As I sit here on my flight back to Detroit, I have time to properly reflect upon my experience as an MRM//McCann ambassador at SXSW. It’s fair to say that the person leaving is different than the one that arrived last week. Though I’m definitely tired (journalism is exhausting!), I’m also informed, inspired and more worldly. Most importantly, I’m sincerely appreciative that MRM selected me to take this challenge on behalf of the amazing team back in Detroit.
SXSW is eccentric — it’s fun; it’s a place to learn, network and challenge the norm. It’s impressive that among the 72k+ people attending, each person seems to have a similar mindset and goals with regard to their attendance. It’s strangely comforting to be amongst such a bright, enthusiastic group of people, all looking to get the most out of five conflictingly short, and yet long, days in Austin.
While I attended many rewarding sessions, I also spent a fair amount of time outside of the event rooms, evaluating people, new ways of thinking, and generally feeling inspired. I found it interesting that the content and in-person experience seemed to correlate perfectly, essentially bringing the online and offline together, with the same messaging flowing throughout.
There were stated conference themes, and then there were the observed themes that I picked up on throughout my time there, summarized below:
· Computer Thinking vs. Human Thinking – we’re not entirely ready to relinquish complete control to computers for a multitude of reasons. Maybe it’s a lack of trust, or not wanting to displace our intellect and creativity. But we‘re getting there, and while computers will never fully replace human thinking, we respect how far they’ve come and the value that they bring to our every day.
· Taking Risks vs. Risk Aversion – brands and businesses that are overly calculated and overly cautious are at a serious disadvantage in this fast-changing world. It’s impossible to be the best if you’re simply following the lead of others. Take risks. Know that they all won’t be perfect, but you’ll learn from your mistakes and know how to come out ahead the next time around. You’ll grow, you’ll earn respect, and it will be amazingly rewarding in the long run.
· Honesty – be honest with your intentions, your strengths, your weaknesses and yourself. Be vulnerable. Doing so will allow the right people into your life and your work, and allow you to obtain clarity around the people or things that hold you back. Live your life in a way that you’re proud of. Be authentic, be sincere, be human.
To my colleagues near and far, and to the amazing team of individuals from across the globe that comprised this team of ambassadors, it was a true pleasure spending this time with you, learning with you and from you, and experiencing this incredible event together. Thank you!
To start off, I have to say that eight days ago I had no idea I would have the opportunity to go to SXSW. After a fellow Salt Lake City team member was not able to attend, I was awarded the opportunity to represent MRM//McCann as a Global Brand Ambassador at the SXSW Interactive conference. I was THRILLED. I was in shock. I was humbled, realizing that I was heading to the ultimate digital experience — any marketer’s dream.
Twenty-four hours after hearing the news, I landed in Austin, Texas. Having visited Austin several times before SXSW, I had developed a fair perception of the city. Austin is: BBQ, music, food trucks, people, dancing, sun, laughter and Texan. The first 30 minutes in the city surpassed my expectations tenfold.
The SXSW experience: Tech, BBQ, convention center, tacos, people, inspiration, music, robots, virtual reality, interconnectivity, data, biotech, failure, design, coffee, human behavioral trends, more food, dancing, new people [networking], human behaviors, apps — lots of apps, laughter, emojis, learning and lack of a full night’s rest.
What impacted me the most? The humans. Whether it be people such as Kris Hammond who work to improve workplace efficiencies using Big AI, Willie Nelson an iconic music disruptor of our time, or the thousands of people uniting for the digital mecca of SXSW. All technologies have a common theme: striving to make human processes more agile and empowering the user.
The human element in technology is driving the future. Everything we design, everything we create, ultimately enhances the user experience, and the user experience influences the design. So as marketers, we need to think about our human relationship with technology. Everything is interconnected; we just have to harness the potential. Reflecting on everything I learned during the five days at SXSW, here are three digital trends I recommend following the progression of over the next year:
1. Artificial Intelligence – AI is everywhere and is advancing at alarming rates. We will see increasing workplace efficiencies by analyzing and interpreting big data, robotic prosthesis, neuroscience, fluid design and the integration of AI into the medical and education sector.
2. Connected Cars – The shared ride industry is booming with innovators such as: Flexdrive, Getaround and Vinli. These companies offer services beyond traditional car sharing that are changing the necessity of owning cars, and reducing our carbon footprint.
