SXSW Interactive 2014What’s Hot, What’s Not and What’s Next

Alyssa Gardina@agardina

PART ONE

WHAT’S HOT

BIG [BAD?] DATAThe line between relevant and creepy is getting blurred as personal and location based data are easily gathered. Platforms and brands need to stay on the right side of this line.

Big data is ripe for monetization and companies are looking for new ways to best leverage it while avoiding consumer backlash.

The legal community is paying close attention. Think about real data requirements AND protection before collection.

25% of all #SXSW tweets

DIGITAL CURRENCYAs the Internet truly becomes the WORLD wide web, there is an increasing need for a common global currency for commerce (real and virtual).

Bitcoin, anyone?

HARDWARE OVER SOFTWAREThe popularity of apps decreases (sorry, Foursquare) and hardware becomes SXSW’s new darling. IRL over online experiences – is this CES or SXSW?

Wearable madness

3-D printing for all

THINKING BEYOND PLATFORMSDon't be limited by existing form factors. Great content is the key as brands become builders of experiences.

The form factor is the message

PART TWO

WHAT’S NOT

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIESAs SXSW continues to grow, difficulties plague the conference experience, amplified by attendees’ complaints on social media.

Struggling to dial in presenters, audio issues, cell service and infrastructure shortfalls were again frequent. The rain didn’t help any, either!

CONTENT AND EXPERIENCE OVERLOADAs more content is created, branded content needs to go beyond bringing a good idea to life. It will need to be increasingly customized and provide unique experiences to breakthrough.

Insert YOU Here

WHAT APPS?

Developers are predicting that mobile apps will no longer exist in 3-5 years. The web browser will catch up and eventually provide a more powerful user experience that transcends across mobile operating systems.

PART THREE

BRANDS AT SXSW

GO BIG OR STAY HOMEDon't bring your brand to Austin unless you have an authentic way to breakthrough the noise. Ones that provide relevant services and experiences have a head start.

Powering up attendees

Welcoming our robot overlords

Catching a lift

3-D printing the brand experience

PART FOUR

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. One-to-one is #1

2. Boundaries are blurring

3. Brands will always make a

splash

4. If you go, go with a goal

@agardinaagardina@webershandwick.comslides @ webershandwicksouthwest.com