Ad Guru’s Dispense Inspiration From One Club’s Wheel of Karma

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Leading up to Creative Week, JWT New York is working with inTacto to launch an interactive game in support of the One Club, enlisting some industry big shots to inspire the next generation of creative talent.

The project’s purpose is to increase involvement in the One Show awards, invoke a sense of community among creatives by becoming more informed about their colleagues’ work, and inspire the next generation of young creative leaders.

The karma-fueled game invites visitors to visit Wheel of Karma to watch the work of this year’s One Show finalists. The game unfolds by spinning a wheel similar to a circular mandala, with each spin giving players a chance to win prizes from the heavens. It’s in the vein of the One Show call for entries, which we designed this year, as well as the creative direction and production of the One Show Awards.

In addition to prizes like coffee to fuel late nights, One Show Annuals and tickets to the One Show Awards, we are serving up personal experiences with some of the ad world’s most respected creative visionaries and leaders; experiences that are meant to inspire and enrich the young creative community.

Why You Should Attend INBOUND 2013 in Boston This Summer

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You can decide whether this is a commercial announcement (no one paid us to write this) or valuable industry information (no one asked us to write this). Or maybe it’s both (we contribute to the HubSpot blog). All we know is that HubSpot’s INBOUND 2013 conference is taking place in Boston this summer, August 19-22 and it’s most certainly an event you should attend.

Why? Because as a smart marketer or agency exec, you really need to learn about inbound marketing. What is inbound marketing? Take a gander at the chart below.

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Basically, inbound marketing is all about making it easy for your customers to find you. And it’s all about gracefully converting prospect into customers and then into brand advocates.

It involves the creation of content that is educational, informative and answers your prospect’s questions. That content is then used to cultivate and generate leads through marketing offers (e.g. ebooks, webinars, whitepapers, etc.). Content in marketing also includes the use of email marketing to offer additional information to leads with the aim of moving them down the purchase funnel, as well as the creation of landing pages on which products can be promoted with calls-to-action offers, and the use of social media which can further disseminate content.

Additionally, the use of content extends to many other marketing methods like search engine optimization , lead management , and marketing automation . For the most part, it all starts with content. Content that is informative, educational, and relevant, but also — and this is most important — content that is ultimately designed to sell something.

And the beautiful thing about iInbound marketing is that it sidesteps buyers’ advertising blinders because it isn’t car dealer-style advertising that no one wants to see. Instead, inbound marketing offers information that was sought after and found to be valuable to the consumer.

Sold? Not yet? Check out this Slideshare that shares 13 reasons why INBOUND 2013 is Boston’s can’t-miss event.

OK, ready to register? Do so below:



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The Most Disgusting Film Festival Ad You Will Ever See

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If you’re not into horror movies or have an irrational fear of dentistry then we’d advise you skip this one. If, however, you love tension, suspense and, well, flossing, then go right ahead and watch.

The film, created by RPA and produced by Tool, is a promotion for the Newport Beach Film Festival and succinctly drives home the point film can, indeed, make you feel like you are right in the middle of the action.

AKQA Announces 2013 Future Lions Call For Entries

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The Future Lions global student creative competition is calling for 2013 entries. AKQA, in collaboration with Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is hosting Future Lions for the eighth year in a row. This year’s theme, ‘Destiny Awaits’, encourages students to invent bold ideas that will create the future.

The annual Future Lions competition challenges students to develop an idea for advertising a brand in a way that would not have been possible five years ago. There are no rules in terms of media or technology, no restrictions around product or target audience and no entry fee. Winning concepts will be honoured at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the Debussy Theatre in June.

Celebrating the competition’s emphasis on creativity and innovation, AKQA is proud to announce WIRED UK as official partner for Future Lions 2013.

Last year the competition achieved a record number of over 1,100 entries from 40 countries, making it one of the world’s largest student competitions. An influential platform for emerging talent, Future Lions winners are highly sought after and quickly employed by many of the world’s leading agencies.

