A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending SXSW Interactive. In a nutshell, SXSWi is where all the geeks converge and talk about everything and anything digital. Surprisingly, me, my iPhone and my Mac laptop fit in well there. Who would've thought? Anyway, this was my first year to go, so there was definitely a learning curve. There were so many speakers and topics to cover, it was quite overwhelming. But all in all, I had a blast and even learned a thing or two. So here it goes, the thing or two I learned. Most of the stuff you might already have heard before, but it serves as a good reminder of how we should approach marketing, especially in the digital space. I've also conveniently left out all the things I learned from 5pm on (man, can geeks party). - Kevin Botfeld, Associate Creative Director and Writer, 22squared

1. SXSK(ev in)
w learnings f rom Nerdville
A fe

2. Bad Presentations
Get in the way
Sounds obvious. But, I can’t tell you how many downright
awful presentations I sat through. The venn diagram? Are of smart ideas.
you kidding me? And the sad part is, nearly every one of
these bush-league keynotes I listened to actually had
some really smart content to take away. I think.
1. We’re in the business of selling ideas, spreading content, and communicating. Put together a presentation that reflects it people.

3. 2.
Every year, a new app or platform is sort of
“discovered” at SXSWi. Twitter, Foursquare,
GoWalla, are some pretty good examples.
So, our eyes were peeled for the next ‘big techy
thing’. Fortunately, it didn’t take long
to find. On day 1, Shane Needham (Interactive
Producer) and I came across a group texting app
called GroupMe. It’s like a group chat session using
SMS.
Amazingly fun and social. Check it out.
One of our
GroupMe chats.
Personally, I dig Beluga.
Same concept.

4. 3. The Gaming Layer
At first, I thought this kid was insane. He’s a 22-
year-old college dropout who has titled himself,
Chief Ninja. Ok buddy. But he had some really
interesting ideas about how gaming (the
mechanics, rules and rewards behind it) can help
us solve problems.
He talked about how the gaming mechanics in
the virtual world could be applied to real world.
And how gaming can ultimately influence
consumers to participate more.
He goes on to say that if the last decade was
social, the next will be gaming. Hrmm...
Take the next 15 minutes to listen to what he has
to say. It’s pretty interesting.
Seth Priebatsch
Chief Ninja (SCVNGR)
http://tinyurl.com/4a8ouxg

5. 4. iPad Design
WHEN DESIGNING, FOLLOW THESE RULES:
• It’s a device for leisure, and contemplation.
• Don’t get greedy with pixels.
• Clarity triumphs complexity.
• Manage information as a conversation.
• Tap quality is more important that tap quantity.
• End page-flips.
“The page-flip is like horse-shit
coming out of a tailpipe.”
• Kill the back button.
• The message is the medium.
• Put menus and controls at the top.
And cluster in the corners. Avoid
the top middle.

6. 5. Mobile Social Gaming: The Next Frontier.
Mobile is huge. Social is huge. Gaming is huge. Put them together, and well,
you got something pretty huge on your in hands. Or should I say, in them.
While I’m not a social gamer (i.e. Farmville, etc.), there’s big potential here
as companies begin to monetize gaming.
Mobile phones are mass media in our pockets.
And now you know...
- 4,965,000,000 people have mobile phone subscriptions.
- 91% of those people have their devices within arms reach.
- More people own mobile phones subscriptions than
toothbrushes. Ew, gross.
- On average, it takes 26 hours to report a lost wallet, but
only 68 minutes for a lost mobile phone.

7. Okay, so I learned the secret behind how Old Spice sold this nice campaign. Shhhh.
Lean in real close. Closer. Closer. Ok, here it goes: “Trust with your clients is the secret sauce if want to do
groundbreaking work.” Seriously? Son of a b... I thought it was going revolutionary.
Nevertheless, it’s true. Maybe a good reminder at best.
6.

8. 7. The less you say, the more they’ll remember.

9. 8. How big brands
avoid being obsolete
Brands that are most successful (at the height
of success) need to change, adapt the most.
Brands that are closest to obsolescence is when
they’re most successful.
Brands are obsessed with what they
were vs. what they can be.
I had to sit through an awful presentation for this content. But nevertheless, it was interesting. To sum it up, brands
need to keep reinventing themselves. And not just when the competition evolves, but at the peak of their success.

10. 9. Power of the fans
I spent a session listening to how
HBO organically leveraged fan
sites to promote the TruBlood
brand.
Rather than shout to millions,
they conversed with a small
group of their most influential
watchers. And converted them
into mini ambassadors.
I found it pretty interesting,
being as as most brands fear
those types of sites.
Fan empowerment. Speak to a small audience rather than shout to millions.