n the last year technology has moved at an incredible pace and fuelled all sorts of magical developments that offer huge opportunities for brands. This has brought with it a number of challenges none of which are insurmountable. SXSW showed me that the #Magic is out there to embrace and adopt, when coupled with a respectful approach to privacy and social responsibility as exemplified by the likes of Coke the World is truly your oyster.

2. As this was my 3rd year attending SXSW I was ready for the cacophony of noise that
‘Southby’ throws up and hugely excited by the prospect of having a colleague helping me
make sense of the signal through the noise.
Contrary to Michaela’s quest for #SXSWLogic my task was to seek out the magic, the
inspirational, the delightful, the exciting developments that will move, change or create new
advances over the coming year(s).t
So embracing Steven Johnson’s adage he shared at Southby “embrace serendipity; make
generative mistakes; take on multiple hobbies; frequent coffeehouses and other liquid networks;
follow the links; let others build on your ideas; borrow, recycle; reinvent. Build a tangled bank.” I set
off in search of the digital ‘Holy Grail’.
Interestingly, whilst it may be a seemingly impossible task to convey the magic that happens
at every event and street corner in Austin,t it was relatively easy to tie it down to 5 areas
that provoke debate, drive developments and ultimately all of which have implications for
brands.

3. TREND #1
FROM APPS TO HARDWARE
SXSW is perhaps best known for the launches of apps from the most famous in Twitter to the equally omniscient
Foursquare and 2013’s big launches of GroupMe and Highlight. 2014 was different it was the year of cutting edge
hardware at SXSW, indeed it often felt more CES than SXSW.
From wearable technology to robots and home automation – it seems it is no longer just about virtual social
networks, but from the variety of magical ideas we saw, it seems it is about how new technologies can impact
people’s day-to-day lives. Here are a selection of the best...

4. THE INTERNET OF
EVERYTHING
‘The internet of things’was a big subject in 2013 (see our blog) – this year is
has taken a step to omniscience and evolved to the‘internet of everything’.
This means you will soon be having your fridge tell you are eating too much
and your smartphone telling you someone is burgling your house or the
kids are having a party.
One of the best examples I saw was Cube Sensors https://cubesensors.com
that have powerful sensors that track air quality,temperature,humidity,noise,
light,pressure and movement to help you save money on energy,sleep
better,breathe easier and the heady promise of keeping your family safe and
giving you peace of mind.
In the talkTopTech InnovationTrends for 2014 Robert Scoble summed up
the future tech innovation in the home - “The numbers of sensors on us
and around us are going way,way up.It's changing how we communicate
with our door locks and everything else.And it's to the point where
ordinary people can afford it.It's the first year I felt I could do my own
home automation without being a nerd.”

5. FROM JEOPARDY
TO COOKERY
YOUR OWN
PERSONAL DJ
Lightwave, has created a new technology that will allow a DJ to
‘feel’ what you want to hear. Using an iPad and special bracelets
that measures movement, body temperature and excitement
level the DJ can adjust the music according to the dancers’
mood.The company thinks the technology is transferable to
movies, sporting events and political rallies.
If you’ve ever been stumped as to what to cook or order
then IBM have the solution – IBM broughtWatson, the
computing system best known for winning Jeopardy three
years ago, to SXSW this year.Watson is able to create meals
you couldn’t possibly think up – from Kenyan Brussels sprouts
with sweet potato puree, ginger and almonds or Czech
pork-belly moussaka with peas, parsley root, cottage cheese
and dill. AllWatson asked was you put in a region, a main
ingredient or two and a type of food and the computer
analyses thousands of recipes and matches up chemical
flavour compounds that are most likely to surprise people and
also taste good.Watch out Heston !

6. C.U.P.I.D. DON’T DRAW
BACK YOUR BOW
Chaotic Moon Studios are the inventors of the C.U.P.I.D. (Chaotic Unmanned
Personal Intercept Drone) that includes an 80,000 volt stun gun and acts as a
non-lethal defence mechanism.The demo was like something I have never seen
before – I am not sure the‘volunteer’ agreed !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fsdb7du1rmM
Small commercial drone usage is a hot topic at present, with Amazon looking to
launch a drone delivery service and similar concepts being implemented by big
brands the world over so watch this space.
Not to be outdone "Game ofThrones" fans used a virtual-reality headset, the
Oculus Rift, to immerse themselves in a 3-D version of a scene from the fantasy
series.