DDB, R/GA, BBDO Webby Most Nominated For Agency of the Year

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It’s that time of year again. Time for the Oscars of the Internet. The time when the red carpet is rolled out to honor the best web work of the year. With 18 nominations, DDB leads all agencies in nominations and joins R/GA (17), BBDO (11), Wieden + Kennedy (9), Ogilvy (8), McCann (8) and Y&R (8) in primary contention for Webby Agency of the Year. Other Agencies with multiple nominations also in the running for Agency of the Year are Digitas (7), Pereira & O’Dell (6), Razorfish (6), and Heimat Werbeagentur (5).

In addition to awards voted on by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Science, supporters and fans can choose winners for the People’s Voice Awards. All Webby Award nominees are eligible and voting ends on Thursday, April 25, 2013.

Winners of The 17th Annual Webby Awards will be announced on Tuesday, April 30, 2013. The star-studded ceremony will be streamed from www.WebbyAwards.com on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

Art Directors Club Announces Winner of 92nd Annual Awards

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The Art Directors Club has announced the winners of its ADC 92nd Annual Awards for the advertising, interactive, and motion categories. The winners were presented with the coveted Gold and Silver Cubes at the Awards Gala, marking the conclusion of the three-day ADC 92nd Annual Awards + Festival of Art and Craft in Advertising and Design.

This year’s cumulative winners, based upon awards won across all categories, are as follows:

– ADC Agency of the Year: McCann NY
– ADC Network of the Year: BBDO
– ADC Design Firm of the Year: Dentsu Inc.
– ADC Interactive Agency of the Year: Forsman & Bodenfors
– ADC School of the Year: School of Visual Arts

Additionally, there was one winner of the third-annual ADC Designism Award, which honors work that drives social or political change. This year’s winner was Buck, a design-driven production company, for its work promoting Good Books. Juries did not select an ADC Black Cube winner for best-in-show this year.

Judged by an international panel of the world’s most respected creative professionals, including Naked Creative Partner Fernanda Romano (Interactive Jury Chair), Droga5 Executive Creative Director Ted Royer (Advertising Jury Chair) and Founder, Prologue Films and co-Founder Imaginary Forces, Kyle Cooper (Motion Jury Chair), the ADC Annual Awards competition honors the best work from around the world in the interactive, advertising, design, motion, photography and illustration industries. This year’s winners represented 23 countries, demonstrating the ADC’s dedication to finding the best creative talent across the globe.

Master of ceremonies for the 92nd Annual Awards Gala was advertising great and entrepreneur Cindy Gallop. The evening began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Atrium of the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center, home of the New World Symphony, followed by the awards presentation, with interactive elements in the venue provided by Float4 Interactive, iStockphoto and theatreMAMA. The evening and three-day Festival concluded with the Gala After-Party atop the rooftop of the New World Center overlooking Miami Beach serenaded by Miami’s Best Latin Band of the Year, Suénalo.

The complete list of winners can be viewed here.

Clickbooth, CPAWay, MAX Bounty Get Grand at ad:tech

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Clickbooth, CPAWay and MAXBounty have once again teamed to bring you a stellar event during ad:tech in San Francisco April 9 from 9PM until 2AM at The Grand which is located at 520 4th Street.

What can you expect? Open bar all night. Tunes from San Francisco DJ David Carvalho, San Francisco’ hottest go-go dancers and all kinds of other surprises like, well, you’ll just have to come and find out.

RSVP here. And check out pictures from their last party during Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas.

-DJ David Carvalho (HUGE local following)
-Surprise Interactive Entertainment throughout the night (Shots from the sky to fire in the face and everything in between!)
-Booked San Fran’s hottest go-go dancers
-OPEN BAR FOR ALL

SXSW Launches Yet Another Conference: SXSWuni

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SXSW is huge. There’s Interactive, there’s Music, there’s Film, there’s Education, there’s event a startup conference in Vegas. So why not a conference that focuses on all things Uni? Yes, Uni. As in unicycles, unitards, unibrows and unicorns.

The conference is called SXSWuni and aims to “unify unity for the universe.” Content will feature a panel discussion with Anthony Davis, a man who is all about the unibrow and a film screening of The Last Unicorn.

Check out the event here.

