SXSW, with its reputation for attracting the coolest brands in town, is an event that forces marketers to develop creative experiential marketing activations to cut through the clutter. As you would expect, they often utilize technological innovations to create interactive experiences
Here are six that caught my fancy:
Oreo: Twitter Trending Custom Cookies
Oreo have one of the best social media teams around and they really hit it out of the park with this great interactive cookie-making experience.
Visitors to the Oreo Trending Vending Lounge were able to use the “3D print station” to create their custom Oreo based on trending flavors on Twitter and share it with the hashtag #eatthetweet. Genius.
See it in action below.
Spotify House Musical Mosaic
Spotify entertained visitors with a concert series featuring more than 30 performers including Glass Animals and the British ‘mystery’ act Jungle.
Their Musical Mosaic photo booth was a great draw. It displayed a visitor’s headshot as a mosaic created out of hundreds of album art covers – which was great for social sharing. The space included multi-touch tables hosting a music trivia quiz.
AT&T: Mobile Moment Launch
AT&T launched their Mobile Moment marketing platform – which incorporates documentaries produced by Vice Media reflecting the lives of young Americans – with a huge three-day activation at SXSW that attracted over 15,000 visitors.
You can read Andrew Adam Newman’s in-depth exploration of AT&T’s content marketing program on the New York Times website.
Additional AT&T activities included a life-size demo of apps and concerts featuring Reggie Watts, Lil Buck, A-Trak and Machinedrum.
The 3M Idea Exchange
3M hosted a lounge to showcase innovations such as their new LED lighting and glass films for multi-touch displays.
Visitors were encouraged to “connect, collaborate, explore and share ideas forward.” Every time a user tweeted, it caused a balloon to fill up with air until finally, it popped, winning the tweeter a cash prize.
HBO: Game of Thrones Virtual Reality
HBO used the Oculus Rift gaming headset to create a virtual reality climbing wall that transported visitors into their show’s 700-foot tall ice wall for a chilling experience.
The effect was so realistic that, as reported by Mashable, Maisie Williams (the actor who plays Arya Stark in the show) panicked and screamed during her “climb.” Watch the Instragram video right here.
Read the full story on the Verge.
Pennzoil: Mario Karting Reimagined
The motor oil brand teamed up with Mario Kart 8 – a video game for Wii U – to create a real-world go-karting experience for visitors, titled Mario Karting Reimagined.
Participants zoomed around a custom course in super-powered go-karts wearing helmets outfitted with GoPro cameras to record their experiences, which were later shared online. You can read the full story on Fast Company right here.
