2016 TAKEAWAYS

–Mashable, March 18, 2015

“Geeks, techies and innovators rejoice: It’s that glorious time of year again, when South by Southwest’s Interactive conference unites startups,

bright minds and tech industry leaders to examine the most groundbreaking trends impacting our modern world. Some of the planet’s

most forward-thinking technology companies embrace SXSWi as a showcase and testing ground each year.”

BIG THEMES

A New Generation of Influence

• The focus for marketers is shifting from Millennials to Generation Z.

• This mobile-native generation is on the cusp of entering the workforce, but still has a strong influence on the purchasing power of Gen X and Millennial parents.

• Gen Z is vastly different from its predecessors – for them, gender standards barely exist, and categories and labels are meaningless.

• They’re twice as likely to use YouTube versus Millennials; they’re also more likely to shop online and have an attention span that’s almost 50% shorter.

• To them, media and communications is all about immediacy, authenticity, and privacy.

MOBILE

The Virtual World

• It was almost impossible to find a brand-sponsored lounge or party that didn’t have a VR headset.

• While scale and adoption are still challenges, many at SXSWi were bullish about VR’s potential for storytelling and engagement.

• VR can help people more easily escape a mindset of pain and boredom, and there is also opportunity to deliver empathy: like showing people the hardships of refugees and poverty.

• Some at SXSWi predicted VR as the main computer screen of the future. If this becomes true, then imagine a generation where having an online vs. offline experience might be a foreign concept.

SENSORY

Robots vs. Humans

• IBM introduced SXSWi to Pepper, the first social humanoid robot capable of understanding and reacting to human emotions.

• Pepper is being tested in Japan now, with a key focus on benefits for the healthcare, retail, and hospitality industries.

• In 50 years, there will likely be nothing a human can do that a robot can’t. But while a robot that vacuums your house is easy to adopt, one that cooks you dinner or minds your baby is much harder to grasp.

• Robots are fueled by big data—but will we the human race be able to trust this data, and the robot’s ability to perform such tasks?

INTERNETOF THINGS

Future of Retail

• The future of shopping is about online-offline integration.

• Moreover, products must deliver some sense of ceremony beyond pure function.

• A lot of the SXSWi tech showed potential for retail, from VR to 3D printing to the Internet of Things. AI in particular is interesting—it’s becoming advanced enough that AI recommendations and anticipation of needs are starting to feel very human and natural.

• Thanks to data application, the suggestions made around clothing, food, music and travel spots you might like continue to improve, moving us from human curation to machine learning solutions.

E-COMMERCE

Bringing Offline Online

• The commercialization of augmented reality apps has allowed for countless possibilities for large and small brands alike to link offline media (like print) to a digital experience.

• One new shopping experience that we saw had a user scan a page of watches in a catalog - and then try them on just by putting their wrist under their phone or tablet camera.

• If they liked what they saw, they could conveniently press a buy button and have the watch delivered to them.

ADAPTIVEMARKETING

MARKETING IMPLICATIONS

What the Big Themes Mean to Marketers

•Gen Z is an influential audience with much more than mom and dad’s pocket money. Marketers must put real strategies in place to target this extremely savvy audience in ways that they expect to be communicated to by a friend.

•One increasingly visible avenue for that is mobile messaging platforms; the potential to provide a consolidated environment for users and brands to engage each other, and for brands to provide value through delivery notifications, customer service, and more.

•If today is all about real-time and contextualized data, the future is about predictive relevance. As IoT becomes a reality, brands must consider how they can leverage all this data to pinpoint moments where they can truly add value to consumers’ lives.

•Don’t forget the human element in the pursuit for technological excellence. The thoughtful craft that we bring to visual storytelling and curation remains of high value.

•Last but not least: when considering these trends & tech, remember that one year is a long time in today’s world. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. If you’re going to stay ahead of the pack, you need to move fast and keep moving.

THANK YOU