Art Directors Club to Host ‘Art Battle’

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At this year’s Art Directors Club Awards, held April 2-4 in Miami Beach, design heavyweights of the world will square off against one another in the Adobe-sponsored event entitled Secret Walls: A Live Digital X Physical Art battle on Creative Cloud.

Each team will gather together their creative tools and face off in a live art competition. Two teams will use Adobe Creative Cloud to create live art pieces in front of an audience.

Check out all the festival details here and register.

How Metalhead Mentality Breeds Creativity

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TBWA\Chiat\Day New York Head of Planning, Ed Castillo, attended a SXSW panel entitled Anarchists to Sell-Out: Punks Make Better CEOs and had these thoughts to share.

The presentation I enjoyed most at SXSWi was “Anarchist to Sell-Out: Punks Make Better CEOs” by Deep Local CEO Nathan Martin. Martin’s candid account of his journey from skate punk, to electronics anarchist, to metal front man, to tactical-media artist and agitator, to design professor, to creative technologist for hire (my characterizations, not his) was a provocative and inspiring story about embracing the disruptive force of creativity and living strictly on one’s own terms. In a career punctuated by hacking the Nintendo Gameboy, trading sex for votes, and Nike Chalkbot, Martin has apparently found a way to participate meaningfully in the circus that is brand marketing while staying true to the idealism of his art and the hacktivism of his youth.

Of particular interest to me is his role in metal/punk/grindcore/noise outfit Creation is Crucifixion. As Martin recounted his experiences touring with this band of developer and technologist types, I couldn’t help but think about my own metalhead friends, and their tendency to be gear-heady, catharsis inclined jonesers who are fond of making things. And just hours after hearing Martin’s presentation, the idea that ‘metal and making’ may be linked in some fundamental way presented itself again while having drinks with colleagues from TBWA\Digital Arts Network (I was with an Aussie, a Brit, and two Finns; all of whom are metal heads). As we prepared ourselves to attend the Metal Monsters of Texas Unofficial SXSW Showcase, the conversation moved effortlessly from the latest double-bass-drum techniques by Meshuggah’s Thomas Haake, to isolating video game music soundtracks from their gameplay context for iPod listening, to admiring the new Fractal Axe-FX II guitar amp emulator, to sussing out how we might share Pro Tools and Cubase files to collaborate remotely on original music, to describing the joys of listening to metal while writing code; all ostensibly conversations about making stuff.

…So what is the connection – if any – between making “stuff” (which, for the purpose of this article means “creative expressions for commercial gain”) and loving metal?

The most obvious connection may be the roles of technique and gear/tools in the making of stuff, and in metal. Many metalheads are musicians, but even if they aren’t, they can typically distinguish a Marshall from a Mesa/Boogie, or a Fender from a Gibson. More generally, they’ll likely also have an appetite for discussing the hardware, software, operating systems, and programming languages used to make video and audio content (and they might even want to discuss the power, control, microelectronics, and signal processing that goes into making even more tangible “stuff”).

[In case you hadn’t noticed, the Creation is Crucifixion song I posted above is called “Antenna Builder (aka Engineer an Inverse Cellular Network).”]

Looking deeper, though, I see something more interesting in the preponderance of creative minds being drawn to what the masses experience as cacophony. Hard/heavy music fandom (from metal to industrial to punk and beyond) can be characterized as being made up of “subcultures of alienation” which have their own sets of unwritten rules (distributed tribally across the sub-groups that make up the larger hard/heavy musical taxonomy). These rules compel tribe members to oppose mainstream, established…popular means of expression.

That is to say that these rules compel metalheads to be disruptors (which is near to my heart as an employee of TBWA).

If you’ve never experienced a discussion of metal’s sub-generic classifications, you might be surprised to learn how fragmented these sub-genres can be, which in turn can lead to wildly over-thought classification schemes (e.g., I recently argued with a friend for an hour about whether Poland’s Decapitated is “ultra-technical death metal” or simply “modern math metal”).

What’s more likely the case is that you just don’t care, which is precisely the point. Subcultures of alienation thrive on being alien, at least in comparison with the larger population (even if they demonstrate a remarkable uniformity within their own tribe [think black concert T-shirts and long hair on men]).

