Diversity at CES
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Some Brands Win, Some Lose as Branding Goes Rogue at SXSW
As a marketer, I am always fascinated by the “art of marketing,” from what gets your attention, to what gets you to buy. And, from what big brands are doing, to what smaller ones are doing to become bigger brands. I’m especially interested in the “why” as it relates to these things. This year, however, SXSW marketing gave me a little more “why” then I bargained for, as brands pined for the attention and time of over 500,000 people. Here are the winners of the SXSW Marketing Game:
Some Brands Win, Some Lose as Branding Goes Rogue at SXSW
As a marketer, I am always fascinated by the “art of marketing,” from what gets your attention, to what gets you to buy. And, from what big brands are doing, to what smaller ones are doing to become bigger brands. I’m especially interested in the “why” as it relates to these things. This year, however, SXSW marketing gave me a little more “why” then I bargained for, as brands pined for the attention and time of over 500,000 people. Here are the winners of the SXSW Marketing Game:
The Beats Pill Provides Speaker Medicine for SXSW Goers
Beats by Dre provided SXSW-goers with an interesting branding installation of their new Beats Pill. The sleek, compact and wireless bluetooth device was “prescribed” (get it, it’s a pill) by “doctors” outfitted in lab coats or sexy nurses in… you get the visual, at the Beats Clinic in exchange for a state-issued ID. Once prescribed, you could walk around with the very portable device, playing your favorite band, or peek into a corner of the Austin Conference Center to hop on a conference call. I grabbed one, courtesy of the Beats Marketing Team, and here is what I thought of the new Beats Pill.
Muve Music from Cricket Wireless Helps Ghostface Killah and Sheek Louch “Pay Their Mortgage”
Cricket Wireless has been revolutionary in providing low-cost mobile phones and service to a targeted “urban” demographic. They were also one of the firsts to actually provide good mobile devices in the MVNO market – placing those looking for affordability on par with those who can afford to splurge on the latest device. Then they did something else. They incorporated a music service into their rate plans. Now, that’s ingenious. Muve Music, which comes stock with all Cricket Android Rate Plans, provides unlimited song downloads, ringtones and ringback tones to its customers at no extra charge. For customers, access to Muve means instant gratification. I tried out the service at the Cricket booth in the Austin Convention Center during SXSW, and the quality is amazing – especially when paired with one of their Android devices powered by Beats Audio. For the music industry, however, the service seems to do a little bit more… Like actually pay artists for their music.
Muve Music from Cricket Wireless Helps Ghostface Killah and Sheek Louch “Pay Their Mortgage”
Cricket Wireless has been revolutionary in providing low-cost mobile phones and service to a targeted “urban” demographic. They were also one of the firsts to actually provide good mobile devices in the MVNO market – placing those looking for affordability on par with those who can afford to splurge on the latest device. Then they did something else. They incorporated a music service into their rate plans. Now, that’s ingenious. Muve Music, which comes stock with all Cricket Android Rate Plans, provides unlimited song downloads, ringtones and ringback tones to its customers at no extra charge. For customers, access to Muve means instant gratification. I tried out the service at the Cricket booth in the Austin Convention Center during SXSW, and the quality is amazing – especially when paired with one of their Android devices powered by Beats Audio. For the music industry, however, the service seems to do a little bit more… Like actually pay artists for their music.
Fast Fig Makes Math More Productive
Fast Fig, one of nine startups in the inaugural Austin DreamIt Ventures Class at SXSW, is a word processor for math. Students, teachers, and professionals can type and solve math problems and collaborate entirely online. Math functions include basic math, calculus, and more.
Andy Cohen’s Got The 411 at SXSW
Andy Cohen has been taping his hit show “Watch What Happens Live” on Bravo live from SXSW this week. He announced his plans on Friday, March 8th at a special presentation with executive producer Michael Davies. Andy and Michael talked secret/ exclusive guests for the week, his new book, Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture, and his journey from talent ambitions to executive producer to major talent – and a very popular talent at that. He also gave some life “jewels” to the audience. Here are four ways to be successful in “The Biz” or any other business, according to Andy Cohen:
