I recently attended SXSW In Austin and have put together the attached recap to share with you. There was a lot to take away and a lot written about SXSW – it was my 7th year so I’ve seen it grow from a digitally-focused conference to a full-fledged festival where tech innovation can often take a backseat to marketers and big brands spending big money to get noticed. Through it all, it’s still a great place to learn, meet industry people and connect or reconnect with professional contacts. Key takeaways include: • Top trends • Key learnings • Trending topics • Social media trends • What’s on our radar • Beauty & fashion brands at SXSW

1. SXSW Interactive 2013 Recap & Key Learnings
Overview
The 20th annual SXSW Interactive (#SXSWi) Festival took place March 8-12, 2013 in Austin, Texas. An
incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, the event features five days of compelling
presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted
by industry leaders and an unbeatable line-up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video
games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the
future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of
technology.Members from our Digital Marketing team attended and below are ourtop takeaways from this
year’s festival.
Top Trends and Key Learnings
Best Branding Onsite
Samsung – Samsung sponsored the official SXSWiTechSet Blogger Lounge inside the Convention
Center, which included influential industry talks throughout the day, people coming in and out to
charge their stations and connect with their networks, as well as the chance to win free product with
a product display in the lounge. Outside of the Convention Center, Samsung had street teams passing
out collateral, held private events, sponsored industry events and separate event spaces that ran
concurrent throughout the festival. The brand also hired influencers to promote their devices.
Chevy – As the official transportation sponsor of SXSWi, Chevrolet provided free cab rides around
Austin for festival attendees. SXSW attendees could tweet @Chevrolet using the hashtag
#ChevySXSW and the car service would pick up and take them to their final destination. Drivers were
also trained to talk about the vehicles during the ride. The brand also implemented Drive a Chevy
allowing attendees to test drive a variety of Chevrolet cars through downtown Austin. Chevrolet also
sponsored events, like #AllHat5, where leaders in the industry gathered to discuss trends and topics.
Trending Topics at SXSWi
Throughout SXSWi, Mashable welcomed attendees to meet and greet internet meme Grumpy Cat at
the Mashable House, encouraging tweets, Instagrams, Vines and Facebook pictures
The marrying of celebrities and technology was apparent at this year’s SXSWi with celebrities like
Shaquille O’Neill, Ashton Kutcher and Joseph Gordon-Levitt attending events and talks
Tech startups, such as Yappem, NowThisNews and UMe Time, had a prominent presence with
thousands of emerging businesses leveraging SXSWi as a networking, relationship building and new
business opportunity
Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is an evolving trend in 2013. M-commerce makes the user
experience faster and easier for consumers to purchase.

2. Overarching themes from this year’s SXSWi, as discussed by several keynote speakers like MSNBC’S
Rachel Maddow, PayPal co-founder Elon Musk and The Oatmeal’s Matthew Inman, include:
o Social media is now a normalcy in our society, so take advantage by spreading word of
mouth, brand awareness and consumer/fan loyalty
o Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion and stand up for what you believe in; join the
discussion online to educate yourself and others
o Do what makes you happy and find passion in your work
Social Media Trends
Visual and viral content is on the rise with emerging platforms like Vine and Vyclone
Over-connecting through social media, social apps and smart phones is transforming the way we
relate to one another, causing distractions and stress
Instead of changes in technology fueling new social platforms, social connections are driving the
growth of technology. This year was the year of the indie company gaining traction quickly through
crowdfunding, driven by social finally operating at scale (via http://www.mediapost.com).
On Our Radar
Converging and storing big data is becoming essential, providing opportunity for many startups like
Cloudera
Gadgets/Hardware becoming more accessible (Microsoft Kinnect, Samsung TecTiles, Google shoes,
Google Glass and Leap Motion)
3D finally coming to the masses (printers, scanners, replicas, etc.)
Beauty and Fashion at SXSWi
Marie Claire held the #ViralStyle panel with Creative Director Nina Garcia and founder & CEO of
Zuckerberg Media Randi Zuckerberg discussing how social media has upended the traditional
fashion industry. Key takeaways include:
o Social media allows the visual, emotional and inspirational effectiveness of fashion
o E-tail is the future of fashion and social media
o Without e-commerce, brands are struggling to gain profit
o Pinterest is the top site for fashion and growing e-tail space
Overall, there was limited beauty/fashion engagement at this year’s SXSWi
Paul Mitchell provided a curling iron bar at the Forbes 30 Under 30 party (private event – 200
people)
Neiman Marcus partnered with StyleCaster Media Group providing blowouts, makeup applications
and manicures (one day only)