At the center of all this tribalism is freedom from convention (well, those not imposed by the tribe, at least) and a constant opportunity for cathartic expression. And these are the very roots of creativity.

Every one of us is born creative, expressive and comfortable with ourselves. But over time, schools, churches and other institutions force us to focus on the “right” and “wrong” answers, and this fades.

(An idea quickly and elegantly represented here http://youtu.be/n3EQT-TYv_0)

I can’t know whether any of this armchair anthropology is manifest in Nathan Martin’s creative work, his sense-of-self, or in the work or senses-of-self of any other of the creative metalheads who seem to surround me. I can tell you, however, that Martin’s SXSW presentation compelled me to take notice and think about these issues, and for that I’m thankful.

Nathan Martin is “still metal,” even if he is no longer screaming and growling on performance space stages.

Why SXSW is Still Awesome

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SS+K wanted to capture the SXSW experience by tapping into the videos people were sharing from the festival through Vine. The agency used the SX6s app they built to view and select a set of Vines they thought were an accurate representation of SXSW experiences people were documenting in their vines: parties, food, street life, robots, and the Music, Film, and Interactive conference itself.

The result is a frenetic video that captures what it’s like to attend SXSW. The pace is fast and furious. The schedule is tight. And it’s a panoply of information and insight to fuel the mind for months following the event.

In terms of this year’s objects of desire, I liked the Leap Motion Controller which allows you to control your computer by gesticulating. I liked Grumpy Cat who appeared in the Mashable Tent for all to experience. I liked NASA’s presence which included several talks as well and a giant Space Camp astronaut dude who, in addition to roaming the streets of Austin, wandered through the exhibit hall and took pictures with people. And 3D printing was a live and well at many various events.

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There were no breakout hot products like there were in years past but that isn’t important. And to expect it to happen every year is just silly. In my opinion, people are better served by taking advantage of the personal connections which can be made during SXSW rather than expecting some cool, new app every year. Apps don’t last forever. True friendship does.

In all, this year’s SXSW was wonderful. Yes it was bigger then last year. Yes it’s not the quaint geek-fest it once was. But something about this year just clicked. Last seemed a bit crazy and unorganized. This time everything felt smooth and enjoyable. Maybe it’s just me but we’ve heard others say the same.

The marketing community continues to gravitate to SXSW but in more meaningful ways. The days of giant brand take overs like Pepsi Playground (which we liked and is now impossible to repeat because there’s a building where it took place) seem to be over but brands continue to have a strong presence.

Advertising agencies were well represented this year at SXSW with many hosting events or parties. JWT had its second annual Messin’ With Texas party. GSD&M had its Industry Party. Barbarian Group (which has had a presence at SXSW long before most agencies) held its annual party again this year at Mohawk. And that’s just a small sample of agency representation at this year’s SXSW.

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Certain “purists” will continue to bash the growth of SXSW but I think it’s just indicative of the greater marketing and advertising world understanding there are seismic shifts occurring and SXSW is a very important place to stay on top of those changes.

Even though I feel the dramatic growth SXSW has experienced is a good thing, I do miss the days when, as described by a friend, SXSW was like “having the entire internet in person.”

Ariel is right. Up until about four years ago, when you attended SXSW, it felt like a close-knit circle of friends…or at least a circle of close connections you had made through social media and its various precursors. Five years ago at an SXSW party in a venue that no longer exists, I can remember being starstruck by the presence of Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon founders all in the same room…along with, Shira Lazar iJustine, Lux Alptraum, Violet Blue, Evan Williams, Leah Culver, Pete Cashmore, Brian Solis and so many more that seemed to be everywhere during that year’s SXSW.

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But, as with anything, over time things change. And they have changed a lot. In 2008, there were 9,000 interactive attendees. In 2013, there were 30,621 interactive attendees. It’s awful hard for anything to feel intimate when there are 30,000 people involved and much of the internet Waldman refers to no longer attend.

