13 – 3/21
WHAT IS SXSW?

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 Began in 1994
 Fastest growing segment of SXSW
 2015 featured:
 800+ interactive sessions
 51,000+ registrants
 Spans a variety of topics including
technology, media, mobile, software,
gaming, social, etc.
SXSW INTERACTIVE

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THE REASON EVERY MARKETER SHOULD ATTEND SXSW:
“The sensory overload
has become a
metaphor for the
modern world.”-
-Tim Leake, Adweek

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 It has gotten so big that the agenda doesn’t revolve around a singular theme anymore
 Everyone has a different experience
 However, there are some commonalities:
SXSW ISWHATYOU MAKE OF IT
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Most Common Words in SXSWi Panels

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TECHNOLOGYTRENDS
THE ‘QUANTIFIED SELF’ 2.0
ROBOTICS AND AI BECOMING MORE ACCESSIBLE
AUGMENTED REALITY/VR = NEW STORYTELLING ENGINES

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THE ‘QUANTIFIED SELF’ 2.0
WHAT’S NEXT?
 Big data as the new wonder drug
 Vast amount of data from devices  need analytical algorithms to decipher it
 Smart textiles
 Incorporating nano-technology for performance
 Provide haptic feedback to users
 Wearable technology and apps are growing in popularity
 Devices expected to total 50B by 2020
 AppleWatch sold more units in one day than AndroidWear in all of 2014
 “Is the AppleWatch the beginning of smart watches or the end of cell phones?”

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ROBOTICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ARE
BECOMING MORE ACCESSIBLE
WHAT’S NEXT?
 Advances in automation
 ex. Resource management: massive inefficiencies in energy and aviation
 Augmented intelligence: man + machine (see: Iron Man)
 Robots and AI will become smarter  “reason about reasoning”
 Not just rule driven (0s and 1s)
 Rank patterns of behavior/interest for predictive application
 Data + hyper-connectivity + advancements in processing power = growth of AI
 Slippery slope
 Great potential to help mankind
 Range of negative consequences
 ex. Massive unemployment as a result of job automation
 ex.Technology takes over, a laTerminator

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AUGMENTED REALITY ANDVIRTUAL REALITY
ARETHE NEW STORYTELLING ENGINES
WHAT’S NEXT?
 Potential application in the fields of:
 Visual commerce/virtual showrooms (ex. Lowe’s Holoroom)
 Entertainment
 Music
 Sports
 Journalism
 Not just for gamers anymore
 Immersive experience for users
 Headsets (ex. Oculus Rift) will be
challenged by mobile devices
(ex. Samsung GearVR)

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MARKETINGTRENDS
THE DEATH OF ADS
UBIQUITY OF BEACONS AND CONNECTED DEVICES
‘EMPATHETIC DESIGN’ PUTS EXPERIENCE FIRST
MOVING BEYOND COOKIE BASEDTARGETING
PERSONALIZATION VS. PRIVACY

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THE DEATH OF ADS
WHAT’S NEXT?
 Native, content based approach will become the new normal
 Focus on environment, user experience and delivering value (see: GoPro, Red Bull)
 Time spent buying models vs. CPMs, CPEs, etc.
 Quality of consumer interactions, not volume
 Finding ways to adapt to new screens will mean less reliance on IAB standard units
 Consumer attention = scarce commodity and they want instant gratification
 Storytelling is key
 “Behave like tomorrow’s programmers, not yesterday’s marketers”
 Push vs. pull messaging
 Consider scale vs. platform
 Consumer behavior and context changes from platform to platform
 Fragmentation is a challenge, requiring agility
 As experiences become more intimate, quality must increase

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COMING SOON:THE UBIQUITY OF BEACONS
AND CONNECTED DEVICES
WHAT’S NEXT?
 Connected smart technologies, aka the “Internet ofThings”
 Potential for many applications, such as in homes
 Coming, but not a reality yet
 Marketers talk about it, but most consumers do not know what this means
 “Walled gardens” will challenge data flow
 Number in the thousands. Will soon reach millions
 Mainly used for commercial purposes today
 In-store sales triggered by beacons projected to grow 10x in the next year (to $44B+)
 Micro-level targeting reaches consumers at shelf/POS
 Complement to standard, macro level targeting (ex. geo-fencing)

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‘EMPATHETIC DESIGN’ PUTS EXPERIENCE FIRST
WHAT’S NEXT?
 Marketers trying to find ways to augment experiences
 What can you provide to the consumer journey that will add value?
 Flexible permissions/enhanced preferences
 Greater control for consumers over the flow of data
 User centered design approach intended to provoke emotion and influence
behavior
 “Experience economy” = winning based not only on products, but also on
user experience
 Be careful – things like push notifications have a fine line between helpful and
annoyance
 Focus on “surprise and delight”

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CONTEXTUAL MOBILE UX INTHE BEACON
WEARABLE AGE
BPN’s own Chris Hiland addresses the panel about the experience economy

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MOVING BEYOND COOKIE BASEDTARGETING
WHAT’S NEXT?
 Expect a shift toward targeting via ID based social platforms (Facebook/Twitter)
 Provide utility for users
 Loaded with data for marketers
 Opportunity for cross-device targeting and sequential marketing
 Deliver scale
 Cookie based targeting is hitting its limit
 Server logs and cookies are not real people (ex. shared computers)
 Weak offline connection
 Cross device targeting is difficult

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BRANDSTRYINGTO FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN
PERSONALIZATION AND PRIVACY
WHAT’S NEXT?
 More privacy controls for consumers
 Opt-in / opt-out
 Consumers will expect more transparency in terms of what data is collected and how
it is used
 Facial recognition technology in-store
 Give and take for consumers
 Give up information in exchange for
more relevant ads
 Ex Machina /Tinder
 Controversial tactic, but effective in
creating that 1:1 connection

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WHAT ISTHE NEXT
EVOLUTION?

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MINORITY REPORT?
 Gesture controlled computers
 Reconnaissance drones
 Augmented reality
 Personalized ads

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PLANNING TO ATTEND SXSW?
TIPS FROM A
FIRSTTIMER

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BE PREPARED

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SXSW CAN BE OVERWHELMING:
HAVE A GAME PLAN, BUT BE FLEXIBLE
 Considerations:
 What are your goals? What are you trying to accomplish while you’re there?
 What are your areas of interest?
 What topics are we discussing within the agency/with clients?
 Who are the keynote speakers for the session?

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PACEYOURSELF…

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…AND DON’T LET FOMO WIN

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MAKE SOMETIMETO EXPLORE AUSTIN

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QUESTIONS?