SXSW is undoubtedly an amazing event; an orgy of unlimited perspectives on every aspect of interactive engagement.
From the super macro "changing the future of humanity through entrepreneurialism" perspective of Elon Musk and Yuri Milner, to the hundreds of detailed perspectives from every type of practitioner in our industry, there is something here for everyone. Want to know how to make a wooden fish feel as though it's alive? Want to wave your hand in front of a screen and play with a shoal of fish? It's all here.
For me, though, there is one voice that is significant in its absence – the voice of the man or woman in the street.
I could be wrong; as I write we're only halfway through the festival – and I could clone myself many times over and not be able to sit in all the sessions I'd like to see. But, when I reflect on what I've seen, there is little in terms of insight and understanding on the consumer
SXSW is a brilliant place to open your mind to the future, kickstart your idea, meet like-minded people and get excited about the myriad of potential interactive experiences we could create. It works less well as a place to come and work out the experiences we should create.
When I get back to my day job next week, the one question I will get asked more than any other is: what should we do next?
The velocity of change in the industry we operate in is such that most clients are bewildered by a snowstorm of options.
Brand managers face an almost insurmountable challenge of coordinating the work of multiple agencies into connected programmes of consumer engagement. This is no easy feat given that engagement today needs to adapt and respond to two way dialogue from consumers in real-time. It is monumentally hard to coordinate both overall strategy and the detail of how you respond, on brand, to minute-by-minute interactions on twitter and Facebook.
Even companies as switched on as American Airlines can get it wrong. Although their social strategy is pretty much best in class, when I tweeted that my in-flight experience was totally at odds with the experience they talked about online and in their glossy showcase at the heart of SXSW, their response was simply "Adam, we're very excited about our new fleet and the #newAmerican". Not really the response I was expecting from a complaint …
For SXSW, the answer is simple; introduce a series of sessions next year built around key audience segments – tweens, teens, Yuppies, Dinkies, and Silver Surfers as they used to be known; no doubt re-badged Gen-Q, Gen-S or some other buzz-worthy terms.
For brands and business, it's not as simple. The answer lies across the business. In the way they work to filter options and produce connected strategies. In the way those strategies are turned into communications and experiences that work across on and off-line channels. In the active management and curation of the brand experience hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute. In the skills cultivated or acquired across the business.
Ultimately, what's required is clear leadership and vision. Without this brands will be unable to achieve the business transformation required. As Elon Musk said at the show, for change to be worthwhile it needs to be truly disruptive, not simply an incremental change. That's how we, as an industry, will connect to those missing voices and create the experiences they deserve. Fail to change and you will fail to connect. The decision is yours.
Adam Fulford is planning & strategy director at Rufus Leonard
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