That doesn’t make SXSW bad. It just makes it different. It’s easy to get nostalgic about the “good ‘ol days” of SXSW and the internet but nothing stays the same forever. Out of this growth, brands have finally discovered that technology plays a very important role in marketing. And technologists have reaped the benefits of, lets be honest, the deep pockets of big brands.

As is usually the case when big brands (and anyone remotely tied to marketing and advertising) first approach something new, size matters. Bigger is better. Think Pepsi Playground. Think CNN Grill. Think hot chicks atop a bus driving circles around the convention center.

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But now, while just as many brands are in attendance, the approach is different, The takeovers are smaller. They are more grounded (like Samsung’s pop up store). And they are much less ostentatious.

Many a naysayer told me “I’m not coming back next year.” Many people said this last year, yet they returned this year. It’s easy to trash SXSW for becoming large and commercial when it was once a quaint meetup for geeks. It’s far more intelligent to realize the event still has much to offer. I’ll be returning next year.

Is SXSW the New Cannes?

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While we knew this was the case for several years now, SXSW Interactive has become a huge event generating conversation the world over. This year’s event generated 1.1 million tweets in 5 five days across 200 countries and 19 languages.

Social media monitoring company Synthesio created an infographic summarizing global social media conversation about the Austin, Texas event. Without surprise, the U.S generated the most (71%) conversation followed by the UK (4.6%) and Canada (4.4%).

Some say SXSW is the new Cannes. In some respects, it is. As the advertising industry moves more towards technology and content solutions versus Super Bowl-style creative solutions, this shift in mentality may make sense. But it will be a very long while before the advertising industry gives up its Rose-filled afternoons on the Carlton Terrace or the massive beach parties that occur every night which, by the way, put even the best parties at SXSW to shame.

But parties are not the primary reason to attend a conference or festival. It’s to connect with people, ideas and technologies that fuel a different sort of creativity. A creativity that results in conception of technologies and content that are of use to consumers who have certain needs and have gone looking for solutions to address those needs.

Of course, that’s not to say “regular” advertising doesn’t attempt to address people’s needs. It does. It’s just far less efficient than technology or content-based solutions.

Everyone has heard of Nike Fuelband. It’s the classic example of technology put to use to create a product that serves the specific needs of a certain set of people. But it’s not an ad. It’s a product. It’s also a product that does a pretty good job advertising the Nike brand name without beating one over the head with an interruptive-style commercial.

Everyone has heard of content marketing marketing. Ever since the original Yahoo was born (and probably before), people have been able to turn to the internet when they have a need. If a brand has well-SEO’d content available to that information seeker, that brand is far more likely to draw that person into its acquisition funnel than a brand that doesn’t.

That, of course, is one of the pillars of inbound marketing; the creation of content that educates, informs and satiates the needs and wants of consumers. It also includes SEO, social media, lead management, lead nurturing, email marketing, marketing automation and more.

The days of Cannes-style industry celebration may be limited. While some slam SXSW for getting too big and promise they won’t be back next year, we think they will. Other wise, they may be stuck alone on the Carlton Terrace drinking Rose and watching the tumbleweeds roll down the Croisette.

However, for SXSW to become the new Cannes, it simply must improve programming. With hundreds of over overlapping panels chosen, mostly, by popular vote resulting in a very high percentage of lame ass flops, the event comes nowhere near the high quality, highly curated content of Cannes. At Cannes, there are far fewer panels but they are of the highest quality and well worth attending either to educate or to inspire.

And inspiration is a powerful thing. Inspiration can lead to the creation of amazing things. And amazing things have a far better chance of influencing people than a better way to get a Highlight of where your friends are.

That said, Cannes places a lot of emphasis on creativity for creativity’s sake. In one sense, that’s not bad. After all, creativity fuels the development of wonderful things that can result in the development of killer products and services. On the other hand, winning a Gold Cannes Lion, in some respects, just means your work was prettier and more “creative” than everyone else’s.

But as we said before, Cannes has killer content that can truly inspire. It’s not just about the awards. In a nutshell, Cannes is a well-oiled machine with a highly specific agenda. SXSW, conversely, is looser, more egalitarian and frenetic. Both styles have their advantages. And disadvantages.

