SXSWi 2011

SXSWi 2011 ๏ 20,000 attendees

(almost 40% increase over 2010)

๏ 1,000 talks over 5 days by 2,000 speakers

๏ Ten different locations

๏ Every hour there were 25 – 35 sessions

“The reason we’re at SXSW, and the reason everyone else is here, is that it’s the most concentrated influx of exciting, fun, early adopter, tech people who are willing to try out anything at least once.”

- Seth Priebatsch – SCVNGR

Some Gannetteers in Austin, 2011

o Erik Bursch, USA TODAY o Tim Carlson, USA TODAY o Laura Cochran, Gannett o Glenna DeRoy, USA TODAY o Jodi Gersh, Gannett o Chad Graham, Arizona Republic o Joe Long, Cincinnati Enquirer o Matt Rodbard, Metromix o Matt Rogers, Gannett Digital, Indy o Kathleen Sullivan, Gannett o Chris Sweigart, 11Alive, Atlanta o Linda Vo, Gannett

There were others we did not have an opportunity to connect with…

Examples of Panels Attended

o What Digital Tribes Can Learn from Native Americans

o Believe Me or Your Own Eyes: Eye Tracking Entertainment

o Advanced Integration of Social Media Analytics

o Marketing Budgets Have Gone Social—Is It Working?

o Changing News Rooms and News Consumers

o Why Everything Is Amazing & Nobody Is Happy

o Why Journalists Need to Think Like Geeks

o Getting ‘Em Online & Off-Their-Ass

o The Last Broadcast: Entertainment is Social- What's Next?

o NPR’s API: Create Once, Publish Everywhere

o TV Networks Extending Interactivity for Fans

o Bloggers vs. Journalists: It’s a Psychological Thing

o Hacking the News: Applying Computer Science to Journalism

o How Social Media Fueled Unrest in the Middle East

o Long After the Thrill: Sustaining Passionate Users

More Panels We Attended

Business Happens

Within months post-SXSW, many mergers and acquisitions are announced. Business gets done at SXSW.

Some companies we met with

o DoubleDutch o Foodspotting o intersect o Picplz o Sulia o TextPlus o Mass Relevance o Hipmunk o Twitter

SXSW Snippets: some things we heard and saw

Journalism

Problems legacy media is facing (newsrooms established prior to

the Internet):

• They must now deliver across all platforms.

• They must now engage audience through social media.

• They must no longer do it alone (have to partner and collaborate).

• They have to utilize new tools and continually evolve.

1. Articles have been transformed into “Streams” a. Constantly updated b. Integrated with Facebook, allows for people to follow a story

2. Start streams/stories early

3. Allows producers, reporters and crowd to constantly edit and contribute

4. Every story gets a stream URL

5. Every update also gets a stream URL

Story is a product of language. In the past, our only language was words and text. Today, our language includes video, graphics, pictures, charts, etc.

Tips on Creating Shareable Content

–Keep it simple — but be specific

– Think visual

–Respond in real time

–Create a question

–Make room for the user

–Be willing to iterate

– It’s not about you

The Oatmeal’s Matthew Inman

Gamification

“The gamification of news can be a powerful tool for marketing and

reader engagement, but it must be done in a way that rewards all

types of readers, based on their level of involvement.”

Gamify the news by rewarding 3 types of

activities

1. Reward activity

2. Reward curiosity

3. Reward involvement

A. Difference between “competitive” and “cooperative” games

1. Competitive

a. Balance of skill and chance

b. Winners and losers (better and worse performers)

2. Cooperative

a. Can be used to achieve a collective goal

b. Benefits the common good

B. Some solutions are not scientific, they’re social

C. Teams are more sustainable

1. Sponsor people who need motivation from others

2. Team points add accountability – “If we want to make lasting change, we need our friends to change with us.”

- James Fowler

Competitive vs. Cooperative

A warning about “gamification”

o A layer of fun only works if the core activity is something the user cares about.

o “Gamification,” as it is usually discussed, is pretty much just sugarcoating.

o Human behavior is driven by psychology, and there are certain timeless motivators.

o Use these motivators to inform game mechanics.

Focus on intrinsic motivation.

Don’t start at the candy coated shell.

To sustain passionate users, provide a service that is trustworthy and of value.

Delight is good, but it decreases over time, so do not move away from your

core purpose in favor of delightful motivators.

Innovation & Design

The Thank You Economy At its core, social media requires that business leaders start thinking like small town shop owners.

(Business leaders) are going to have to allow the personalities, heart, and soul of the people who run all levels of the business to show.

Unless you are building a new company from the ground up and can install caring as your businesses’ cornerstone, you have to be willing to embark on a complete cultural overhaul so that, like a local mom and pop shop, every employee is comfortable engaging in customer service, and does it authentically.

Letting the consumers decide for themselves that they really want to know you, versus persuading them that they should, can make a very big difference in the relationship that ensues.

If your view of social media is so tunnel-visioned that all you care about are the number of fans or retweets or views you’re garnering, you’re missing the whole point.

Who owns the

virtual space

around you?

Social TV

Innovation isn’t forced on people, they want it.

For TV, the new water cooler is Facebook/Twitter

Consumers have active and passive states. It's not just the TV show, but the brand... And how does the brand engage in both states.

Today brands, media and audiences are equal participants in an ecosystem

where each party is both a content creator and distributor.

If Web 2.0 was the moment when the collaborative promise of the

internet seemed finally to be realized - with ordinary users

creating instead of just consuming - Web 3.0 is the moment they forget

they're doing it.

Tim O’Reilly

10% of PepsiCo’s overall spend is for social media. They teamed with Foursquare for a Brisk can. Partnership with Foursquare (free can with check-in) increased sales by 140%. Estimates that social media has grown by 30% year-over-year across all brands (500 total).

Establishing ROI via social is very difficult. Altimeter studies note that

66% of brands are measuring engagement, but only 22% of them have been able to tie those metrics

to conversion. At the same time, 48% of the companies said they are

heavily focused on ROI this year.

Commandments of SM Analytics

• Social media isn’t just engagement – It’s a data source to mine.

• Raw numbers are never as important as the conclusions you draw from them.

• Know your audience. Focus on the eyeballs you need to be in front of and know where they are.

• Talk to your non-customers as much as your customers.

• Unite social media workflow with Sales/CRM. Connect user profiles to social media accounts.

“Ask better questions” -Jason Falls

Don't ask ‘Is Jodi a social media expert?’ Ask ‘Can Jodi come up with social strategies that will help my business?’

Ask questions that turn the conversation over to the consumer. Share the power of the conversation.

Governments aren’t afraid of informed people, they’re

afraid of synchronized groups

of people.

Is Influence the ability to drive action or is Influence the ability to change someone's mind and drive action?

Collaborative Consumerism

My generation

• I am a buyer

• Own features , own failures

C generation

• I am a sharer

• Experience benefits

[Collaborative consumption is based on the concept that some persons will pay for the

benefit of having access to product as opposed paying more to own it outright]

*Think ZipCars

The media presence at

SXSW

CNN Grill

CNN

AOL

AOL Loft

Guardian UK

Other Sponsors

Pepsi Max Lot

Pepsi Co Stage

Free Rides w/Chevy

Thank you.

@jodiontheweb