Trends from the innovation festival SXSW !

We are back after some intense days in the innovation festival SXSW, on the US, in the growing city of Austin, Texas. Last year 413 000 visitors where part of most futuristics conferences on pioneering technology, music and cinema.

This year, american politics and cannabis business together with tech giants criticism were the primary topics. As Austin visitors, it become pretty clear that electric scooters are the trendiest transport vehicle right now, but the question is, are they here to stay or are they just another hype? If they are here to stay, then the cities need to start rethinking their infrastructure and even their transit rules.

We as marketeers got to enjoy speeches about the development of brands authenticity, technology growth, effectivising data, insight and analysis together with an insight of economics behavior, a field in which the psychology and economy is used to explain incentives and motivations of your target group.

Successful campaigns has done the behavioural analysis.

Psychologist Dr. Mel Weinberg and publicist Dan Monheit had a lecture , where they, in real time analysed successful campaigns, how to take and use the insights of people behavior and how you should make use of it. Some of the campaigns that were presented where, P&G’s #becauseofmom and Budweisers ”Wassup”, and the theoretical confirmation of the facts and the framing and priming as a way of thinking. To communicate with a target group that is already convinced, is like a  winning lottery ticket. Framing & priming is a known trick that is used by media extensively, and means that people get influenced by sayings, words and concepts, things they have seen before. When someone gets described as a hero it is more likely to be perceived as one. A interesting concept to acknowledge for marketers and to take inspiration of.

Authenticity is the new black

A topic which many covered was that companies need to keep their empathy and humanity. In the marketing work, authenticity (new buzz word!) is the new black, together with the incorporation of AI. Marketers need to focus more in consumer behavior and develop tactics to measure that. The target group also expects companies to take a stand in politics, ethics and society matters more than ever before.

Focus on technology that benefits you

When it comes to technical solutions there was an common advice to focus on beneficial technology rather than the new and trendy. Many industries continue to release new technologies and expect great results, even impossible results, but with this mind-set we usually get disappointed. The advice is to focus more on technology than can help you become more efficient or make improvements, instead of technology that makes promises to solve the impossible.

Last but not least, this year it was the women dominating on stage. The tech business has for a long time been an arena for men, but this year we see that women are taking over and get more and more visible. The ratio of speakers are more diverse than ever, and it’s a welcomed development!