How Marketers Can Make the Most of SXSW 2023

South By Southwest, the annual conference and festival series spanning tech, art, music, film and comedy, kicks off this weekend in Austin, Texas. Known for startup launches, tech innovation and over-the-top brand activations, the conference component draws major talent across the ad industry. Panels are stocked with celebrated marketers from Unilever, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, Delta, Netflix, Nike and TikTok, to name just a few. Agencies worldwide will have a presence. Brands like Showtime, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Slack and HBO are looking to wow festival-goers with experiential stunts. In the midst of all that, there's a huge opportunity. Ad industry folks who've attended SXSW in the past recommended keeping your schedule loose, prioritizing connections, checking out the activations and taking some time to see the city. Here's a Look Inside SXSW's Biggest Brand Activations With marketers from all over the globe making the trek to the Texas capital, we reached out to a few local industry veterans to offer advice on how to navigate SXSW in 2023. Micky Ogando, CEO and chief creative officer at Austin-based agency Bakery, signed on Nike as a client give years ago after meeting somebody from the athletic brand at South By Southwest. His advice? "Just be out there and experience it. Throw away the damn schedule." Three years later, a return to normal? During the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic—and for the first time in its history—SXSW didn't have a physical footprint in Austin. The 2020 event was canceled at the last minute, dealing a huge financial blow to the festival. By 2021, conditions weren't yet safe for an in-person event, and the programming went virtual. After a tough year, SXSW received "lifeline" investment from Penske Media in April 2021. If you're not at something excellent, get the heck out of there.Maria D'Amato, executive creative director, GSD&M By 2022, the in-person event returned. But with variants of Covid-19 once again increasing rates of infection, attendance wasn't quite at pre-pandemic levels. This year is different. Interest has been "on par with our previous, pre-Covid years," Peter Lewis, SXSW chief partnerships officer, told Adweek. "There's a lot more clarity about the landscape as well, which has led to earlier commitments from brands, which in turn has its own benefits for them," Lewis explained. "They get more lead time for planning, execution, promotion. Overall, we're expecting a very dynamic, exciting event." 'Don't plan too much' Of the people we spoke to, many highlighted the connections made at SXSW rather than the programming itself. Industry veterans advised keeping your schedule flexible, allowing time for impromptu conversations rather than filling every moment with panel sessions, meetings and activation walk-throughs. "Dive in. Don't plan too much. And meet as many people as you can," advised Ogando, who's attended the festival more than a dozen times throughout his career. "You're going to meet a lot of really cool folks that are doing interesting things, and that's really where a real conversation is going to happen." Finding some time to hang around the bar at the Four Seasons, grab a burger at Casino El Camino or rub elbows with locals at The White Horse is where you'll find the "magic" of SXSW, Ogando added. Adweek Podcast: Special SXSW Preview Be open and ready to learn That said, there's still an incredible amount to learn at SXSW. For Maria D'Amato, executive creative director at Austin-based Omnicom agency GSD&M, it's about determining which of the programming is worth your time. Make room in your schedule for the blockbuster activations and a few keynotes, she said, but don't overdo it. "Whether you're a marketer or not, you're coming to South By Southwest to be inspired," D'Amato said. "I give the same advice to people no matter what their role is," she added. "Don't be afraid to leave a session if it's not good. There's too much content there and so much of it is excellent. If you're not at something excellent, get the heck out of there." A big part of the festival for Austin-based agencies is the opportunity to play host for an industry that's more often concentrated in New York and Los Angeles. GSD&M is throwing its annual party on Monday, March 13, at its downtown Austin headquarters, and local indie agency Preacher is also hosting a bash at its offices across the river on Sunday, March 12. "Having our old colleagues, having the companies that we work with when we're producing things, having people we've known for decades but only on the periphery, having them all here literally in our backyard is just a special time," D'Amato explained.

SXSW

From Activations to Agency Parties, Here's What Marketers Can Expect at SXSW 2023

Austin-based industry veterans share advice on how to get the most out of the conference

Kathryn Lundstrom

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Kathryn Lundstrom