A Great First Day at SXSW with A&E and the Bates Motel
The mood at last year’s SXSW Interactive was gloomy (as was the weather). The economy was still in the tank, information security and privacy had been threatened on a broad scale in 2013-2014, and federal regulation appeared to be on the horizon. As we left Austin, it seemed we were witnessing the death of the Internet as we knew it.
As this year’s SXSW Interactive drew near, I was curious what I would find. Since last year, the economy has turned around, information security concerns have quelled, and talk of a federally regulated Internet have ceased. Yet, on the eve of SXSW Interactive 2015 an Austin Chronicle writer proclaimed that the star of SXSW Interactive had faded. Many regular attendees and vendors decided to pass on SXSW, and nothing truly revolutionary has been unveiled at SXSW since Twitter in 2009.
Maybe its the sunnier weather, but the first day of SXSW Interactive 2015 has a very upbeat vibe. The sessions are packed, the usual cast of vendor characters is on hand, new startups are trying all kinds of zany ways to get noticed, and the spirit of invention and optimism is on the lips of those walking the halls of the Austin Convention Center, the new JW Marriott and other venues here in Austin. Maybe it is the case, as Coach Art Briles said during his SXSW Sports session today regarding the success of his football programs, that digital marketers are turning the pain of the past few years into purpose and finding new ways to get creative and move forward.
One of the key innovations is in the realm of content marketing. Content has been “king” in social media for some time now. The best content marketers are leveraging every medium possible to wrap compelling stories around their brands and products in order to increase constituent engagement in multiple modes on different platforms. Successful content marketing is goal-driven, intentional and resource intensive work, bringing together roles across organizations that do not normally work together. In some cases, these changes are changing the reporting structure of traditional marketing organizations. Activities once clearly distinct from one another – such as journalism and marketing – come together in content marketing, raising good questions about what may be lost in the synthesis. In a world with Fox News and evidenced influence of commercial entities on published news stories, where does journalism begin and marketing end? Do we as a culture no longer truly believe in objective, truth-seeking journalism (or any other activity for that matter)? Or are we so jaded because of recent experience that we think all news reported by a newspaper or broadcast network ultimately serves a marketing end? What impact does this blurred line have on a creating an informed, democratic society? Regardless of how we answer these questions, the current state of content marketing is, in essence, making news out of branding content and it is being shared broadly through social media.
Another creative innovation is deepening the focus on designing for experience. Whether it is a mobile app, user interface, product or administrative process the way we often imagine something should work is not usually the way it actually works best for people. Creating great experiences for people and ensuring that people have a consistently good experience with a product or service is difficult work grounded in extensive research. The benefit, however, creates an interface, product or experience that humanizes. Apple is the one brand that has understood this for decades and other large brands are catching on. Or at least trying harder. I’m looking at you Google.
Given the climate of this year’s SXSW Interactive, I’m looking forward to Day 2 to see what other creative ways digital marketers and others are finding new ways forward.