7. 3D PRINTING
BECOMES A REALITY
3-D printers were everywhere you looked – indeed intriguingly Deloitte used SXSW
to launch their initiative to“demonstrate, educate, and inspire their clients, as they begin
to use emerging design and 3D Printing technologies to bring products and services to
market” with the aim to reduce environmental impact of manufacturing and bring jobs
back to the U.S.
The promise is that 3-D printers will empower you to make your own products,
instead of shopping online or going to the store, personally I especially liked the
3D-printed candy from a machine built in partnership with Hershey.
Other notable developments in hardware included driverless cars, high-tech medical
devices for consumers and‘wallTV’ where your images projected on your walls to
replace new paint and wallpaper.
What does this means for brands?
Think beyond your app (or website). How can you leverage these new technologies to
have a real impact on your consumers’ lives?

8. Companies and brands should consider a wider approach to
technology than the development of applications and they
couldn’t go far wrong when considering how development of
hardware could encourage more tactile interaction with a
brand and ultimately greater awareness and credibility.
The same principles apply here, utility has always been the
standard to follow when developing anything brand related
for technology.AsTechcrunch reported last year, 85% of apps
downloaded are only used once then deleted – in short if it is
not useful to consumers they will not engage with it.
So think beyond your app (or website). How can you
leverage these new technologies to have a real impact on
your consumers’ lives?
WHAT DOES
#TREND 1
MEAN FOR
BRANDS?

9. TREND #2
WEARABLES ARE NOT JUST GOING
TO BE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
Following on from the first trend nowhere did hardware and innovation merge more visibly at this year's SXSW than in
Wearables. It seems the human body as an interface is big news and big business, indeed Credit Suisse estimated the market
to be worth $50bn by 2017. Judging by the number of people (or Glassholes’ as became the Intsagram tag) walking around
Austin in Google's connected eyewear I can believe this to be true.
But, as pretentious as the wearers may seem, experts tend to agree that we are only at the beginning of the technology
acceptance cycle, and there is much more to come from the potential Google Glass has to offer.

10. DIVERSITY OF DEVELOPMENTS
There was a diverse range of speakers addressing the topic, from
former basketball player Shaquille O’Neil who advocated his
reliance on Fitbit to drive him to complete his 10,000 daily steps
to British cardiologist Graham Stuart who spoke of conducting a
study to see if NikeFuel can prolong the lives of children living
with congenital heart defects.
Gadgets on your body, such as fitness trackers -- was a stand-
ing-room-only event at SXSW's Startup Accelerator, where new
companies pitch their products to investors in the hopes of
attracting funding and press.
One startup demoed solar-paneled clothing that can recharge a
phone in two hours.This line from Dutch designer Pauline van
Dongen has built-in solar cell fins that can get your phone halfway
charged after an hour of sun exposure. Her designs look like
something Lady Gaga would wear — the only downside is you
have to go outside.
Netherlander Borre Akkersdijk walked around SXSW wearing
the prototype for his BB.Suit, a quilted jumpsuit knit with copper
threads to connect internet, GPS, and a music-sharing program. It
looks like a rag & bone sweatshirt and doubles as aWi-Fi hot
spot for smartphones in the vicinity — a conversation piece that
ends an IRL conversation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUipW2u5HRY
Another pitched Nymi, a wristband that authenticates users
through their unique cardiac rhythm and eliminates the need to
type passwords on a mobile device.
http://www.getnymi.com
We also saw the Spree Headband, which aims to monitor your
speed, distance, time, heart rate, calories burned, and body
temperature.
Athos fitness apparel aims to provides a more complete picture
of fitness by tracking exactly what your muscles are doing, as well
as your form, and the activity of your respiratory and cardiovas-
cular systems.
The JUNE bracelet by Netatmo aims to measure a wearer's sun
exposure and advises on how to protect skin from the sun's
effects.
But the big winner was Skully, an augmented-reality motorcycle
helmet.The helmet has a 180-degree rear-view camera that
projects images to a headset display so the driver can see the
road in every direction.The company's CEO, MarcusWeller,
describes his product as "like Google Glass, except it can save
your life."

