Julianne Schiavone
Associate Planning Director, Maxus
The partners that embraced the cool, weird vibe of Austin and created experiences that you could only get at SXSW were the best and had the longest lines.
SXSW: the premiere destination for discovery. Julianne Schiavone shares five lessons in authenticity from the Austin-based interactive festival.
SXSW: the premiere destination for discovery. It’s a place where all in the same day, you can attend an enlightening discussion about the future of media and technology, go to a panel where one of your favorite celebrities is speaking, network with some new start-ups, watch an exclusive clip from a trendy TV show via a 3D pit of fire (looking at you, Game of Thrones season 6), drink a beer and charge your phone at a cool Austin venue courtesy of a media partner, and then see Quest Love performing as you walk down the street.
While SXSW taught me the difference between Texas BBQ and BBQ from other areas of the South, I also took away a greater theme: the importance of authenticity.
Here are 5 critical lessons I learned from SXSW on the importance of being authentic:
- You need to understand where your audience is and then be authentic to the platforms they are using.
- Don’t just create Snapchat content because it’s the cool new thing if your audience isn’t a Gen Z’er who would appreciate consuming bite-size content. Use a channel which directly engages with your target audience and speak to them through it. This will give you a more genuine way of communicating with them.
- Put out content that is authentic.
- People appreciate when you take the time to portray things in a realistic way and keep a consistent voice. This particular bit came from two panels I went to regarding USA Network’s award-winning series, Mr. Robot (a Maxus client). The success of the show and marketing campaign was largely built around the idea of authenticity. Before making decisions, the Mr. Robot team continually asks themselves how Elliot, the main character, would approach the situation. The showrunner, Sam Esmail, is intent on conveying the world of tech professionals and hackers in an authentic way, using real code and scenarios that could without-a-doubt take place in the real world. And to the 900+ fans at that panel, that authenticity is clearly appreciated.
- Stay true to your voice and who you are.
- My favorite panel I attended at SXSW featured a discussion with Kerry Washington about social stardom. When speaking about how she navigates her social presence, Washington said that she has made a strong commitment to staying true to herself. It’s important to her to engage with fans in a real way and encourage them to use their voices too. As far as what brands she decides to work with, Washington says she sticks with brands that truly understand her and this helps her (and her partner brands) stay authentic.
- Create a connection with your audience that feels like a friendship.
- Anyone can post one good video and get millions of views, but to really build a brand you need to have an ongoing conversation with people. YouTube influencer Joanna Franco put it nicely when saying that one of the first things she always thinks about before producing content is “Does this make sense for my audience? You wouldn’t want to feed your friends something that you wouldn’t feed yourself”. This influencer thinking can really be applicable for brands at large—if you’re putting things out there that aren’t what your audience would expect from you, then you’re going to lose them.
- And lastly, keep Austin weird.
- SXSW is an experience that offers brands a unique way to get in front of fans, potential partners and other companies at the conference. So they too need to remain authentic. The partners that embraced the cool, weird vibe of Austin and created experiences that you could only get at SXSW were the best and had the longest lines. The showy parties at swanky rooftop bars fit better elsewhere.
If you’re not authentic, it’s going to translate to your audience. So take a cue from SXSW, and get real.