What are your thoughts? Is SXSW the new Cannes?

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Why All Brands Need to be Real-Time Marketers

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In a rousing SXSW Interactive pop-up panel hosted by Expion and moderated by Advertising Age’s David Teicher, the subject of real time marketing was discussed. On the panel were Mondelez VP of Global Media and Consumer Engagement Bonin Bough, Oreo Senior Associate Brand Manager Steve Doan, Expion Chief Innovation Officer Albert Chou, 360i VP of Emerging Media David Berkowitz and Vayner Media Co-Founder Gary Vaynerchuk. Held at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar on 6th street, the panel shared theories and practical advice for brands navigating the ever-quicker stream of media that now rules our daily lives.

The fact the panel was held at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar was apropos. To see Bough and Vaynerchuk share a microphone was both comical and practical. Comical because the two couldn’t comment enough on each other’s commentary. Practical because had each had their own microphone, it would have much like, well, a pair of pianos dueling each other.

Doan began by explaining that nine months ago, OREO made a concerted effort to figure out how to communicate with consumers “in a new social space.” The brand realized there was a huge opportunity to engage with millennials instead in addition to the brand’s core audience of moms. And social media was the perfect place to do so. While Oreo certainly did plan to engage during the Super Bowl, much to the chagrin of conspiracy theorists, the brand did not pull the plug at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Bough pointed out that brands must have the “willingness to prepare” for events that may present opportunities to engage with customers. Learning how to respond in real time will be an important new skill for brands to master and fear must be left at the doorstep.

To the point that brands must be willing to engage, Berkowitz noted that if everyone involved with a brand marketing team isn’t on top of large live events that may present opportunities to engage, “odds are you aren’t doing your job.” It was also noted the the mentality of the campaign is still far too ingrained in the minds of marketers. There is no beginning, middle and end any longer. While planning will always play a role — Berkowitz shared that his team had several “dry runs” in advance of the Super Bowl — brands have to be nimble and ready to act on a moments notice when an opportunity presents itself.

Vaynerchuk joked he had some real time marketing ideas for the Super Bowl as well but didn’t receive approval until two days after the game. Bureaucracy doesn’t fly in what has become an extremely faced paced practice.

When Teicher mentioned the lemming-like roundup of “best uses of realtime media at the Oscars, Vaynerchuk jumped in and made note, “This world is predicated on campaigns and f%$king winning awards in France – dumb shit that doesn’t matter.” Vaynerchuk argued that much of the “real time” content brands posted during the Oscars did far better from a sharing standpoint (retweets, etc.) than the average activity those brands see on a daily basis. In his mind, those brands, even though they weren’t Oreo’s Dunk in the Dark, over-performed compared to a brand’s baseline.

Bough agreed with Vaynerchuk saying “number matter, dude” and urged brands to take note of “the cultural moments around which we know conversations are going to happen.” Bough’s point speaks to the controversy surrounding real-time marketing. Purist believe for marketing to be real-time, there should not be preparation. More practical marketers realize a little preparation — even if it comes in the form of Twitter image templates — isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s just smart.

On the broader topic of brands creating content akin to the content media companies create, Vaynerchuk argued owned media is a platform every brand should adopt, if not, at least explore, because brands should no longer have to “rent with dollars” space from other media in the form of banners, print ads or TV commercials. As content marketers already know, brands do not need to rely on media companies to spread their content.

Bolstering Vaynerchuk’s point, Bough argued skeptics of so-called “non-working media” (owned, earned) should ask themselves what Oreo-related content they recalled from the Super Bowl, the ad or the Dunk in the Dark real-time ad. By far, the discussion surrounded “non-working media” which all the panelist agreed is a pretty stupid term to describe something that actually works.

In terms of Big Data management, something the panelists acknowledged is extremely important when managing real-time marketing programs, Chao explained the Expion offering. Hey, it was a sponsored panel. You think these things happen for free? Anyway, here are the eight points behind Expion’s Real Time Marketing Technology:

1) Flow – Identify all relevant activity streams
2) Integrate – Connect all streams with common topology
3) Find – Search for topical conversations
4) Influence – Determine the importance of the conversation
5) Relevancy – Is the conversation important to the brand
6) Alert – Notify the right marketer to engage
7) Frame – Provide a snapshot brief of the conversation underway
8) Engage – Brand engages with relevant content at the right moment

So, yes, just months after real-time marketing became a “thing” –although Bough would argue he’s been doing real-time marketing since he worked on Gatorade four years ago — there is a process and technology to make it all happen.

