I’ve just touched down from another SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin, TX.
Over the next few days, I’m going to post some reflections on the event in 5 different segments, but before I do that, I feel like I still need to describe the conference to others.
SXSW is a incredibly difficult to describe, so I’ve come across an appropriate metaphor for SXSW. Austin is home to some terrific BBQ so, well SXSW is the ultimate BBQ pit- let me explain…
You/Your company Piece of Brisket/Meat
Austin Dry Rub
SXSW: The Smoker and grill
Your Clients/Friends/Agency The Sides (Mac and Cheese, Rice and Beans, Mashed Potatoes)
Ok so you’ve made your plans for SXSW. You’re just a simple piece of meat, but what happens to you over the course of a week in Austin every March is a true culinary experience.
Austin Texas, the Dry Rub
Austin, a.k.a. the Dry Rub. Your plane touches down in Austin. Austin is the place that spices it up. Each year has a different flavor. Maybe a bit more brown sugar, a little less cayenne, you get the drift. You (the brisket) arrive and start to get the Dry Rub treatment. You’re feelin the SXSW love. You hear the music, the sun is out. Who doesn’t love the dry rub?
The SXSW Conference- the Smoker/Grill
SXSW- a.k.a. The Smoker. You’re sloooow cooked over 5 days on a nice, even heat. You’re in this hot smoker for a while with constant heat. Heat=stimulation. Heat=meeting LOTS of people. Heat=learning. Heat= late-night parties. Heat=spontaneous discussions. Heat= serendipitous moments at the Driskill at 1:00am
The Sides: Your friends, clients, partners
Clients/Agency/Friends – The sides. BBQ doesn’t work without coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, beans and rice, right? You’re not at SXSW alone, and these relationships are crucial to the SXSW experience. You, the brisket, works really well with these sides.
Sometimes you’ll meet a new “side” or friend along the way, it’s a piece of cornbead, pickles, mashed potatoes, you name it.
So, are you starting to get the picture here? Upon your return, the table has been set (pun intended) for you to share this BBQ experience with everyone else. You’ve been seasoned, smoked and cooked and are ready to serve to the world. And, of course, you can’t do it alone. No matter how big a company you are, you’ll always need the sides. Sides equal technology, creative, staffing, partnerships, you name it.
Over the course of the year, you may need to go back for “seconds” at another conference. But there’s nothing quite like that first plate of BBQ, right?
And the following March in Austin, the cycle continues, but it might be a bit different, right? It may even be a different BBQ Pit. It’s Stubbs and not The Salt Lick. Maybe the dry rub is a bit sweeter, and maybe the wood in the smoker is oak, and not cherry. And you just have to meet this new side at SXSW..
So, are you getting hungry for the next BBQ at SXSW? I am…
I often get teased about being an Eagle Scout. When you were off playing sports, taking violin lessons, or sleeping away weekends in high school, I was the dork who was at a Camporee, tying knots, teaching first-aid, and yes, even walking the occasional senior citizen across the street…
But one thing that Boy Scouts did teach me was, obviously, their motto- “Be Prepared”.
For marketing and social media types, being prepared is one of the key ingredients for success. Here’s why.
1. At some point, you are going to need (and want) your network of friends, fans, followers and supporters to be there for you. If someone rants on your product or service online somewhere, wouldn’t you want these people going to bat for you? If you’ve cultivated this network online, they will. What are you doing now to cultivate those relationships?
2. If you’ve just met someone at a trade show and they want to learn more about your product or service, why not send them to your blog instead of your website. At your blog, you’re wowing your viewers with oodles of interesting content, probably have some great testimonials, and real-life interactions of your customers engaging with and talking about your industry. That’s credibility, and a lot more interesting that an static website that gets updated once a quarter.
3. If you and your company are tapped into Social Media, you should be well aware of what people are saying about you. You’re constantly listening. You’re taking the pulse of what’s happening in your space. If your competitor has just launched a new service, you already know about it, because well, you’re prepared.
Remember all that hype around the iPhone 4? Biggest product launch ever, Apple and AT&T websites being crushed by demand, long lines at the store? Well, in the world of social media, a similar thing happened last week- the launch of FlipBoard, the “world’s first social magazine”.
The hype has died down a bit, and I’ve had a chance to download this application and play with it. Here is a review, followed by a quick video.
The Basics
Flipboard is a new, free app available exclusively on the iPad (for now). The Flipboard app essentially turns your time on facebook or twitter into a dynamic and visually stunning experience. The application turns all of those tweets, updates, photos and links from your social circle into an intuitive, easy-to-read format. Flipboard also has “channels” for lots of other content, like technology, tech influencers, food, sports, etc. These channels, like the Facebook and Twitter channels are vetted and shared by chosen “experts” and influencers in the space. If you’re confused, don’t worry, that’s what the video is for. Take a look.
(Before we evaluate Flipboard, it should be noted that Flipboard doesn’t seem like a one hit wonder. Take a quick look at their investors, and they are a legitimate offering. The co-founders of Facebook, Twitter, Ashton Kutcher and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. Pretty impressive bunch.)
The Pros
- Intuitive and very easy to use. It is the perfect app for consuming media. It fits right into the Ipad’s goal of being the “couch technology”. Something to do in your leisure time (if you have any left). On the couch, waiting to board a plane, at doctor’s office, before you go to bed, etc. I think it’s ideal for those 15-30 minute stretches of time between activities.
- Personalized for you. As mentioned before, it’s an experience for YOU. Its’ your social sphere and all of it’s related content delivered directly to you- when and where you want it.
- Advertising opportunities for “visual” brands. If you are Hermes, the Gap, a luxury safari company, or a gourmet food company, it’s hard to tell your story in 140 characters, blog posts or status updates. You need a visually stunning way to present your brand, and here is a perfect opportunity to do that. With the format of Flipboard, it allows big space for imagery (advertisements!) to tell a company story.
The Cons
I’ll call this “opportunities for improvement” :-)
- Content needs to be fresher. It seems as if Flipboard only refreshes your Facebook/Twitter feed once or twice a day. According to their Twitter stream- they’re working on this
- Why isn’t Linkedin involved? They should be. Maybe because of the investors? ;-)
- Is this legal? For the other “sections” Flipboard essentially scrapes the web for good content. If you are reading a NYTimes article on Flipboard and click on an a Flipboard-sponsored ad, why should Flipboard get the money? Its not their content to begin with, right?. For more on this read Joel Johnson’s excellent article.
- Other Sections need some work. When you first set up Flipboard, you can add 7 other “sections” of content. Food, NYT, TED, sports. etc. For now, avoid the Flipboard-branded channels.
For example, the sports channel I chose kept feeding me stories about tennis. Not that I don’t like tennis, but 7 tennis stories in a row, and I was immediately turned off.
- Limited interaction possibilities. It must be pointed out again that this application is for consumption, not interaction. If you want to add a new tweet, make a status update on facebook, you can’t.
What’s Next?
I think this is a watershed moment for publishers, and they should take note. Flipboard makes consuming media personal and tailored to you, which is the holy grail of publishing. If you could wake up every morning and go to ONE place for all of your personal and professional content, wouldn’t you? This is like what iGoogle and MyYahoo was ten years ago, only much much better. It’s new content delivered to you that’s always fresh, delivered in a refreshing, “consumable” way, and now, it’s mobile.
What do you think? Is this Flipboard thing here to stay?
