Wrapping Up a Week at SXSW

Hello marketers,
 
This is brand marketing reporter Diana Pearl, covering for senior editor Kristina Monllos, who is off today after a wild week down in Austin, Texas at SXSW. That very event has been at the center of the brand world this week, with companies like Bumble, Rent the Runway, Dell, Lush, L'Oreal and more all putting on pop-up experiences at the festival. Highlights of Adweek's SXSW coverage include interviews with CMOs from companies like Visible, Showtime and Land O'Lakes, a peek at the international tourism brands who landed in Texas this week, and a chat with HQ Trivia's host Scott Rogowsky ahead of the app's first-ever show with a live audience.
 
Outside of Austin, senior editor Patrick Coffee took a deep dive into the marketing of Theranos, the now-notorious blood test startup that Elizabeth Holmes headed up. He spoke with folks at TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles who worked with Theranos about the experience, and when they started to question the legitimacy of the business. “I was sitting on a $10-12 million account, and we were billing a lot of hours but not producing much,” said Stan Fiorito, former managing director at TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles. “Product rollout wasn’t happening, and Elizabeth wouldn’t approve copy on anything. That started creating the doubt.” Holmes recruited several TBWA staffers in-house, but they soon started to realize the lack of legitimacy in the product. Patrick's story delves even further into advertising side of the story that is captivating America here.
 
More brand news we're talking about? Wells Fargo's lounge-esque ATMs that hope to help win back some of the customer loyalty the bank lost after its fraudulent account scandal in 2017. Samsung said goodbye to CMO Marc Mathieu after nearly four years, with no replacement yet announced. Bed, Bath & Beyond is getting into the private label furniture business. And here at Adweek, we said goodbye to one of the magazine's founders, W. Pendleton Tudor, who passed away on Tuesday at age 89.
 
Quote of the week: "QVC on steroids," which is how talent agent Paul De Sisto described the phenomenon of Bachelor contestants transitioning into ultra-successful influencers following their time on the show. I took a look at why just so many Bachelor stars are able to make this leap from fleeting reality TV fame to lasting social media stardom earlier this week.
 
Have a lovely weekend,
Diana Pearl
Staff Writer, Brand Marketing