3. Smart Cities – In all transparency, a number of our nation’s cities are running on transportation systems designed 50 years ago. Cities are starting to integrate multiple systems, so users can choose to use efficient means of transportation that are designed to make everyday travel easy and affordable. Smarter cities will open up the amount of urban space available, use less finite resources, and start to capitalize on commercialization with things as common as a stoplight.s
I can’t thank MRM//McCann enough for this life-changing experience that allowed me to build relationships with the Global Ambassador team and MRM//McCann representatives from all over the globe, and exposed me to the brilliant minds and innovations paving the way to a digital future.
As I was between flights on the 25-hour journey home to Singapore, I finally had the time to recollect and gather my thoughts on the five tiring (but oh so fun) days I had as a 2016 SXSW ambassador.
To say that SXSW 2016 changed me would seem a stretch, and yet would be somewhat, strangely true.
Personally, the one thing I set out for myself to learn was whether or not we are sacrificing human connections for technological advancement.
Before the trip, I was a nervous wreck worrying that my profound social awkwardness would make this trip a living nightmare. More than 72,000 people in one small city, there were bound to be social interactions lurking around every corner waiting to catch me off guard with a “Hey! How are you doing today?”
I was right. But the surprising thing was that it wasn’t actually that hard to reply with a “Good! What about you?” These four simple words led to stories. Stories I heard and connections I formed that changed my perspective, and I started to look forward to these little interactions each day.
I met, said hi, and engaged in conversations with more people alone in the five days at SXSW than I have this past year. Every single one of them has changed me. Whether it was getting to know more about my fellow ambassadors (who are painfully smart, driven and so much fun), or talking to random strangers on the street, I’d gotten something good out of every exchange — a personal human story.
SXSW was a whirlwind of sessions, panels, workshops and exhibitions all crammed into five crazy days. I spent most of my days running from session to session trying to cover my track, Content and Distribution, and gather as much content as possible to feed the blog. From learning about how data is now being used not just by advertisers and marketers but even newspapers, to feeling a teeny bit scared by the oncoming Adblockageddon and even seeing how a machine is being developed to define beauty in photography, there were a whole lot of tech and digital advancements being made at break-neck speed.
One thing became clear: all the technology I witnessed was striving to further the evolution of the human race and make it easier to create connections with one another. However, we as advertisers cannot be blinded by the allure of sparkling new tech. No matter how advanced the technology we have at our disposal, if we do not come up with human stories that really connect with our audiences at a human level, it will be useless.
To everyone that I’ve met, thank you for sharing your stories with me. Keisha, Matt, Lauren, Shannon, Lasse, Dan, Spencer, Maggie and all the other amazing people from the MRM//McCann global family, it was an absolute blast to have spent this time learning, laughing and sharing stories with you. Thank you.
SXSW Interactive was an exhilarating, intense experience: racing from session to session, lines, failing battery packs, meetings and meet ups. If you try to do too much in one day, it can get overwhelming (sometimes it takes a day to realize you’re no superhero). However, after you slow down, plot the three top sessions you really want to visit and have a couple of backup plans, then you’ll be smooth sailing.
I am not a “girl who codes” or a programmer, but SXSW is not just for computer or tech nerds. For digital marketers, it means taking a step away from your day-to-day job and from your work portfolio to listen to what others are doing, their successes and their mistakes. It’s also an opportunity to do competitive research or to learn about new and developing industries that will someday impact how you shop, work, play or eat. Most of all, it’s a chance to have intellectual conversations and trade ideas with other attendees.
Here are the top three things that stood out to me while there:
1. Mission-based businesses should be taken more seriously in the marketplace, as conscious consumerism is on the rise. Although their business goals are somewhat different, their marketing strategies still consider the customer journey and their consumers are definitely loyalists.
2. There was an emphasis in understanding the virality of content and what brands and content creators can do to appeal to three key humanizing features, however, no tie in to how it impacts on the bottom line. Unless the goal is awareness, the content and conversion big picture should also be considered.
3. Medium to small companies and agencies should take a look at what bigger companies are doing to even the playing field on diversity issues and unconscious bias. For instance, during the shortlisting process, recruiters at Facebook are presenting hiring managers with at least one qualified candidate from an underrepresented group to tackle diversity in tech concerns.
All in all, SXSW was wonderful. If you ever have an opportunity to attend, don’t think twice, just do it. The sessions, when taken seriously, could change your life, the way you see the world and how you work.
I was really excited to be selected a SXSW ambassador for MRM and the London office. Before my trip to Austin, I tried to plan ahead and be really smart about the tracks and sessions I’d follow. There was so much I wanted to hear and learn about, but also share relevant learnings with you all. Not everything went according to plan, and I had to adjust as the days went along.
