Our annual SxSW 2015 trends report.

1. LUMINARY LABS WWW.LUMINARY-LABS.COM @LUMINARYLABS
THE YEAR OF THE
MEERKAT
SXSW 2015

2. SXSW: 10 KEY THEMES
1. The year of the Meerkat
2. Body as a controller
3. Science on display
4. Government gets geeky
5. Who are all these joggers?
6. Marketing activation
7. In pursuit of the millennials
8. Getting staid
9. Fiction is better than truth
10. Can’t we all just get along?

3. The Year of the Meerkat
01

4. The year of the Meerkat. Let’s discuss.
Proclaimed the “Breakout App” of SXSW 2015, Meerkat brought mobile live streaming to the
masses as Twitter was putting the final touches on Periscope. First to the race, Meerkat
posited that “simultaneous togetherness” will redefine digital sharing. Early adopters flexed the
medium’s potential, streaming everything from a stroll down 6th street to keynotes and parties.

5. Body as Controller
02

6. Wearables meet VR
Last year’s wearable explosion was all but
forgotten, as virtual reality stepped in to
demonstrate that it’s not about the data, but
about the outcome. And the outcome everyone
wants is to feel good.
Controllers for your hands, shoulders, knees,
and toes abound. In fact, no one is certain which
part of the body – or how much of the body - is
the controller. Eye tracking takes the experience
to a new level, suggesting that the entire body is
the controller.
As for headsets, there were many, but they are
clearly not the end all. And while we all strapped
in and on, there was a collective feeling that it’s
weird, and we’ll get past it in the future.
If there is one thing that is certain, it is that we
are just in one big game.

7. Science on Display
03

8. Understanding the underpinnings
Powerhouses such as 3M, GE, and
Google took the magic and mystery of
science out of the black box with
tangible demonstrations of how new
innovations power commercial and
consumer needs.

9. Government Gets Geeky
04

10. Tech President
Four years ago, we met a lone federal government
official attending SXSW. He was allowed to attend,
but had to pay his own way.
Today, federal, state, and local government is out in
full force, serving as keynotes, orchestrating
panels, demonstrating new innovations, having
beers, and taking selfies with the digerati.

11. Who are all these joggers?
05

12. Health and the boondoggle
This year, it seemed that everyone
packed their running shoes for SXSW as
attendees and organizers incorporated
health into the geeks’ boondoggle. Yoga
sessions, mediation, and morning runs
were a must on the agenda.
Daybreaker, the early morning dry rave,
also had a presence at SXSW where
young people gathered to dance their
hearts out in the name of wellness.
(Preceded by an optional yoga session,
natch.)

13. Marketing Activation
06

14. All you have to do is sign up
With an increased advertising agency presence has come an increase in activation campaigns.
Most offered a premium in exchange for an action, such as downloading an app or distributing
a scripted message across social media. Few, however, offered meaningful connections
between the brand and the community.
The 7Eleven Slurpee truck immediately comes to mind. With a free Slurpee in hand, the app is
immediately deleted. National Geographic also scored low, requesting that participants in their
“Escape the Cold” activation send a scripted tweet to get a clue.
Sponsors can do better in 2016. Create an incredible experience and it will speak for itself.

15. In pursuit of the millennials
07

16. “Um, no thank you.’
Our millennial attendees are not easily impressed. Customizable Samsung t-shirts? Guitar
picks? Word is that brands were trying too hard to capture millennial attention in 2015.
Perhaps the most obvious (and desperate) attempt was by McDonald’s, offering free fries and
wifi to a segment critical for the company’s turnaround.

17. Getting staid
08

18. Just like last year!
One of the great joys of SXSW is discovery, as
restaurants and parking lots are re-envisioned as
unique experiences. In 2015, a number of brands,
such as 3M, Fast Company, and Mashable, reupped
on their 2014 location, offering more or less the same
experience. And while each of these brands did a
relatively good job of engaging attendees, we miss
the whimsy of years past.

19. Fiction is better than truth
09

20. Fictional brands ruled
Fictional brands extended into the real world by offering attendees carefully designed
experiences, such as sampling free squishees from the Simpsons’ Kwick-e truck, entering for a
chance to win a night’s stay at a pop up Bates Motel in Austin, and slashing swords with the
best within a Game of Thrones environment.

21. Can’t we all just get along?
10

22. We could, if we knew how.
Tech knows it has a diversity problem.
Chairman Eric Schmidt and acclaimed Steve
Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson were
wrapping up a SXSW Interactive panel that had
focused on diversity, when an audience
member called out the two men for repeatedly
interrupting their fellow panelist, the United
States' Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith.