Posts tagged integratePR SXSW

Two panels, One Key Thing

What do a shiny new pair of kicks and uber-elite fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld have in common? Besides being on the list of my favorite things, I went to two panels today that talked about each respectively and came out with the same key message.

The overarching theme for both was accessibility.

Sneakers have been a symbol of status for a long time. They meant that you could do something that only the fairly affluent could afford to do such as play racquetball or squash. It was essential for the growth of  the sneaker industry to be able to share its products with the masses. 

Lagerfeld’s unique aura of staying cool and aloof needs to evolve for the world that we live in today in which a brand must have a voice. By giving him a twitter account, we are allowing him to share his brand with the world.

While both are considered luxury items in their own right, in general sneakers and Karl stay within their own fields of work. Only SXSW could bring them together for me!

— Contributed by Stephanie Ignacio

Making A Blog Your Business

I’ve said it time and time again, but one of my favorite parts of my job is finding new blogs to read and starting out the first part of my day each morning with a quick scan of all of the newest posts. From food, to fashion and travel, to technology and PR industry info, I love it all. One of my favorite blogs (and a blog I used for inspiration to create my own personal site) is Cupcakes and Cashmere. Emily’s posts are beautiful and well-written, so I was thrilled to see her speak today and left with some great reminders about how to turn a blog into a business.

  • The goal of your blog should be to inspire others. Inspire them to cook, write, travel, think outside the box. Don’t make your blog a daily journal (who wants to read that?) but make it about the most inspiring parts of your life.
  • Whatever you are passionate about should translate to your posts. For example, don’t partner with a brand for your blog that you don’t actually use in your personal life. Write about brands, companies, people, things you love and make those your focus. 
  • Write as though you’re addressing friends. Make things conversational and direct.
  • Understand your value proposition. You might be great at content, but not so good at photos. Knowing what not to include is crucial.

Emily’s speech was definitely inspiring, and left me feeling much more knowledgeable about what can make a blog, and a brand, truly engaging and successful.

— Contributed by Jessie Boone

Be innovative. Don’t build a company, solve a problem.” #sxsw #youth
Shahed Khan, Director and Co-Founder of @Viatsik
You can’t sell yourself if you don’t understand your own value proposition.
Emily Schuman, Cupcakes and Cashmere
Britney, Jessie and Stephanie having fun at the Registrant’s Lounge across from the Austin Convention Center!

Britney, Jessie and Stephanie having fun at the Registrant’s Lounge across from the Austin Convention Center!

Staying Dry at SXSW Days one and two of the SXSW Interactive conference left most feeling more than slightly damp. I was able to keep dry with the help of my rain boots, Charles River and Longchamp bag. I’m sure that everyone’s SXSW Survival guide in 2013 will include a reminder to bring an umbrella or poncho! Above Jessie, Jenny and I snapped a quick picture in between running to panels.   — Contributed by Stephanie Ignacio

Staying Dry at SXSW

Days one and two of the SXSW Interactive conference left most feeling more than slightly damp. I was able to keep dry with the help of my rain boots, Charles River and Longchamp bag. I’m sure that everyone’s SXSW Survival guide in 2013 will include a reminder to bring an umbrella or poncho! Above Jessie, Jenny and I snapped a quick picture in between running to panels.  

— Contributed by Stephanie Ignacio

Bye Bye SXSW

Today’s our last day at SXSW interactive and this week has gone by FAST. I’m hitting the road back to Houston tonight with plenty of lessons learned and great information to bring back to our agency and clients alike. 

A few things I learned:

  • In order to build a celebrity brand (or really, any brand) online, your brand must stay true to it’s authentic self. 
  • There are currently 38,000,000 charity asks online each year.  That’s a lot of folks competing for fundraising dollars! 
  • In order to find a Return On Investment for social media, you have to first know your goals.  If your goals include community building and engagement, than you can absolutely say, yes, there is an ROI in social media. 
  • There’s no hiding things on the internet.  If your brand or (person) is willing to be online, you must be honest and transparent.  

For more lessons learned from the whole team, be sure to read back through the blog! 

— Contributed by Jenny Selber

The Secret Behind Pinterest

What’s the secret behind the best time suck on the internet? The people. Founder and creator Ben Silbermann lead a discussion about the ins and outs of Pinterest, the site for virtual pinboards. Besides giving the audience insight into how the company was founded, (inspired by Silbermann’s own stamp and insect collections!) he also went into such issues as the copyright question that has plagued the site since day one, and also the overarching goal of the site as a whole, which I found to be the most interesting. “Pinterest helps people discover things they didn’t know they wanted,” Silbermann said. “Our goal is to drive traffic out, asking people to go out and find objects to pin. This model makes us different than other photo-based sites.”

He also shed some light on some of the new features to come, including more indepth profiles, a video capability, and an overall platform expansion that will allow the app to be more mobile phone/tablet compatible.

Do you use Pinterest? You can follow the IPR Pinterest accounts here.

— Contributed by Jessie Boone

@canwenetwork bus This bus was one big moving party. After our first long day at SXSW Jessie and I were unsure of where to go. All of a sudden we saw a huge double decker party bus, careening around the convention center, blasting “Party Rock.” The signage on the outside declared this moving party the @canwenetwork bus. We jumped on and got a full tour of downtown. While it was a really fun party and great marketing for them, I’m not sure that I got any networking done on the bus. — Contributed by Stephanie Ignacio

@canwenetwork bus

This bus was one big moving party. After our first long day at SXSW Jessie and I were unsure of where to go. All of a sudden we saw a huge double decker party bus, careening around the convention center, blasting “Party Rock.” The signage on the outside declared this moving party the @canwenetwork bus. We jumped on and got a full tour of downtown. While it was a really fun party and great marketing for them, I’m not sure that I got any networking done on the bus.

— Contributed by Stephanie Ignacio

Circus Mashimus

The Circus Mashimus was in short, awesome. I was able to come here to work three out of the four mornings that we were at SXSW. It was a great lounge with lots of seats, places to charge and free bagels and beverages – although most people were too busy to partake in a Bloody Mary. It’s ironic that I was able to get so much done in the chaos! Above you can see Jenny busily working away, right in the middle of all of the circus chaos!

— Contributed by Stephanie Ignacio