SXSWi Roundup: Emerging Trends and Key Takeaways (OPINION)

During the second week of March, Austin, Texas, was taken over by techies, developers, startups and the agencies that support them. In a wave of thick-rimmed glasses, and oh so many beards, they came together to share and learn.

This migration happens every year as a part of SXSWi. Or, South by Southwest Interactive. Several of my colleagues from CJRW and I had boots on the ground. We were there to learn as much as we could about rising trends and new technologies in order to better educate our clients on the ever-changing landscape of the digital world. And, to eat tacos. Lots of tacos.

During our time at SXSWi we identified some key trends:

Big Data: “Personal data is the new oil of the Internet and the new currency of the digital world.” So said European consumer commissioner, Meglena Kuneva. With so many social networking platforms and e-commerce sites, we as consumers are pumping unbelievable amounts of personal data into the Internet.

The challenge for brands is mining that data and leveraging it in relevant and useful ways. Amazon, for instance, could use data to identify patterns in your shopping. By monitoring how often you buy toothpaste, for instance, they could push communication to you reminding you that you’re almost out.

While many people embrace the idea of companies using Big Data, there are a large number of people who get very nervous at the idea of companies having so much insight into our daily lives. So, while there was lots of talk about Big Data at SXSWi there was also much discussion about privacy and anonymity on the Web moving forward.

Content Marketing: In a session titled “Simple Ways to Massively Increase Your Content,” Kaila Garrison, from Oracle Marketing Cloud, declared that, “The sales process is dead. It’s all about marketing.”

Garrison used the act of buying a car as an example. “Twenty years ago you went to a car lot and you made the decision to buy a car based on the information the car salesman provided you with. Now, you have a supercomputer in your pocket. You walk onto the car lot knowing exactly what you want and at the price you want.”

It’s not enough for brands to simply have a digital presence. They have to be producing content across multiple platforms that is relevant and interesting to their audience. 

The Internet of Things: By 2020, there will be 50 billion devices connected to the Internet. Less than 10 years ago, Internet-connected devices were basically limited to desktop and laptop computers. Since then, we’ve seen the launch of smartphones, tablets, thermostats, wearables and even lightbulbs.

GE, the company behind the aforementioned “smart” lightbulb, perfectly illustrated the Internet of Things at the conference with the GE BBQ Research Center. Using sensor-laden smokers, pit masters were able to monitor things like internal temperature, humidity and smoke velocity. The result was some seriously delicious BBQ. Imagine being able to perfectly smoke ribs from your smartphone while you’re in the stadium of your favorite college football team.

This is just one example of the countless applications for The Internet of Things.

Meerkat: Without question, Meerkat was the breakout hit of SXSWi. The app, which allows users to live-stream video to their Twitter followers, dominated conversations around the conference. Twitter personality @joshconstine joked, “SXSW is moot. No one can learn anything new because every conversation ends up being about Meerkat.”

Meerkat’s hype only grew when Twitter cut off the app’s access to its social graph. Meaning your Twitter followers would no longer receive a notification when you started a Meerkat live-stream. Apparently Twitter has some live-streaming plans of its own.

Beyond the hype, Meerkat seems to have some exciting potential use occasions. Unlike Facetime, which is focused on one-to-one communication, Meerkat allows any number of users to view your stream. A Realtor could live-stream a house showing for clients. Parents could live-stream their child’s dance recital for family. The applications are seemingly endless.

There is no shortage of SXSWi breakout hits that have fizzled once they move past the conference and into the real world. Only time will tell if Meerkat can handle the pressure. 

Bryce Harrison is art director for the marketing firm CJRW in Springdale.