In Austin, March has one focus. And I'm not talking about the Zilker Park Kite Festival.

The city comes alive thanks to a little event called SXSW. 

South by Southwest is a company that plans and executes trade shows, conferences and other events. Their current lineup of events includes SXSW Music, SXSW Interactive, SXSW Film, SXSWedu and SXSWeco. All except SXSWeco occur in the spring. 

The very first festival, held in 1987, focused on music at a time when Austin musicians were still relatively isolated from the rest of the world. For years, the eclectic music scene in Austin had stirred interest in businesses on both coasts, and SXSW gave them an excuse to visit.

The festival was an immediate success and as time passed, it gathered more and more attention. SXSW now has offices in Ireland, Germany, Australia and Japan who help bring international talent to Austin. In 1994, the company added a film and interactive component in response to growing industries in tech, film and web. Combined, SXSW Music, Film and Interactive now pull in more than 48,000 registrants each March.

At an event this big, how can you possibly hope to stand out? It takes a little creativity and a lot of planning. 

In late January, Jamie began working with the Pappas Group to develop promotional materials for client .CO's 2012 SXSW presence. Using .CO as an example, let's discuss some important elements of trade show strategy.

1. Have a plan and clearly state your objectives. Participating in a trade show can be a substantial investment of time, money and labor. That's why it's so important to establish a plan and identify clear metrics of success. How else will you know if it's a worthwhile investment, year after year?

By the end of January, Pappas and .CO had a detailed plan with three clear objectives. 1) Develop a .CO branded experience that extends the idea of engaging starters and .CO owners to build understanding of and loyalty to the .CO brand. 2) Communicate what .CO is and who the .CO brand is. 3) Connect with the SWSWi audience, an audience that is packed with starters.

2. Know your audience. For those of you who read Reddit, I'll summarize this point with one sentence: Don't be a Woody Harrelson. You know what I mean. 

Learn as much as you can about the kind of people who will be attending the show. What are their interests? Their needs? How do they receive and digest information, and how can you grab their attention?

At SXSW 2012, .CO will focus on interacting with startups and influencers. These individuals are "thirsty for knowledge, creative, intelligent, engaged and open to learning about new ideas and innovations. They want to be in on or at least know the next big thing."

3. Start interacting with your audience before the show even begins. Pre-show outreach is a critical step that many marketing professionals overlook when planning their trade show strategy. Trade shows are not necessarily a good environment for first impressions, especially ones that only last a day or two. Surrounded by noise and chatter, it can be difficult for you to make a lasting connection with your prospects.

Exhibitors can generally request a mailing list of registered attendees to help them prepare. Identify a few contacts with whom you really want to connect, and treat them like your VIPs. Invite them to join you for a meal, send them a prep kit or provide an incentive for visiting your booth. 

Pre-show marketing was a big part of .CO's SXSW strategy. Knowing that many of their startups will be traveling to Austin by bus, .CO sent custom whiteboards, stencils and notebooks to various departure points for attendees to enjoy on the ride and all week long.

.CO has also been connecting with their community via social media for weeks now. Using the hashtag #startuplife, they've created a buzz around their presence at SXSW.

4. Make it meaningful. When selecting promotional materials for a trade show, focus on items that are practical and meaningful for your target audience. 

Each and every promotional piece that .CO developed for SXSW serves a purpose and reinforces their overall strategy. In addition to the whiteboards, stencils and notebooks, .CO created stadium cups for their evening cocktail event, branded bandannas to be used as photo booth props, and chopsticks for a noodle bowl lunch (an upscale twist on the startup staple of Ramen noodles).

5. Think ahead and anticipate needs. Upon hearing that a few rain showers and thunderstorms are expected to hit Austin mid-week, .CO ordered a couple hundred bright orange umbrellas. If the sky opens up, .CO employees will stay warm and dry, while simultaneously drawing a ton of attention to their colorful brand. Austinites love orange.

If you'll be in Austin next week, for work or play, be sure to check out this SXsurvival guide from local ad agency GSD&M. You'll find helpful tips for everything from food to venues to parties. 

On Wednesday, I reposted an article by Erin Nelson of Bazaarvoice that discusses the importance of the "voice of the stranger" in Millennial marketing strategy. Research shows that Millennials rely less on the recommendations of friends and family, and more on the opinions of complete strangers when making purchasing decisions. Therefore, Nelson encourages businesses to look beyond social networks like Facebook and Twitter when marketing to this particular demographic. The key to winning the hearts, minds and dollars of the Millennial generation is to "surface relevant and authentic user-generated content and make it as pervasive as possible", she says.

I completely agree with Nelson about the importance of user-generated content. Before any major purchasing decision (buying a new laptop, choosing an apartment complex, switching insurance providers), I consult online reviews. Heck, it doesn't even have to be a major purchase. Even a quick lunch in a new neighborhood necessitates the use of Yelp, in my mind.



Sometimes I find myself reading reviews just for a good laugh. Oh yes, some people get really sarcastic. Here are three of my favorite snarky review threads:

Amazon.com's The Mountain Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee
Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women.
Cons: Only three wolves (could probably use a few more on the 'guns'), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark. 