But that’s not the important take away here. The most important issue the real-time marketing trendlet has brought to the forefront — much the same way Twitter and other social media did — is that the campaign is dead. The notion a brand can neatly package an on-brand message with all elements predetermined is flawed thinking in a world where reacting in seconds can make or break a brand’s perception.

It will most certainly not be easy for brands to make the transition to a real-time mentality. It’s just not the nature of things in a corporate world with layers of bureaucracy and endless approval cycles. But in a world where brands don’t control what’s being said about its products, let alone even be able to define it, there really is no choice. Brands have to move at the speed of social conversation. No, they don’t have to join – or even acknowledge every conversation — but they do have top have a clear handle on what’s being said and have a plan in place to act quickly if need be.

That’s all realtime marketing is. Having the ability to think and move faster than ever before. We son’t get there overnight but we will. We have to. The greater public’s already there. There’s really no choice but for brands to get their RTM act together. Yes, I did just say that.

Street Marketing Alive And Well At SXSW

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With SXSW getting bigger and bigger each year, it’s interesting to see which marketers will stand out from the crowd. Often times, it’s the little things that seem to capture attention best. At least in our opinion.

Last year, mobile parking app ParkMe placed fake paper boots on the wheels of cars all over the city of Austin to call attention to its app. It got a lot of buzz and the app is quite successful one year later.

This year, task app TaskRabbit has tricked out a vehicle to make it look like, well, a furry rabbit. With so many people out and about in the city traversing the city to attend panels which have now grown well beyond the confines of the Austin Convention Center, the streets are prime space for marketers to hype their offerings.

We’re quite sure we’ll see more examples of this as the week progresses.

Photo Credit: Mashable

Syfy Erects Pop-Up Hotel at SXSW

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As we wander around Austin during SXSW we love to spot unique marketing stunts brands activate. One such stunt comes to us courtesy of Syfy Channel. Reacting (in a way) to the lack of housing available during SXSW, the cable channel erected a pop-up hotel. Constructed out of containers (those big ones you see on ships and behind 18 wheelers), the “hotel rooms” were decked out in as posh-like a manner as is possible with, well, a metal container.

Located on San Jacinto and 4th Street, the pop-up hotel was called Defiance Cntainer Village and was created to promote the channel’s upcoming futuristic drama Defiance debuting April 15. It’s the first time Syfy has had a presence at SXSW.

The hotel, which did not charge guests to stay, included blogger Curt Johnson, Defiance actor Jessie Rath and Forbes’ Jeff Bercovici. Rooms were not available until around March 10, at which time SXSW had already began and most people would have already found a place to stay. So it wasn’t exactly a solution to the housing crunch but, hey, it’s just a marketing stunt after all so we won’t hold it against them.

SXSW Stereotypes As Represented by Cats

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What would SXSW be without a cat meme to accompany it? Thanks to Traction, we have one. Or at least a stereotypical representation of SXSW themes represented by cats. We have Big Data Cruncher, I Can Haz Mowr BBQ, Inappropriately Hot Booth Babe, The Futurist Keynoter and more. Check them all out here.

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How To – And Why You Should – Make Mistakes on Purpose

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Commercial artist Laurie Rosenwald will conduct a panel during the Art Directors Club Awards in Miami Beach April 2-4. Laurie, whose workshop has been taught to writers, filmmakers, musicians, market researchers, salespeople, real estate agents, investment bankers and many others aims to highlight the benefits of making mistakes.

Interested in Laurie’s panel or attending The Art Directors Club Awards? Then check out the details here and register.

Chevy to SXSW Attendees: ‘Don’t Touch My Balls’

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So as is the case with every large brand at SXSW, Chevrolet has a large booth set up just as you walk inside the Austin Convention Center. Part of that large booth is a giant set of…balls. OK, it’s a Newton’s Cradle.

