SXSW 2015

1. What we learned from SxSW 2015 (unfortunately, not by being there) Source: The Next Web

2. What happened at SxSW this year A lot of attention was given to experiential activations this year Sources: http://www.dotrising.com/2015/03/18/your-guide-to-sxsw-2015-infographic/ http://www.fastcocreate.com/3043677/sxsw/hbo-and-game-of-thrones-return-to-austin-with-sxswesteroshttp://www.psfk.com/2015/03/sxsw-2015-sxswi-video-recap-experiential-marketing.html

3. Can you take a guess at what these are?

4. What we think

5. Brand experiences are the new ads • “…the store of the future, in a world where a tap of a smartphone will soon set in motion a near real-time delivery by a drone, must become a marketing channel.” • - Ad Age, How Online Retailers Are Creating Immersive Brand Experiences in the Real World Source: Under Armour

6. Technology has made documenting and sharing a natural part of our experiences Source: http://www.apple.com/iphone/world-gallery/

7. 1. Sharing at SxSW

8. Quiz: name the new type of social network ??? Friends Image-based Video

9. In spotTable earlier this year We asked…“Are live broadcasts set to become as big as photo sharing?”

10. SxSW-goers did a lot of broadcasting… Source: https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/16617251877_2cdacd1f50_k.jpg?w=1279&h=727&crop=1

11. And they did it using this app…

12. Meerkat Fact file Who? Meerkat is an Israeli startup founded by Ben Rubin (below) and launched on 27th February. It’s a spin-off of Yevvo, the live-streaming app that was also referred to as Air. What? A mobile-only live streaming app that only shoots vertical video. Why? Because it’s the most natural way to hold your phone. How? Live streams are broadcast to users’ Twitter accounts but are not automatically stored anywhere. If you want to save them you can use #Katchto upload them as YouTube files. It gained over , users during SxSW

13. Meerkat is entering an interesting space Twitter just bought Periscope, a live stream app for $100m. “Driving the shift are technological advances and the ubiquity of smartphones, as well as years of people getting more comfortable with revealing information about themselves online through text and photos.” http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/technology/tech-titans-bet-that-the-world-is-ready-for-the-streaming-selfie.html?_r=0 YouTube is relaunchingYouTube Live following its failed attempt to buy Twitch. Twitch.tv (owned by Amazon) attracts 100m viewers per month of live streams of people playing video games.

14. 2. Networking at SxSW

15. Beacons are struggling to take off “iBeaconsis a very difficult platform to work with right now and is not necessarily a mass-market or mass-media opportunity.” http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1339202/ibeacons-lack-mass-market-appeal-says-location-marketing-expert

16. However, they may have potential Could they play a role in brand events?

17. SxSW used iBeacons to connect attendees • When attendees downloaded the SxSW Go mobile app, beacons would show them a profile of other attendees nearby. • You could send a quick message via the app to quick start the networking process. • Beacons also alerted you to when events in your vicinity were starting.

18. Mobile sits at the heart of experiences • In the absence of beacons in retail, mobile is still a powerful driver of meaningful experiences between brands and their customers. On 25th March, Facebook announced that it will offer one-to-one chat services for businesses and customers via its Messenger app. Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2015/03/25/facebook-goes-all-in-on-e-commerce-by-bringing-businesses-onto-messenger/

19. 3. High speeds at SxSW

20. Google Fiber Space and Shinra Technologies SXSW attendees could experience “The Living World”, a virtual world created by gaming platform, Shinra Technologies. Image source: https://www.shinra.com

21. What does Shinra Technologies have to do with Google Fiber? To understand this… Image source: https://www.shinra.com

22. We need to look at the state of broadband in the US, a sector lacking in competition Some customers in the US pay up to $200/month for a broadband and TV package combined, yet their broadband speeds are poor compared to other countries. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24528383

23. Now the competition is shaking up with the arrival of…

24. Why it matters • 1 Gigabyte internet • Download and upload speeds of 5MBPS to 1GBPS Download games in minutes Stream HD TV effortlessly to all your connected devices Affordability The fastest internet connection will set you back $70/month. Internet + TV = $120/month. Or you get basic internet free for seven years if you pay a $300 installation fee upfront

25. And customers are loving it • “We just busted TWC for putting Showtime on our bill and adding $17 a month. Fortunately we are getting Google fiber installed in about 2 weeks. They just ran the fiber through my neighborhood. Just waiting for them to run it into my house now. Fuck TWC. I can't wait to troll them on my way out.” “The internet speed is rip-roaring fast...The local Google Fiber drive works beautifully as a way to sling "downloaded" movie or TV seasons to your TVs…I’m never moving.” “My only problem with Google Fiber is we can't get it here in California.” “I keep having to buy new hard drives because I keep filling them up with all my downloading.” Source: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1nj1mm/customers_of_google_fiber_have_you_found_any/

26. How will this impact on brand experiences? Back in 2013, Google Fiber made it possible for a terminally ill patient to participate in a live baseball game while he was 1800 miles away.

27. 4. Interacting at SxSW

28. Who are FIT? The Field Innovation Team are a disaster relief organisation run out of Utah. They use technology in to help survivors and strive to educate communities on the power of innovation in helping victims of natural disasters. They created the Robot Petting Zoo for SxSW to show people how to control, interact with and program robots.

29. Robots are doing extraordinary things…

30. …but not all of us are convinced Pepper for Nescafe Dolce Gusto OSHbotby Lowe for Orchard Supply Hardware

31. However, some brands are using robotics efficiently “This competition will challenge entrants to build their own robot hardware and software that can attempt simplified versions of the general task of picking items from shelves.” http://amazonpickingchallenge.org/

32. What consumer brands need to know • While robots are still a work in progress in the customer service space they are indispensable in the work done in other sectors. If consumer brands want to jump onto robotics they need to make sure they are… Truly pushing boundaries Improving on existing systems Amazon’s Kiva robots speed up processes in warehouses alongside their human counterparts Anti-poaching drones are being built to protect wildlife from illegal activities

33. Conclusions4 key takeouts

34. Conclusions • Meerkat proves there is an appetite for sharing and connecting with experiences in real-time. Live-broadcasting is the next big step for social. • While customers want personalised experiences they do not want to feel like they’re being tracked. Retail beacons are taking off in the US but over here they are still in their infancy. • Although we rarely need speeds of 1GBPS, superfast internet is creating an unknown need. Think back to the beginnings of iTunes and us asking, “Do I really want to digitise my music?”. • Robots are having a huge impact on certain industries but what about in our daily lives? Brands really need to consider what impact they can have on the customer experience.