11. NOT JUST WEARABLE
BUT ‘IMPLANTABLE’
Despite the fact that smart band sales are expected to increase from 8 million to 45
million over the next three years, some analysts have been weary about the lack of
true innovation in the sector. That’s where‘implantables’ come in.
The‘heart attack ringtone’, for example, is an implanted device mentioned at SXSWi
that senses internal changes that are a precursor to a heart attack and rings ahead to
warn you.Additionally, the development of contact lenses that constantly track insulin
levels in diabetes patients show the possibilities of how tech can make giant leaps
when it comes to our wellbeing.This was summed up by one of the most commonly
tweeted paraphrases from a Byron Reese talk;‘live another 25 years and there’s a high
probability that you may never die’.
THE FUTURE IS
HERE….NOW
As fascinating glimpse into the future was provided by Leo Burnett and
Contagious – who gave us a glimpse into the future where technology
developments such as‘affective interfaces’,‘cognitive computing’,‘epidermal
electronics’ and‘haptic experiences’ mean the future is here now – but one
word of caution from Paul at Contagious“Good tech is no excuse for a
bad idea”.

12. THE POWER OF GENES
In a packed keynote session“The Future of Genetics in Everyday Life”,AnneWojcicki,
the CEO and Co-Founder of 23andMe, echoed these themes in her keynote address
on pointing out that understanding individual genetics can transform medicine from a
treatment model to a prevention one. Interestingly her company has recently been
issued with a‘cease and desist’ order from the FDA she acknowledged that 23andMe
does not offer interpreted health results to customers, but she was at pains to show the
potential that this information has for people and for research. However with more
than half a million people participating in research, the company has been able to do
more studies in a few months or years that would have a taken others using traditional
methods several decades.
As mentioned Google Glass explorers abounded at SXSW, wearing the full spectrum
of colors that the tiny computing headset comes in.At the conference, attendees
pondered the privacy questions that naturally come about — when wearable cameras
snap at any moment, whose freedom should be protected?The wearer or the people
in the crowd?The cultural issues cropped up at numerous panels, too. Do wearables
make us more connected, or detach us further?The coming onslaught of watches,
Google Glass getting more mainstream and even contact lenses that are in develop-
ment mean the larger conversations about this topic will continue.
Finally, Stuart did warn of a darker bi-product of incentivised wellness and the data it
creates, claiming that in the future it could affect our insurance premiums and ability to
get a job.
A WORD OF WARNING

13. WHAT DOES
#TREND 2
MEAN FOR
BRANDS?
The next great media tech wave is already here, and it fits like a
glove, a watch, eyeglasses, a bracelet, a pendant or maybe a hat or
a plaster.
Wearable technology promises a seamless interface of body and
machine and an opportunity to serve consumers in unprece-
dented, and unprecedentedly intimate, ways.Whether directly
related to health or more visceral pastimes Brands should
consider how they can use this trend to their advantage.
The key for brand is figuring out how brand messaging and
content marketing can integrate themselves off of the desktop
and into more-progressive communication technology.
Most wearables do not operate independently, but work in
tandem with a mobile device and as such the proximity sensors
and communication capabilities built into fitness trackers and
smartwatches could one day be used to change the look of an
advertising billboard as you approach it, or to adjust the targeted
adverts you see based on your recent activity.
We don’t know just how many devices we’ll have attached to our
bodies in the coming years, what’s certain is that the companies
who want to stay relevant will have to continue to evolve and
innovate just as quickly as the technology does.

14. TREND #3
THE DARK SIDE OF THE NET
As part of their review of SXSW
2014 the Meltwater team analyzed
the buzz around South by South-
West (SXSW) and put together
their findings in this infographic.
This showed clearly that online security and privacy were
major themes at Southby this year with National Security
Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden topping all
subjects during the interactive festival, with over 170,100
mentions – this huge achievement is contextualized by the
fact that he even beat SXSW 2013’s hero Grumpy Cat
into second place. Indeed 7 percent of all social buzz was
Snowden-related: that's 3 times more mentions than
parties, 5 times more than food and 9 times more
mentions than drinking.
The irony was that along with one of the other big conversation starters of the Festival Julian
Assange, Snowden clearly wasn’t able to attend in person but rather contradictorily appeared
using Google Hangouts from Russia.This was despite a ‘strongly worded physical letter from
Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo urging the SXSW committee to try and stop the virtual
conversation with Edward Snowden – a joke that wasn’t lost on the techie crowd.

