| Hello from South by Southwest! We’ve just wrapped Day Three at the festival, where Elon Musk and Westworld are winning the battle for attention. Didn’t get into the insane, immersive Westworld activation? We’ve got you covered. Want to know what Musk said at his surprise panel? We've got that, too. SXSW has always been about innovation and inspiration. And no matter how many think pieces you’ve read about the demise of SXSW, that is still true this year. “We want you to get excited about the possibility of something new happening in space—the goal of this was to inspire you and make you believe that anything is possible,” said Musk during his Sunday panel. He may be talking about space exploration, but he’s also making a point about our industry: When was the last time you felt truly inspired by a piece of marketing? For me, especially in my role as the brand marketing editor at Adweek, it’s hard to be surprised. But after seeing the work that went into Westworld’s unbelievably detailed activation—the team behind it wrote 444 pages of scripts for 60 actors—it’s clear there’s still so much marketers can do with experiential activations. Quotable in Austin Since we’re talking about experiences, here’s a nugget of wisdom that SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan shared during Create & Cultivate’s panel on brand building: “A brand starts with a promise, and it’s a promise to serve an unmet need.” She added that smart brands evolve as consumers' needs do. “When we think about branding, so often we think about things like logo and visuals—because they are so important to remain consistent and stand out—but you also have to think about, experientially, who you are [as a brand].” As MailChimp CMO Tom Klein said here, “Having a brand personality is free.” -Kristina Monllos, Senior Editor |
