?? The Creativ Brief: SXSW Round-up 2024!

SXSW has come to an end for Creativ Strategies!? We attended panels, ate Texas sized tacos, wrangled clients, and soaked up a week full of cutting edge innovation.?

Here’s some key themes and trends, we saw at SXSW:

1. Applications of AI, whether in music, film, research, and more, were front and center at SXSW. Almost every panel we encountered at least broached the subject. Generative AI, i.e. AI models that generate video, code or images from prompts, were central to these conversations. Everyone seems convinced AI will play a transformative role in the professional future. How exactly is yet to be determined.?
2. Less brands this year. We noted a distinct decrease in brand activations this year save for a couple returners. Porsche held an experiential activation with live panels from Porsche executives, drinks, and of course cars. Paramount+ was the only major streaming platform with brand presence at the festival. This is notably different from last year when almost all streaming platforms created exhibits or advertised. Houses and activations from other brands felt smaller with less free drinks to go around. A notable stand out was Yahoo + Poolsuite pool party. The party opened to the public, reached maxed capacity in minutes, and went for 12 hours. Nice one.?
3. Plenty of value for media and advertising professionals. The festival remains a mainstay in the media calendar. We attended Ad Age, Taboola, Brand Storytelling, Axios, Brand Innovators, Penske, and Comcast Universal events. SXSW remains an epicenter for reporters, brands, and professionals to connect.?

The music portion of the festival continues today and through the weekend until March 17th. But for us, we’re Texas tuckered out! See you next year ATX!

3 Stories Dominating Media and Tech Headlines

House passes bill that could ban TikTok from the United States, if the firm isn’t divested. The legislation passed 352-65 was an overwhelming bi-partisan consensus for a Congress usually at odds.?

Why it Matters: A TikTok ban has huge ramifications for thousands of employees based in the US and US-China relations. President Biden already said he would sign it if it passes the Senate. This is seen as a tit-for-tat bill as China currently bans all US media companies from operating in China.?

The 96th Academy Awards took place on sunday, led by an overwhelming performance from Oppenheimer.?

Here are some notable wins from last night:

1. Best Picture: Oppenheimer
2. Actress in a leading role: Emma Stone in Poor Things
3. Actress in a supporting role: Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers
4. Animated Feature Film: The Boy and the Heron
5. Actor in a leading role: Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer
6. Actor in a supporting role: Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer

Why it matters: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan all won their first ever Oscars on sunday. Yes, you heard that correctly.?

Netflix, the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, and the Personal Managers' Association have signed a deal that addresses remuneration for UK writers on scripted live-action series. This marks the first agreement between a streamer, the WGGB, and the PMA.

Some of the Key deal terms listed by the writers’ union:

1. Minimum script fee of $21,700 for a one-off 60 min show
2. Minimum script fee of $19,200 for a series
3. The Initial script fee gives Netflix the right to exploit the work worldwide for 6 months, along with non-theatrical and promotional rights

Why it matters: This deal sets a precedent for fair remuneration and rights for writers in the UK, ensuring they are compensated appropriately for their contributions to scripted live-action series.

Creativ Spotlight - MOCEAN CEO Michael McIntyre Featured in Fast Company

Michael McIntyre gives his thoughts on AI and creativity in his latest byline for Fast Company - The Creative Chasm.

Check it out here!

Stat of the Week - Consumers’ Biggest Frustrations Online

Consumers find ad pop ups (71%) to be the biggest frustration while online, followed by re-entering personal info (65%), and password resets (64%).?

Consumers express the most online dissatisfaction with intrusive information and tasks that require information re-entry.

AI will most likely assist in creating simpler processes for remembering personal information. With a clear dissatisfaction with pop-up advertising, marketers should look social to place more seamless advertising spots in front of their target demographics.?

One Fun Thing - SXSW Outtakes?

Here’s some of our favorite moments from SXSW. Seeing Willie Nelson at astounding 92 performing with Kermit the Frog at the Luck Reunion Tour. Summiting Paramount Mountain. Meeting Scott Galloway at the Proper Hotel. Exploring the Porsche activation. Robots on the convention floor. Cooling off in cowboy style.?

SXSW see ya next year!?