15. POST PRIVACY WORLD
Both Assange and Snowden warned of continuing government surveillance and threats to privacy and called
for the public to be more conscious of the information shared online. But they didn’t stop at government,
noting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent invocation of a “post privacy world,”Assange reminded
the audience that SiliconValley revenue models encourage companies like Facebook and Google to “steal”
user data. Snowden called on the developer community to build better encryption tools to protect users
but acknowledged that massive data collection by tech companies would continue.
These weren’t the only sessions about privacy - on Saturday and Sunday alone in Austin, there were
sessions called:“Do Consumers Really Care About Online Privacy?;”“In Data We Distrust: Fixing Online
Privacy;”“Privacy is Dead: Long Live Privacy;”“Online Privacy: Nuclear Meltdown or NextGen Fuel?;” and,
finally,“Privacy Swaps: Better Brand Experiences at a Price.” These ssions explored a number of other
themes including:
DIGITAL PERMANENCY
As younger users embrace new tools and platforms like Snapchat that promise not to permanently save
and display their data. Indeed, a new study found the photo sharing and deleting service is more popular
among teens and younger adults thanTwitter.This was referenced especially as the next generation to
run the countries of the World will beThe Millennials and I am sure they don’t want their college
indiscretions shared in 10 years time!

16. GOING ‘DARK’
A more extreme but much smaller group of users has discovered the“DarkNet,”
where people can obscure their real identities and mask their online movements
and transactions (Huge’s Director of Search and Inbound Marketing Andrew
Delamarter presented a talk on the DarkNet at SXSW).While they are becoming
easier to access and use, DarkNet tools and tactics still require a fairly high level of
technical sophistication, making their users more like traditional hackers than tweens
trying to hide their sexting from their parents.
In additionTor, the free software that prevents people from learning your location or
browsing habits, was lauded, as was an app called Secret launched a month ago.
Secret is like Facebook without the faces letting people share their deepest, darkest
thoughts with the those they know, without their names attached to posts.
SEMANTIC PEDANTIC
The debate brought back the much vaunted Google adage that you would rather get
what you want from your searches and give your privacy away than the opposite. It
seems that digital users say one thing but do another, as one presenter pointed out
whilst“66% of Americans say they do not want to receive targeted ads, 53% of them
want websites they visit to offer discounts tailored to their interests.” The overriding
conclusion seemed to be that people don’t tend to care about privacy until there is a
breach – something debated heatedly at the“Is Privacy a Right or an Illusion?”

17. “You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.”
The words of Carl Jung ring just as true for brands now as they
did for Psychology in the early 20th century. Whilst not necessarily
#SXSWMagic all the magic that is created by a brand can be
destroyed by overlooking the very contentious issue of privacy.
If your brand is what it does, then you need to ensure that your
approach to the privacy of people who interact with you conveys
the right messages. Whilst some argue that privacy has become
the new“green” or“eco,” meaning businesses can charge higher
costs for a more secure experience.The stronger argument seems
to be that in exchange for the benefit of storing, using and selling
user data, brands have to offer even more premium experiences,
whether via personalisation, deals and discounts or otherwise.
Most agreed that as mainstream awareness of privacy and
data security increases, users will demand more disclosure and
transparency – for brands, this means taking responsibility for how
they use the data they are collecting and always thinking about the
value exchange they can provide, indeed one audience member at
one panel asked why terms and conditions can’t be displayed in
clear infographic form!
So maybe not magic but certainly a consideration that goes a long
way to creating magic!
WHAT DOES
#TREND 3
MEAN FOR
BRANDS?

18. TREND #4
DIGITAL FOR GOOD
One of the most buzzed about topics at SXSW was Social Good, after a
number of panels and the ‘Social for Good’ hub http://sxsw.com/sxsw-social-good-hub were added this year focusing on
Global impact and policy after 2013 attendees voiced in their feedback they’d like to see this addition in the 2014 lineup. From
what I can see it’s clear this is the direction the digital world is taking.
TREND #4
DIGITAL FOR GOOD
One of the most buzzed about topics at SXSW was Social Good, after a
number of panels and the ‘Social for Good’ hub were added this year focusing on Global impact and policy after 2013
attendees voiced in their feedback they’d like to see this addition in the 2014 lineup. From what I can see it’s clear this is the
direction the digital world is taking.