My track was SXstyle, which focused on fashion and technology. Last year, this track was not available. It was nice to see technology being incorporated so immensely in an industry not seen in this environment before. I attended panel discussions about the future of the automotive industry and the connected transportation as well. It was good to see the discussion from different points of view to understand what is actually going on. While talking to other MRM ambassadors and people at the SXSW Interactive festival, my notions were verified.
I expected to hear a lot about AR and VR (don’t get me wrong there was a lot of that and it’s pretty exciting!), but the clear winner was AI. Machine learning, automated content curation and personalised information — these are what artificial intelligence enable already today. For customers, this means relevant information about the products being served at the right time and place. For companies, this means streamlined processes and a better view into their customer’s mindset.
What’s the agency's role in this? Even though AI will eventually be autonomous, marketers still need to understand what is happening with their customers and what is the impact to the business. And that’s where you need someone to visualise and contextualise the information, the data. Data Scientists and Technicians were referenced in almost every discussion. They can see something others may not and visualise it in a way that makes it accessible for the rest of us.
There might be a new social media app or technology invented overnight that changes how consumers behave and interact with their friends or brands. But it’s still a human who is interacting with a technical solution, so that interaction can be mapped and put in a helpful and relevant use by the Data Scientist and Technician.
Innovation in the health space has complexity like no other with the overwhelming amount of components like diseases, patients, professions, influencers, processes, organizations, pricing models, systems, etc. There have been great ideas coming to life and new technologies being used that show exciting potential, but is the industry ready for all of this? The ideas that we see come to market are short-term ROI driven, due to the disrupted landscape of health innovation and the lack of know-how to move forward.
Who are we innovating for?
Are we delivering solutions for the people that need it most? Are these solutions designed to be useful and matter? These are questions health innovation needs to address in order to evolve the industry. The innovations that are being created today are for the affluent market and not effective in other markets with financial burdens. We have to realize that these in-need markets are impacted greatly by even the smallest introductions of technology. There are innovations from the mid-90s that are making a difference when applied to these markets. They are expressing interest and are willing to adopt any new ideas that can help. Not only are we just currently tapping into the tip of the iceberg, but also new markets are being created due to the Medicaid expansion.
That which goes viral is content that engages us on a deep and fundamental level. It gets you to the core. You’re going to click it, and you’re going to share it. But there’s a difference between clickability and shareability.
Sean Wojcik, Research Scientist at Upworthy, says the things that people click may be different than what people share. Based on their research, people click content because they’re curious; it’s informational, but it’s something that you may want to keep private. Shareable content, on the other hand, can be displayed publicly. It’s surprising, interesting, useful and positive. It’s the perception of what you want people to see. What we click is perhaps something we’d click when no one is looking, but to get to the shareable level, there are a different set of attributes.
Abigail Posner, Head of Strategic Planning at Google, believes in the human approach, saying that clickability versus shareability is based on desires and instincts. Content that captures your imagination will be most likely shared. Truly riveting content plays in three key areas:
1. Synaptic Play: Putting two seemingly disconnected things together, where we make connections between different worlds to create alternate universes.
2. Energy exchange: Things that give us enjoyment, make us smile and “crack up.” Content that enhances the bond with someone else that makes you share in an emotional response.
3. Fascination with the familiar: Humans aren’t necessarily attracted to the allure of the new, but like to see things we’re already familiar with, just in a new way or through a different lens.
Perhaps the latter of the three is one of the reasons why content featuring food has been really hot right now. Regarding types of publishers, food publishers happen to be the most popular, especially on Facebook.
So, can we design content to go viral and what’s within our control?
If we make content that connects with people on a personal level and that makes them curious, then that’s a start. Niche interest based targeting may be a good tactic as well. There is also a case for influencer marketing, as these persons usually have many followers, which influences “spread.” Spread may or may not be outside of your control. It truly depends on how large that person’s network of friends is, and the platform used will influence how far the content reaches.
Additionally, every space has its own tone, culture, codes and cues. For example, Twitter can be considered snarky and intelligent; Facebook, affirmative and fun; while YouTube offers video-based entertaining and sensory experiences. Therefore, make sure you’re creating the content for that culture, which means cutting up perhaps the same type or theme of content differently for each channel.
One last thing!
In this era of Internet outrage, how do you stop something that’s negative from going viral?
The experts offer the following tips:
1. Create a piece of technology that blocks it.
2. Stop the virality. Tap the same needs you would to make positive content viral; turn the negative and use humor to turn something on its head. Use fundamental energy exchange to nip it in the bud and defuse it.