Paula Deen's recipe for English Peas on foodnetwork.com (there are just two ingredients: a can of peas and butter)
Just tried this recipe and found it a little more buttery than I normally prefer. Edit: just looked at the recipe again and realized I forgot to add the peas.

Rachel Ray's recipe for Late Night Bacon on foodnetwork.com (essentially, how to microwave bacon)
What brand of paper towel is most highly recommended? I want my bacon to be as good as possible.

I think a lot of companies are fearful of reviews, and they have a right to be. A positive review, as we all know, can bring more business your way, but a negative review could have disastrous consequences. You have no choice but to accept them all. Trying to hide or ignore a bad review won't do you any favors. It diminishes your authenticity, and as Nelson says, it's an authentic and transparent approach that attracts Millennials in the first place. The reviews are out there, and a consumer is going to find them anyways, so you might as well embrace it!

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you rely on user reviews? If you come across any particularly sarcastic reviews, please share!

Like many of our clients, we do our best to keep pace with trends in social media. As a company, we're pretty active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, and individually we obsess over Pinterest, Reddit, blogs, Instagram, Yelp, Tumblr, etc.



I came across an article in Forbes yesterday that really interested me. Author Erin Nelson, CMO of Bazaarvoice, cautions businesses not to overemphasize Facebook and Twitter when marketing to the Millennial generation.

Why? Read the full article below for her answer.

"Why Facebook May Not Be Enough for the Next Generation", reposted from Forbes.com.

With thousands of “friends” on Facebook and a constantly connected lifestyle, you’d think the Millennial generation would trust their friends above all else. However, when it comes to making purchase decisions, young people are more likely than older generations to trust complete strangers as much as their friends – and they strongly feel that that companies should go beyond Facebook and Twitter to offer more ways for them to share opinions and experiences online.

According to a new report by Bazaarvoice and Kelton Research, Millennials are less likely to trust opinions from friends and family than Boomers (56% vs. 69%) when making buying choices, and more likely to seek out opinions from “those with most relevant experience” (44% vs. 31%). A majority (51%) say user-generated content written by strangers is more likely to influence their purchase decisions than recommendations from friends and family, while just 34% of Boomers say the same.

Move up Move down

As they research and buy, most Millennials (84%) are comforted that they have access to the opinions and experiences of strangers, and a majority (64%) of Millennials believe that companies should continue to offer more ways for consumers to share their opinions online in the future.

Facebook Is Not Enough

By now, every marketer knows the universal truth about Millennials: They are social, connected, and want to be entertained and engaged – not “advertised at [or “to”].” But this research adds a new wrinkle to the Millennial marketing conundrum. Many CMOs have centered their Millennial-marketing programs on social media – launching Facebook and Twitter campaigns to connect with the “always-on” generation. But it turns out Millennials don’t necessarily use these social channels to research purchases, preferring instead to seek expert opinions from people who have direct experience with a brand or product.

For example, if a 28-year-old backpacker is planning a trip to Mexico, she will trust the opinions of an outdoor enthusiast who has explored Mexico recently far more than she’ll trust her former roommate who spent spring break in Cancun five years ago.

So how can marketers adapt their Millennial marketing strategies to embrace this trend? How can they ensure Millennials hear about their brand from trusted experts – at the exact points when they’re making purchase decisions?

The first step in embracing the “voice of the stranger” in a Millennial-marketing program is to go beyond Facebook. Millennials still love social media – the new study shows that 80% actively use Facebook, 28% use Twitter, and 25% embrace Google+ – so these channels will continue to serve as key ways to reach young consumers. But, as the research shows, Millennials don’t always turn to friends for advice when making purchase decisions, so social networks may not be the best places to drive sales. Instead, marketers can best reach Millennials by ensuring consumers have an easy way to create and share authentic content about their brand and products.

Pervasive Content

The more content consumers create about a brand or product – and the more widely marketers distribute this content across retail websites, in-store, and via social and mobile channels – the more likely young buyers will come across this authentic content created by “strangers like them” during the exact moments they’re deciding what to buy.

For brands, this means making sure the voices of relevant consumers can be easily accessed anywhere a Millennial wants to shop. For example, Benefit Cosmetics recently introduced iPad kiosks that make it easy for in-store users to tap into feedback of shoppers like them – not just the input of the sales associates or a shopping buddy. Best Buy provides QR codes so customers can access product reviews while browsing in store, providing young shoppers with access to the opinions they need to make a purchase decision on the spot. According to another recent study, over 45% of Millennials use mobile devices to research product details before purchasing big-ticket items over $500. So if stores don’t offer young shoppers mobile-ready ways to get trusted opinions on the products they’re looking at in-store, they’re missing out on massive sales.

This has big implications for brands and marketers who still think their success reaching Millennials can be measured by Twitter followers, Facebook friends, or campaign traffic numbers. Instead, brands that can surface their most relevant and authentic user-generated content, and make it as pervasive as possible, will win the hearts and minds of Millennials.