19. SOCIAL BUSINESS AND
ACCOUNTABILITY
TECHNOLOGY FOR GOOD
Chelsea Clinton’s keynoted on utilising data and technology to drive the developing world looked what technology needs to do
to aid human developing. She referenced a lot of the work thatThe Clinton Foundation (of which she isVice Chair) is doing and
challenged the tech community to improve the use of technology for doing good and highlighted some of her favourites
including Kiva, which gives direct loans to low-income entrepreneurs, and M-Pesa, a mobile banking startup based in Africa.
She called for ways to look at existing technologies, compare them, and create metrics to decide which work best.“Innovation
isn’t always new, almost every challenge has been solved by someone somewhere,”. Now she sees the problem in solution
aggregation. So her call was for an agnostic solutions hub, one hopefully developed by someone in the room listening to her.
The overall feeling was that consumers and producers alike are at a crossroads in understanding and enhancing social responsi-
bility through online channels.
Change.org founder Ben Rattray’s gave an empassioned call to action that it is not just individuals who should be in the game of
enacting change but companies too“The best way to address social change is through business,” Rattray stated. Rattray believes
there’s a lot to be gained by being a proponent of social change, especially those in the technology industry with the opportuni-
ty to not only leave a lasting legacy but also create a better economy, too and called for a renewed focus on social change.
“The soapbox is now a network,” business is now infinitely more transparent and social media has provided a space that has
allowed the public to have a louder, more meaningful voice. Sites like change.org have proven the undeniable impact of empow-
ered consumers.

20. BRANDS DOING
GOOD
Dean Kamen’s total focus is on the humanitarian uses of technology, which
stretches back to his invention of the portable dialysis machine and an infusion
pump to deliver drug therapies to infants.
He talked about a number of initiatives including most interestingly Slingshot a
water vapour distillation system a low-energy machine that could purify 1000
liters of water a day in the poorest communities.The units can be powered by a
Stirling engine; one ran for six months with cow dung as fuel.A successful
program in Ghana situated the units next to five schools, and purified 140,000
litres.
The challenge was how to get to these remote locations and the answer was
found in the strangest of places – Coca Cola’s distribution system was the only
one that goes deep enough into remote, poverty stricken corners of the world
that need portable water helping bring clean, drinking water to places like
Ghana and Paraguay. No other company or medical related organization could
accomplish that – interestingly they also found that the western brand icon
delivered the trust necessary for the project to be a success.
As Kaplan pointed out "Big entrenched organizations often don't want change.
The cold, hard fact is that billions of poor people around theWorld don’t have
the capability and resources to create change”.
Brands have the capability and resources to create solutions to the world's
problems and can create that change.

21. VIDEO ADVERTISING
THAT GIVES BACK
"When it comes to trying to create change, don’t just think outside of the box,
think like there is NO box.” – Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation.
During her interview with Ahmed Shihab-Eldin from Huffington Post Live on
fearless social change, Jean engaged the audience through inspiring stories and
challenged them to take risks, be bold and fail forward. One of the best examples
of this came fromThe Australian Federal Police who met the challenge presented
by over 1,600 missing person cold cases in Australia they found a cost effective
way to search for new leads.
Using a geo targeted Missing Persons Pre-roll http://vimeo.com/73364704 they
turned the unavoidable 5 seconds of aYouTube pre-roll into an engaging, geo-tar-
geted missing person banner.To focus the viewers attention the“Skip” button was
modified to show 2 options“Yes, I have” seen the missing person, or“No I haven’t.”.
If the user clicked“No, I haven’t” the pre-roll would skip to the video as usual.
AYouTube and world first, the Missing Persons Pre-roll was seen by over 1.2
million people during Missing PersonsWeek and 238 viewers clicked“Yes, I have”
providing new information on cold cases.

22. WHAT DOES
#TREND 4
MEAN FOR
BRANDS
It was clear that alongside all the new technologies launching
and gaining traction throughout the event, a social model is
emerging concurrently; one that calls for social accountability
and the desire to make real-world changes through technology.
Brands such asTOMS, who to date has donated more than 10
million pairs of children’s shoes and eyewear to 200,000
people, used the festival to announce that an initaitve where
the purchase of TOMS coffee products in turn donates money
to help clean water projects around the world.TheTOMS
model was a great example of a pervasive theme of SXSW
+SocialGood: Doing social good is also good business.
“We are in a place in human history where this notion of
public versus private and all these oppositional things are
starting to blur at the edges. Some of these issues go way
behind one sector to solve, so we find it very exciting to
partner with organizations to solve some of these problems.”
Manoj Fenelon Director of Foresight Pepsico.
Brands can do a lot worse than embrace and consider how
initiatives such as these can be embedded into their strategies
and plans.

23. TREND #5
EMBRACE MAKER VALUES
People who might once have been defined as hobbyists and cottage
craftsmen are now a sophisticated network of technology tinkerers
with limitless potential coming from different walks of life.
The maker revolution has had a presence at SXSW for a while now,
however new this year was evidence of its impact on digital marketers,
who have enthusiastically adopted maker values: celebrating DIY
culture, rapidly prototyping and opting for tangible “products” over fluff.
This means redefining traditional manufacturing cycles and riding on
the wave of increasingly accessible and powerful tools for rapid
prototyping.
In other words, moving from traditional, top-down campaigns to
collaborative, bottoms-up engagement with customers.