3. Consider using quarantine communities like Reddit.
4. Add bots into spaces that are toxic to block negativity.
5. Remove people/remove ties with people.
6. Train the influencers to think it’s not a good thing to do, similar to anti-bullying techniques.
Capturing our final day at SXSW is Shannon Taylor from MRM//McCann Detroit. Get a glimpse inside the festival by checking out our Instagram - Shannon will be providing real-time updates throughout the day! https://www.instagram.com/mrm_mccann
Shared rides, ride subscriptions, car renting and connected vehicle platforms are changing the future of cars. The session “The Future of the Non-Flying Auto Industry” featured four passionate leaders representing companies that change the way we think about car ownership. “Six billion cars go un-utilized. We are going to see a shift from ownership to access,” said Sam Zaid. As consumers, there are ways to use transportation more efficiently and reduce our carbon footprint. The panelists candidly shared their perspectives on car subscription services and consumer-to-consumer car renting/shared rides, to one platform to connect all cars.
1. Car subscriptions: Jose Puente, GM and Co-founder of Flexdrive, kicked off the conversation, “Looking at the micro trends, we believe that there is an opportunity to provide a new option to the market: subscription.” Flexdrive is all inclusive and designed for someone who needs a car all of the time. The subscription for the cars includes all the costs (yes, insurance as well), and you can use the cars for shared rides.
2. Car connectivity platform: “Technology inside the car is fragmented and outdated. The car is probably the most disconnected device on the planet,” said Mark Haidar, CEO of Vinli. What is the solution? Haidar’s company, Vinli, is democratizing technology in cars by developing a universal car connectivity platform with an open ecosystem of apps and services. The brilliant part about this service is that there are no limitations for future app development.
3. Shared and rentable cars: Sam Zaid, CEO of Getaround, pioneered a service where the user can rent their personal car for profit. In San Francisco, there are more than 2,000 Getaround users. Between Uber, Lyft and Getaround, people can live car-free. “One of the most important impacts we are doing is the fact that you can utilize these assets more efficiently.” More efficient transportation decreases our carbon footprint.
What about the autonomous car?
The panelists predict we will see autonomous cars in consumer hands between 2020 and 2025. There are a few hurdles to tackle along the way. “It's not about the technology and the car, it’s about the regulations to enable consumer adoption,” said Haidar. Our society’s infrastructure isn’t ready. One of the biggest roadblocks will be updating current infrastructure to accommodate the autonomous vehicles.
Climate Central’s Case Study for Building Great Data Visualizations
By: Keisha Stephen-Gittens
Climate Central is an independent organization of scientists and journalists who research and report about the changing climate and its impact on the public. In Spring 2014, they received a report on the future of climate change in 2100 and wanted to portray this information to two key audiences:
1. The American public
2. Television meteorologists
The intention was to send a resounding message and inform the public about climate change and what could happen in 80 years. They also hoped that meteorologists would share and distribute this information on their channels. Given that there was a lot of data, they needed to think differently about datasets and focus on interactive storytelling. They decided to do an interactive mapping project.
They turned to climate models and ended up with 1001 cities, which would yield quite a lot of data.
The Creative Process
The social impact agency received the data set in an excel sheet and determined key ways in which to approach the material, as there were so many data points. The data was assembled, cleaned — i.e., checked for correct spelling and format and removed unneeded columns.
They needed the interactive map to be:
- Personalized
- Simple
- Explorable
- Memorable
- Impactful
They noted that the latter is the hardest thing to do, as it called for a deep inner connection with the viewer. This ideally was the ultimate goal.
The Technical Stuff
They mapped out the content, then did a mockup of a digitalized version and another wireframe. They found some anomalies along the way and had issues with the color not being right.
In the end, they developed an interactive design with different features, which included yellow dots to highlight key areas. It was noted that if something is truly intuitive, you shouldn’t have to explain to people how to use it. In this case, they had to subtly prompt the user with little UX features to guide them accordingly.
What Happened
The visualization was a success, as it received 2 million views in weeks with a lot of engagement as the story was resurfacing on other channels. It did so well that they developed a winter version as well.
Key Learnings:
1. Personal meant relevant. Simple equaled shareable.
2. Find a data person.
3. Clean your data.
4. Pinpoint your audience.
5. Ask what’s interesting.
Although this campaign was not optimized for mobile, it was noted that mobile was sometimes tricky when doing interactive design. In this case, it was decided that for this piece of content, mobile would not be the best format, as the audience would be less likely to consume on that channel.
See the final interactive result here: http://radishlab.com/sxsw2016-example/index.html
Producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Writer Sam Catlin (from “Breaking Bad!”), Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun and Garth Ennis (!!!) came out for a Q&A session after the screening!