For Millennials, the hierarchy of trust is strangers first, friends second, brand last. To connect with young consumers, brands need to unlock the voice of strangers – making sure Millennials can easily find authentic, user-generated opinions about their products and services when they’re ready to buy.

Mashable Business posted a really interesting article this week titled "The Evolution of Advertising: From Stone Carving to the Old Spice Guy". The article discussed a beautiful illustrated timeline, originally created by Infolinks.

The graphic is too large for me to repost here, so you'll have to click over to check it out.

Here are a few of my favorite parts:



2,000 responses out of 8,000 mailers?! That's an insane response rate!



This blurb really surprised me. I would have thought contests were used long before the 1950s. I'm also intrigued by the oil well prize. I wonder how the value of a well in 1950 compares to one today.


Oh, Britney Spears, how times have changed. Advertising may endure through the ages, but celebrity fame... does not.

Last Friday, Julianne and I attended a Blogger Brunch hosted by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County and Carrie Fox of C. Fox Communications. The brunch was Part 2 of a two-part PR and Marketing Boot Camp. Lindsay attended Part 1 a few weeks earlier. The brunch was meant to showcase a panel of local bloggers, discuss trending topics, and teach attendees how to get noticed by the "blogging community" and how to improve their own blog.



It seems like a lot of information to squeeze into one brunch, doesn't it? I won't lie. It was definitely a lot of information that might have only been completely absorbed by a few audience members. The audience ranged from regular bloggers to marketing professionals to those who had no idea about how to even start a blog. There was also a diverse group of bloggers on the panel, including Christie Garton from USA Today Kindness, Jessica McFadden, otherwise known as A Parent in Silver Spring and Greg O'Neill, the Greg of Greg's List.



The 6-8 topics we discussed on Friday could easily provide enough material for several brunches. My challenge is to share this information with you in a condensed version that will offer the most benefit for all of us. As the Marketing Manager here at Sonic Promos, I embrace the fact that we have so many marketing outlets at our disposal: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, the SonicBlog, our newsletter and of course, our best referral source to date, the personal conversation. Whether you have just begun to use these outlets or if you consider yourself a social media expert, I think we will all agree that our common goal is to create a brand for ourselves and generate conversation. These social media outlets are designed to do just that.



Here are a few things I learned at the brunch that you can take into consideration when trying to generate conversation and enhance your own blog. After all, word of mouth is the best referral source... so let's get people talking!

1. Find your local patch.com. Patch is a great website that houses a ton of local events and stories that are happening right now. Start commenting on articles that relate to you or your business. Attend a local event and bring some business cards. Volunteer at an upcoming event and network with your community. To me, Patch is where small businesses and organizations come together; it's time for you to start communicating with them!

How it helps your blog: I have found that commenting on other blogs drives traffic to your own blog. Patch is a great place to start. Track your page views and see if it helps.
My personal tip: If you are the first or second person to comment on a post, you'll see more clicks back to your own blog than if your comment was buried on the 3rd or 4th page of reader comments.

2. Get on the Twitter bandwagon. I will be the first to admit that when Seth told me over a year ago that he wanted to get a Sonic Twitter handle set up, I was very hesitant. I didn't understand Twitter at all. What was the point of sharing information only 140 characters at a time? A year later, my opinion has changed. Twitter is a great resource to share your blog posts, follow trending topics (#creativemoco for more brunch information) and even attend events. If you know an industry-related trade show is happening across the country and it's pretty obvious you can't attend, start following the conference via Twitter. A hashtag (#) is almost always set up, and participants and speakers will tweet up-to-date information from the conference. Following certain topics will also keep you current on what your industry is addressing at that particular moment. Use this information to generate your own blog posts. Writing about popular topics will generate more traffic to your blog and website.
How it helps your blog: If someone goes to your blog and sees a Twitter button, I think they smile a little bit. It's encouraging to know that those behind the blog are not just writing a blog but are an active member of the social media community. If they click on your button, and start following you, they will get timely updates of your new posts and can both respond and share with others immediately.

3. Start a Facebook page and use it correctly. It takes just a few seconds to set up a Facebook page but it takes a little more time to utilize its worth. Consider your Facebook page for conversation purposes only. Use your page to link to other organizations (i.e. @SonicPromos). Post general questions to spark user engagement and pitch ideas to your readers.

How it helps your blog: Consider your blog the main event and your Facebook page the cocktail hour. Starting a conversation on Facebook will not only generate interest for potential readers, but will also enlighten you to different perspectives. Let your readers help build the foundation for your post.

I know it seems like some of these tips are going back to the basics. Sometimes that's exactly what we have to do. In social media, there are so many people who "get it" and just as many who are still very new to the whole concept. I think it's important to go back and utilize the tools that you started with and perhaps learn how to use them in different ways. If you see a blogger brunch, social media conference or another related event in your area, I encourage you to attend. There is always something new to be learned in this area of marketing, and putting real faces/personalities to the names on your screen adds a new dimension to relationships inititated through social media.