24. ‘COMBINATIONAL
CREATIVITY’
“The Future of Innovation” was a key buzzword of the 2014
program embracing the idea that some of the most transformative
new ideas and products are being created in both the skunkwork
labs of tech giants and by digital artists, hackers, and other collec-
tives; and in some instances the two sides are joining forces.
Increasingly companies are recruiting and assembling teams from a
variety of backgrounds as well as the increasing trend in engaging
individuals from a non-tech background for development and
design roles.
Kicked off in a rousing keynote from artist and entrepreneur Austin
Kleon who invited attendees to embrace their inner ‘cenius’
(collaborative genius) and look to combine and share their work
with others, presentations from Microsoft, Philips, IDEO and Intel all
stressed the importance of looking beyond job title and qualifica-
tion to harness creativity and build shared innovation.
Philips in particular were one of the few brands featured in the
trade show with a large stand showcasing their Digital Innovation
Challenge not only asking for attendees feedback on their lifestyle
products via post it notes and brainstorming sessions but also
offering the start-up that impressed them the most the chance to
spend a week at Philips’ Headquarters in the Netherlands, including
access to expertise and resources.

25. Capital One, for example, focuses on relevant events that the bank sponsors, like
March Madness, and “gifts” users rapidly created GIFs celebrating their favourite
team (discovered from using social listening cues). During its summer campaign,
the bank teamed with artists onTumblr to create customized illustrations of
“bucket list” summer vacation destinations identified by followers.
Boing Boing and Ford teamed up, for example, on a hackathon where outside
makers were invited to play with Ford’s OpenXC platform and presented the
results to conference-goers.
And Oreo, moving well beyond its Super Bowl tweet, is experimenting with
3D-printed cookies, which can be customized and evaluated by consumers in real
time through social media.
Joi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab, noted in his keynote on “The Future of
Making” that the model for product design has shifted to one in which, even for
complex devices like smartphones, designers build prototypes that are tested
within days and then iterated based on user feedback. Lengthy planning and
research is out, making and testing is in, a lesson not lost on the social media
marketers for major brands, who are being more experimental and adjusting
based on real-time feedback from customers.
FAST, EXPERIMENTAL
AND ITERATIVE

26. Beyond influencing social and engagement strategies, the
maker ethos is pushing marketers and brand innovators
to collaborate with customers themselves in improving
existing products and creating new ones.
Experimenting with rapid prototyping tools such as 3D
printers and programmable electronic components (such
as Arduino) should be part of every brand / agency’s
toolkit to help creatives and clients lean into the future..
Even the biggest of corporations are starting to get
involved and embrace the DIY spirit with programs that
empower makers and earn goodwill in the process.
Consider Levi’s, which produces a video series showcasing
unique designers, or GE, which created shared workspaces
and makers competitions in partnership with the online
makers network, Quirky.
The Millennial generation’s adoption of the making
philosophy, where there is inherent expectation of
ownership and personalisation of any brand, will increas-
ingly impact how brand approach their marketing efforts.
As such continually evolving products, brand on crowds
making efforts will be the new standard as making
becomes the new marketing!
WHAT DOES
#TREND 5
MEAN FOR
BRANDS?

27. SUMMARY
SXSW this year left me feeling like we are at a crossroads of change and constancy.
The leaps in technological advancement that offer us the chance to directly impact
people’s lives and liberation of the maker movement are challenged by increasing calls
for privacy and societal responsibility.
However, rather then being restrictive this is a hugely inspiring time that presents a
plethora of opportunities for brands. Of course technology has its challenges, but it
brings with it unbelievable prospects.This means that we have the ability to play a
serious role in defining and shaping the next phase of blending content and technology
to connect people and brands.
Brands need to decide what role they are going to play – are they entertainers,
publishers, service providers or should they act as the consumers’ broader social
conscience?
This presents both an opportunity and a threat – it is easy to focus on creating
content that engages with consumers but does little to promote or further a brands
identity. Howeve,r brands such as Nike do a great job at create compelling brand
experiences whilst still building equity and driving sales.The key to the future seems to
be how do you create the magic to add value and engage whilst still driving the
bottom line.

28. IF YOU’D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU,
GET IN TOUCH ANDREW@GRAVITYTHINKING.COM
OR VISIT GRAVITYTHINKING.COM