Attempting to follow the medical language of Dr. Ted Berger was a challenge, but the methodology was not with the data and analytics experience we have in marketing. He has cracked the code of the brain’s electrical code and has created a “synthetic memory” device that has already been successful in mice and primates that have long-term memory damage. The technology can electronically record the brain’s signals, then predict and replicate those signals. This can have an incredible impact on people suffering from traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s, dementia and more. Keep an eye out for the world’s first chip-based human memory prosthetic.
This idea of human code has come up a few times now here at SXSW, and the amazing thing is that the technologies and knowledge needed are already used in many industries outside of health. I am noticing that the adoption and openness to re-purposing innovation across industries is in full force, which is crucial for health and medtech. This consistent crossover is great for innovation, as pioneers continue to move forward with new thinking.
It’s always interesting to hear both the struggles and success stories from those in similar lines of work, so I was particularly interested in this morning’s session on the increasing expectations of digital analysts. Marketing measurement is becoming increasingly complex, as we look to create relevant insights across channels, in a quickly changing landscape.
While much of the presentation focused on measuring social strategy, the presenters also provided some interesting thoughts on measurement plans in general, and the increasing accountability for marketers. I loved the example that dated back to some of the first advertisements on TV. At that time, we didn’t truly understand our audience or channel, so we utilized what worked for radio. The same can be said for current times; we’re struggling to keep up with the new landscape, and as a result, tend to rely on the measurement we know, which isn’t always appropriate.
Just as we need to learn our consumer audience, we also need to know the audience that will consume our reporting, as that should have a large influence on chosen KPIs, as well as delivery format. There is a clear difference in what is needed for specific audiences, but there are a few concepts that are universal as well, including the following:
1. Often, Less Is More
a. Clearly explain what it means, and keep it simple. Getting technical is typically too much for most audiences.
2. Try New Things
a. As your audience and marketing channels change, your reporting will have to as well. Keep honest and assess what’s no longer relevant; look to fill reporting voids.
3. Vanity Only Gets You So Far
a. Reporting that looks great is a bonus, but it should never take the place of actionable reporting. Ensure that proper measurement and associated insight is top priority.
4. Be Social
a. Not all marketing professionals know how to turn data into insights. Inform, share, and allow others to ask questions.
5. Be the Bearer of Bad News
a. It’s not always about celebrating wins. Deliver it, learn from it, and use this knowledge to create future wins.
In summary, we’re a data-driven society, and analysts are arguably some of the closest to their audiences in terms of general understanding. Leveraging the insight across channels and creating a platform for sharing provides the true partnership needed to move the business strategy forward. Keep it simple, keep it actionable, and keep it honest.
I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into this panel “Comments Are Terrible: But They Don’t Have To Be” presented by Erica Palan, Audience Engagement Manager at Philly.com; Greg Barber, Lead on Strategy & Partnerships at The Washington Post and Talia Stroud, Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin.
And to be honest, I wasn’t very excited about this. The comments section is probably filled with trolls, so why even bother, right? Well it turns out I was terribly wrong because this turned out to be a highly engaging and interactive session!
Even though this session focused primarily on the comments sections of news sites, what was shared can and should be applied to the way we, as advertisers, treat the comments sections of our content.
All three of the presenters admit that they’ve had their fair share of trolls, but for every troll they encounter, they’ve had five good comments that have not only shown support, but also given them new ideas and angles for stories.
Erica kick started the panel by sharing a video she did over at Philly.com, where she got journalists to read the bad comments they’ve gotten on their articles (very much like “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets” with Jimmy Kimmel). You can check it out here:
For Greg, he believes that the comments section is important and should be paid more attention to because it is the place that lets you connect and engage with your audience. More likely than not, the people who actually bother to comment (the good ones at least) are most probably your most loyal readers.
Talia, who did very extensive research on commenters (that she later shared) also believes that the comments section is a great place to learn more about your audience. It’s a gold mine of data for journalists to find new sources, new stories, and also what resonates the most with your audience.
For the research that she did with the Engaging News Project, Talia shared key learnings that include:
How is this relevant to us as marketers?
While we might not get as many trolls on a brand social media post because most of the people who opt to see your posts already like your brand, we still get our fair share of haters. And the thing to remember is that some of these people might actually have a point to a bad comment and review.
As marketers, we should be paying more attention to the comments section and take the time to reply to good AND bad comments to better engage with our audience. The comments on a social media post may not be as insightful as those on a new post because of the nature of the content, but it still shouldn’t be ignored.
The full research can be downloaded here at: http://engagingnewsproject.org/research/survey-of-commenters-and-comment-readers/
