SXSW Interactive 2012: Panel Picks

By Laurel Miltner | Posted September 1, 2011 | 2 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing

Though next March may seem far away, if your months are flying by like mine, it will be here before we know it. And you know what that means: SXSW. 

In preparation for the event, SXSW opened up community voting for proposed sessions. Voting began on Aug. 16 and ends tomorrow, Sept. 2. If you haven't had a chance to check out what may be in store for interactive marketing next year, take a look and make your voice heard by voting for the panelists and speakers you want to see. 

I sifted through the sessions over the past few weeks, and below list the top ten that I hope make the cut (in no particular order). 

SXSW Panels I Hope to See in 2012

Vetting in the Age of Social: Who do You Trust?
A panel of representatives from PR Newswire, CNN, UBM TechWeb, Webb Media Group and Code Name Max will discuss social media’s impact on news consumption and the influence of traditional journalism. What sources do people trust? Does a “like” from a friend make you trust something more than an article in the New York Times? And, how can PR pros and marketers best get their clients’ messages to the right audiences? 

Understanding Digital Content and Human Behavior
Jeff Pfaller (@pfallerj) of Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide plans to talk about the new best practices of content development, considering audience needs, format and device preferences. What sold me on this one is the line: “Explore how content creators can make their content not just useful and usable, but something desirable that actually changes human behavior.” Could be interesting.

What’s Good for the World is Good for the Agency
When your success relies on billable hours or otherwise revenue-generating projects, it can be difficult for agencies to embrace pro-bono, socially conscious work. This panel, with representatives from Enlighten, Zemoga, Reactive and Pereira & O’Dell will feature case studies of firms that encouraged employees to take on such projects, and how they resulted in happy, engaged teams and created new agency skillsets.

PANTS ON FIRE! Content *is* Customer Service
I picked this session solely because the speaker, Stephanie Hay (@steph_hay), had the best presentation of all that I saw at SXSW 2011. Next year, she wants to speak about using content to improve customer service and satisfaction. Hay will share stories of companies that have found success by speaking their customers’ language, and maintaining consistency in both messaging and action. 

How Your Brain Engages with a Smartphone
Speakers Jamie Turner (@60secondtweets) and Jeanne Hopkins (@jeannehopkins) will take attendees on a deep dive into mobile marketing strategy, based on how consumers interact and engage with their mobile devices. Turner and Hopkins know what they’re talking about; they co-authored the upcoming book, Go Mobile (Wiley, March 2012). 

How Brain Science Turns Browsers into Buyers
This panel has some serious marketing-science A-listers—Derek Halpern (@derekhalpern), Roger Dooley (@rogerdooley), Brian Clark (@copyblogger) and A.K. Pradeep (author of The Buying Brain)—who will explore what marketers can learn from neuroscience and behavior research. They’ll cover topics from pricing to creating customer evangelists, and more. 

Does Free Content Cannibalize Your Paid Consulting? 
Joe Pullizzi (@juntajoe) and Jay Baer (@jaybaer) plan to discuss how much thought leadership can really do for a business. Does giving away free advice bring in more clients, or lose money on services that audiences should have paid for? And, how can you measure results to know for sure?

Content Design Ideas for a Rich Audience Experience
Panelists from City on Fire, Bleach Online, Free People and Fantrail will discuss the relationship between content publishers, producers and audiences, and how to engage all parties in the content development process to create well-designed, high-quality and engaging content across multiple platforms.

Digital Curation: Why Value Over Volume Wins
Alicia Kan (@aliciakan), Len Kendall (@lenkendall) and Neil Perkin (@neilperkin) will dive into the topic of digital curation: why it's needed, the benefits it provides to both curator and consumer, and how to pull it off. I’m highly interested to hear what these individuals have to say, particularly regarding the balance of automated versus manual curation.

Death of the Traditional Marketing Agency
Our very own Paul Roetzer (@paulroetzer) submitted this topic, so I’d be remiss not to mention it as one that I’d love to see. He plans to discuss the driving factors behind the demand for new marketing services and hybrid agencies, and how firms can take advantage of the opportunities this provides.

What Did I Miss?

If you’ve attempted to sift through the proposed SXSW sessions, you know that there are a lot and getting through them is next to impossible. So, what did I miss? What do you want to see? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and get voting!

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