If you’re not familiar with a Newton’s Cradle, it’s that thing with five balls hanging from a string and when you swing the ball on one end, it makes the ball on the other end swing out without the middle three balls moving.

A giant Newton’s Cradle. Just begging to be used by everyone passing by. Except no one in the Chevy booth wants anyone to…ahem…touch its balls. How unfriendly, we say!

5 Tips For Staying on Top of the Buzz at SXSW

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Attending SXSW can be a whirlwind of live performances, big announcements, and networking. Keeping track of what’s going on can be a challenge even for the most connected individual.

We offer five suggestions for attendees that want to know about the latest social buzz before the crowd:

1) Read the Mashable “newspaper” – It’s surprisingly one of the more helpful things you can look at if you want to know what’s happening at the festival, what people are talking about, and more. It’s an ironic “newspaper” handout that Mashable prints and distributes by the thousands.

2) Use Management Tools (Viralheat, Hootsuite etc) – One of the best ways to see what people are saying about SXSW at any given time is through a social keyword search. Whether you care about concerts, the party scene, or which panels were most hated, just set up the right keywords and get a good idea of what people are saying in real time.

3) Word of Mouth – It may seem odd to engage in non-smartphone communication, but what people are saying in person can be very helpful. Going with the flow, hanging out with friends, and hearing the latest gossip is a time-tested way of finding out the latest buzz.

4) Plancast/Eventbrite, Facebook/Twitter – Use your social media mix. Everyone uses different sites online and each of them can help you determine what’s happening and what’s being talked about.

5) Check in on Foursquare – It was invaluable last year in terms of knowing where friends are located in real time so you can easily meet up to share the news.

Despite the serious business that is discussed and all of the news announcements, SXSW is supposed to be fun. So conduct your search for the latest buzz with a sense of adventure, and use a blend of old-school and new-school social tactics to make friends and enjoy yourself while you stay informed.

At SXSW 2013, It’s Not About ‘The Next Big Thing’

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Writing in Advertising Age, David Berkowitz, vp of emerging media at 360i, say we shouldn’t be looking for The Next Big Thing this year during SXSW. And he’s right. SXSW has become so big that it is nearly impossible for any one company to stand out. But, as David argues, seeking the next big thing isn’t why you should attend SXSW.

You should attend SXSW to connect with those in your industry who are doing interesting, albeit not earth shattering things, that you can learn about and perhaps put to use in your own business.

As we have written a couple times before, SXSW is no longer a geek fest where computer nerds congregate to discuss the latest trend in coding. Oh that still happens but it’s been dwarfed by the preponderance of large brands and agencies who have “discovered” SXSW and decided its an event they simply can not miss. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

From Sony to Samnsung, to Chevrolet to Pepsi and many, many more, the Austin Convention Center and surrounding areas in years past have been and will continue to be plastered with some of the most elaborate brand sponsorships we’ve ever seen. Yes. SXSW is no longer the geekfest it once was. And as we’ve said, it’s been heading away from that cute little anachronism for some time now.

Some argue this is a bad thing. Let them. They are wrong. OK, well everyone has an opinion but SXSW is long past the point when a bunch of programmers would sit around and discuss the best method of coding. It’s a full on marketing bonanza. Fueled with the proliferation of social media and its percolation into every aspect of marketing and advertising, SXSW – at least Interactive (there’s Music and Film too) – is 100 percent branded, sponsored, underwritten and owned by brands.

And that’s not a bad thing. Did you know SXSW has become more than twice as big as the Cannes Lions Festival? And for good reason. Today, marketing is much more about technology, process and function than it is about who designed the prettiest picture.

And to Berkowitz’s point, keeping your eyes open for interesting people and panels, not a big breakout, is a far better way to experience SXSW. With so many people in the marketing world in attendance, you never know who you will bump into and what conversation will transpire. And that’s the new beauty of SXSW. Not Foursquare. Not Twitter. Not Highlight. No. It’s about connecting with the thought leaders in our industry and learning all you possibly can.