SXSW was all about evolution of digital, but disruptive tech took a backseat. Key themes included personalisation, big data, wearables, immersive experience and content, but hardware development can't seem to keep up with the possibilities of future marketing. Here are the key trends we saw and their potential implications for brands and consumers.

1. SXSW 2015
Digital Evolution
Interactive trends, debate and the implications
for brands and consumers

2. SXSW was all about evolution of
digital…
…disruptive tech took a backseat.

3. Key themes included personalisation, big data,
wearables, immersive experience and content

4. Hardware development can’t keep up with the
possibilities of future marketing!
Creative marketing
and
thought
Hardware
innovations
Then Now Future?

5. 360 Camera

6. Instead of talking new tech, experts took a birds’-eye
view on the future of marketing with implementation
and ethics widely discussed

7. Right now it’s all about
experimentation…

8. …Future ideas vs current tech
…Old values vs future tech
…Synergies in data to optimise/personalise experience
…Navigating the way personal information is used
…Using play and creating serendipity to aid creativity

9. Here’s what’s cooking….

10. VR creates an unforgettable crash dummy
experience
Watch: VR car crash dummy POV:
http://bit.ly/1CpRyOKOculus Rift was recently used by insurance company NRMA
to emotively highlight improvements in car safety over the
past twenty years. Visitors at a ‘crashed car showroom’ could
be a crash test dummy, creating an emotional and
memorable experience.
KEY TAKEOUT: VR works to tell story as part of a bigger
experience, it’ not advanced enough to stand alone.

11. Under the sea: A 360 documentary
VR lends itself very naturally to experience driven
documentary video. The emphasized phenomenon of
‘presence’ is perfect for a documentary experience such as
Thomas Wallner’s 360 companion experience to the RTE
series Polar Sea, exploring the physical landscape change
caused by polar ice cap erosion.
KEY TAKEOUT: Journalism, storytelling and live action VR
are a winning combination .
Watch/download: The Polar Sea website
http://polarsea360.arte.tv/
Read: Verge - Fove interactive VR Headset
(http://bit.ly/1NgPvhr )

12. Battle of the VR champions
Read: Verge - Fove interactive VR Headset
http://bit.ly/1NgPvhr
Watch: Bot & Dolly - Peter Pan queue
shadows experience http://bit.ly/1EGkLBU
Samsung Gear VR Vs Oculus Rift Vs Fove:
Ironically, Kite & Lightning pointed out the interactive game
element of their Insurgent VR experience was not playable
on the Samsung Gear VR but would be on the Rift. The star
of the trade show was the Fove headset, with interactive eye
tracking.
KEY TAKEOUT: key to VR tech will be figuring out how
exactly we interact with the virtual world.

13. S E E T H E U N S E E N
Visit/Watch/Shop:
S E E T H E U N S E E N
http://seetheunseen.co.uk/
Lauren Bowker, Material Alchemist from
T H E U N S E E N, showed off her smart material fashion
garments - contrasting the gimmicky & cumbersome wearable
gadgets at the trade show. Their fashion house focused on
creating clothing & accessories that are affected by the
environment or the wearers health.
KEY TAKEOUT: Don’t forget the impact of real life events!

14. Ringly deliver stylish personalisable wearables
Read: Ringly shows how wearable tech can
be fashionable http://onforb.es/1EGLxPM
Read: Top wearable jewelry:
http://tcrn.ch/1np4bhk
Wearable tech is all about personalisation. Not in terms of
just the information you select but the style of an object.
Google Glass would not suit everyone but emergence of
adaptable jewellery like Ringly takes us a step closer to
where we could be in the future.
KEY TAKEOUT: Style is as important as functionality.

15. Game of Thrones: The Sight
Explore: https://threeeyedraven.com/
Read: Captivology http://bit.ly/1HQskfR
Jim Marsh, Dir/Digital & Social Media at HBO gave a great
talk about authentic, contextual, revealing experiences. True
to the world of GoT, HBO sent ‘visions’ to fans via Twitter
and SMS that disappeared after you watched them. They
accepted negative feedback to keep the experience
authentic.
KEY TAKEOUT: Create a world that your fans can explore

16. Data goes interactive
Watch: Analysing and visualising big data
by Tableau: http://tabsoft.co/1IGrpvm
Big data means big reports, but gaining traction at SXSW
were new and evolving tools for making visual sense of big
data. Tableau’s presence at the trade fair was packed with
tech fans eager to manipulate maps and create interactive
dashboards. The future of data will be big and the
visualisations of it won’t be static.
KEY TAKEOUT: Data is for everyone, not just analysts.

17. Supply and demand will be transformed by mass
customisation and 3D printing
Read: Making mass customisation work:
http://bit.ly/1Gx5FmY
Infographic: Business case for
personalisation: http://bit.ly/1Gx5Kao
Mass customisation is the next big trend for online retailers,
giving brands the opportunity to collaborate with consumers
to create individual products. In the future, products will be
printed at home instantly, completely disrupting the supply
and demand chain.
KEY TAKEOUT: Make sure to keep brand identity consistent!

18. Live video streaming of everything by anyone
Read: Meerkat vs Periscope:
http://bit.ly/1bRn6D6
Read: Meerkat at SXSW:
http://bit.ly/1DroNml
Watch: Meerkat founder talk at SXSW:
http://on.mash.to/1Ek0wKf
SXSW was prime location for live video. A beautiful city with
loads of cool events, talks and atmosphere. As the new kid
on the block Meerkat was the darling of streaming, but it’s
already hotly contested. If the festival ran this week, we’d
expect Periscope to be the app of choice.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Video is not new, but works. Live video
and social is being redefined as we speak.

19. MEAT
BBQ FOOD IN AUSTIN ROCKS

20. Other ideas that captured our attention included:
Fitcoin
Incentivised fitness. FitCoin can make you fit and rich: http://tnw.co/1BMZggP
Wearable payables
Paying with a smartwatch would be convenient, right? http://bit.ly/1DAlbxv
GIF as the new emoji
The GIF is set to overtake emojis and become the next funky form of SMS! How to send a
GIF via SMS: http://bit.ly/1OyQcX5

21. Thank you 
Any questions, let us know!
Zoë Baker
Account Director
Zoe.Baker@1000heads.com
Michael Anton
Insight Director
Michael.Anton@1000heads.com
Richard Perry
Producer
Richard.Perry@1000heads.com
© 1000heads 2015