The Official
Moosylvania Blog

SXSWi has been enlightening to say the least. From Copywriters to Creative Directors and Marketing and Analytics Specialists, we’ve all learned some pretty amazing stuff along this incredible journey—and we’d like to share those nuggets of knowledge with you. So read on, and find out why huggable things are still awesome, how agencies are evolving and why the future of interactive is going to be seriously off the hook.

• Whether you like it or not, the mobile wallet (NFC tech) is going to happen. It’s safer, more convenient, and it’s being adopted by all of the major credit card companies including Visa and Mastercard. Say goodbye to cash and plastic.

• HTML5 and CSS3 are moving at breakneck speed, and we should continue to push the envelope on what we can do with it. Think about second screen and multi screen experiences, and look forward to mobile browsers supporting more device features like cameras and other sensors.

• Data is EVERYTHING.

• If it has not already, social media is about to reach its saturation point. Look for consumers, as well as the industry offering social services, to go through a major consolidation. It will likely come down to the adage of survival of the fittest.

• Expect social media to move from explicit, asking for a specific task, to passive—a natural extension of your everyday life.

• Adorable things are still impossible to resist
  

  Is this thing stupid cute or what?

• Look forwarded to scary awesome targeting of ads.

• People will choose relevancy over good design. You can spend a lot of time designing a beautiful product or app but if it offers no solution to a problem they need solved, they will often choose a more poorly designed, yet relevant to them, alternative.

• Platforms like Lyst, The Fancy and Pinterest are the first to make a strong social-retail connection with measurable ROI results.

• It’s becoming even more vital that brands focus on additional value and continued relationships with their customers. It’s all about the experience, and the ways a brand engages on an emotional level.

• The interest graph is the first step toward establishing direct ROI on FB.

• The idea of creating a campaign that is “finished” is more outdated than the style of Mad Men. Now it’s about trying, testing and revising.

• Products are the new marketing. We’re seeing a shift in leading-edge agencies understanding that to succeed they need to be creating digital products that benefit consumers, clients and the agency, not selling services. Brands are starting to realize this too.

• It’s important to take a break from time to time, get out into the world and see something new.

Nope, not talking about her. Naked Cowboy is on vacation. Yes, really.

• Social media ROI discussions haven’t evolved. Ever. Your social ROI comes down to determining which KPIs are important to your brand and what you need to measure to determine success, there isn’t a magic bullet ROI formula that works for all brands.

• Second screen (more like multi-screen) experiences are all the rage. This is because it not only presents never-seen-before marketing opportunities, but it also presents some pretty big design and development challenges, and we all know that Opportunity + Challenge = Huge Potential.

• Traditional marketing is interruptive. There’s a shift going on with digital marketing to be less interruptive and more a valuable part of the experience. Many things are battling for the user’s attention. What we do needs to be worth their time, in terms of quality and relevancy.

• Hot Dogs: you can’t deny their deliciousness

mmmmmmm ...

• The next wave of location-based services will not only help us locate friends and places of interest, but people of interest who are around us.

And lastly, but probably most importantly …

• Social is an evolution in how business is done, not a replacement for what has been done in the past. It’s a return to the days of meaningful relationships with your customers.

What insights surprise you? What are you most excited about? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and be sure to follow us @moosylvania and @theloudfew for live updates as we wrap up at #SXSWi.