On a balmy afternoon deep in the heart of Texas, the slogan “Keep Austin Weird” was on full display. Badge holders and locals stood eagerly in line outside bars and restaurants redecorated as brand pop-ups, music blared from every corner and a new Porsche was guarded by a transforming gorilla named Optimus Primal. In short, just another day in the wild world of South by Southwest.
Beneath all of the corporate activations, however, thousands of marketing professionals gathered at SXSW to discuss the latest innovations. While the number of different ideas and opinions was just as varied as the city’s taco offerings, here are a few of the most interesting takeaways.
The Art of AI
Before starting off his discussion with BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti, Semafor’s Ben Smith looked over the packed room and quipped, “Who would have guessed there’d be so many people interested in generative AI at South by Southwest?” Sure enough, the future of AI-generated content was one of the biggest talks of the entire event.
In Peretti’s eyes, while there is no doubt that AI programs are powerful tools, they are only as good as the information they are provided. Similarly, fitness influencer-turned-businesswoman Cassey Ho cautioned against overreliance on AI in a content creator panel with Kajabi, saying, “We tested ChatGPT in a product description, and honestly, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great…Coming from the creative side of things…I like the idea of it being a copilot.” For them, rather than looking at AI as a replacement for a marketing team, it should be looked at as one of many useful tools at a marketer’s disposal, similar to Photoshop. AI can provide a helping hand in expanding the boundaries of content creation — provided it is guided by a skilled team who bears full responsibility for the final product.
Should Brands be Trendy or Timeless?
Between daily TikTok trends and instant access to decades-old media, the battle for a consumer’s attention is raging, and opinions differ on the best way for a brand to retain their interest.
In a panel discussing how to navigate social media risks, Julian Gamboa-Ramos of Maximum Effort discussed the value of having a versatile brand presence, with frequent participation in trends being an excellent way for some brands to build a following. Meanwhile, Lorry Destainville of TikTok believed that increased consumer expectations mean that traditionally accepted benchmarks like hour-long response time and quarterly campaigns can no longer keep pace with changing trends. Conversely, Brent Anderson of TBWA Media Arts Labs, Apple’s dedicated creative agency, felt that excessive participation in trends dilutes a brand and prefers to keep his company focused on its long-held values.
From a data science point of view, Ethan Decker, Ph.D., shared a unique framework to assess consumer behavior and brand trends, which he refers to as the “laws” and “levers” of marketing. Laws are patterns as tried and true as gravity, which do not need to be retested. For example, the more products a consumer purchases, the more brands they are likely consuming. Levers, on the other hand, are strategies that may not work for every brand, campaign or consumer. Brands creating trendy campaigns with the intent to go viral is a great example of a lever that may work for some brands but not others.
In the debate over whether to focus on the ephemeral or the eternal, the answer for most brands will be a mixture. It is impossible, nor advisable, for any brand to participate in every trend, and marketing teams must monitor social channels to see what is relevant to their point of view. As Reddit Head of Global Foresight Matt Klein put it, there is a huge difference between a “trend” and “what is trending,” and any team looking to develop their brand must consider both short-term and long-term implications in everything they do.
Be Good at Doing Good
With customer expectations higher than ever, more consumers are looking to spend their money with brands that align with their ideals. However, in a world where customers can sniff out disingenuous behavior a mile away, brands must not only do the right thing — they must also do it right.
While it is important for brands to act on issues that are important to them, communicating this with their audience is not as simple as sending out an email blast. Often, a brand’s actions can tell their own story. Aimy Steadman of Beatbox Beverages noted that their brand does not focus on their sustainability efforts in their marketing, believing that being environmentally conscious is simply a necessity.
Similarly, Aaronde Creighton of the Leadership Circle cautioned that it can be tempting for brands to look for a “pat on the back” after engaging in responsible behavior. Instead, he argued that the proper approach must be genuine, long-term and intrinsic to every facet of the brand, and the natural spread of this knowledge will be far more impactful than a press release.
While the days of SXSW have drawn to a close, the themes and discussions found in each panel are just beginning. Keep up with our social media channels to see additional updates. Please reach out to Barbara Wray at barbara@wickmarketing.com or (512) 564-4289 to start leveraging these insights.
