The 2013 South by Southwest music, film, and technology festival wrapped March 17, with an estimated 150,000 people turning out for all or part of the 10-day event. With big names like Justin Timberlake and Prince appearing alongside a tech-savvy crowd of influencers, the fast-growing Texas event has become a veritable playground for corporate marketers, continuing to attract experiential efforts from a diverse mix of brands. This year saw companies like Warner Brothers Television join the slew of SXSW parties and promotions, while returning hosts like The Fader and Filter beefed up their activations with online extensions.
Here's a look at the most interesting brand activations and events from this year's festival.
Fader Fort
The four-day Fader Fort, presented by The Fader and Converse, featured live shows from March 14 to 17. The lineup was announced each day via the @TheFader Twitter account, and sponsor Dell powered a live stream of the party that was available online, as well as at several additional Austin venues, for SXSW attendees who couldn’t get in.
Photo: Rachael Wright
USA Network's 'Graceland' Promotion
USA Network used a new "video paint" technology to promote its original drama series Graceland. On the evenings of March 9 and 10 attendees were invited to a pop-up location in downtown Austin's busy bar strip, where they could use a digital paint-brush roller to project Graceland images on the walls of buildings.
Photo: Courtesy of USA Network
USA Network's 'Graceland' Promotion
The video paint activation was produced by XA, with the technology developed by Sweatshoppe, a new multimedia performance collaboration that, through custom software, allows users to create real-time video collages.
Photo: Courtesy of USA Network
Warner Brothers "Tell-A-Vision" Promotion
Warner Brothers Television was among several TV brands making its debut at SXSW. Its immersive "Warner Brothers Tell-A-Vision space" ran from March 8 to 11 at a pop-up location downtown. The space combined industry activations—attendees could pitch their digital series ideas to the CW network—with exhibits tied into the brand's shows, such as The Big Bang Theory ball pit.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Brothers Entertainment. All Rights Reserved
Warner Brothers "Tell-A-Vision" Promotion
Warner helped keep audiences dry during an unexpectedly rainy festival by handing out hooded ponchos branded with the name of the CW television series Arrow.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved
3M at SXSW
Throughout the festival, visitors were welcomed to the Austin Convention Center by "Jenny," an interactive digital avatar presented by 3M. The almost disturbingly lifelike avatar spoke to approaching guests and helped them locate panels and events.
Photo: Courtesy of 3M
Beats by Dre "Pill Clinic" Promotion
Audio brand Beats by Dre set up a "Pill Clinic" at the Viceland venue from March 12 to 17, showing off its pill-shaped portable music devices with an edgy "Beats Pill Fix" activation. Talent dressed as doctors and nurses helped guests try out the technology, while also offering free Wi-Fi, food, and cell phone charging stations.
Photo: Courtesy of Beats by Dre
Sonos Studio Pop-Up
The Sonos Studio sponsored by Sonos HiFi Music System took over another pop-up downtown space from March 11 to 16. Inside the interactive audiovisual space, attendees could build their own functional speakers out of everyday materials, play video games with artists like Kat Von D, and take part in an immersive interactive video and sound installation exhibit created by the artist Aramique.
Photo: Rahav Segev/Getty Images
Splash That's SXSW House Party
Tech company Splash That held its House Party at CTC House and Gardens on March 10. The affair was sponsored by Dos Equis and Patron Spirits and featured bands performing inside an illuminated "Patron igloo" with a live feed of photos from the party displayed on a dedicated Web site.
Photo: Sam Friedman
Patron Igloo at 'Forbes' 30 Under 30 Party
The Patron igloo also popped up at the Forbes "30 Under 30" party, which honored young achievers on March 11 with a private-home event attended by celebrities like Shaquille O'Neill and Texas governor Rick Perry. Inside the igloo, guests sampled customized coffee drinks complete with Patron XO Cafe artisan marshmallows, while an ice bar offered Patron-infused ice cream sandwiches.
Photo: Roger Kisby/WireImage
SapientNitro SXSW Party
Marketing agency SapientNitro’s official March 10 launch party during SXSW's interactive conference featured DJ music at Parish Austin alongside an immersive experience that included a "storyscape" chalkboard where guests could write notes to each other and play an oversize version of magnetic poetry.
Photo: Courtesy of SapientNitro
Filter on Rainey Powered by Tumblr Activation
Music magazine Filter and microblogging platform Tumblr cordoned off an entire street for Filter on Rainey Powered by Tumblr, the first-ever branded street activation at SXSW.
Photo: Courtesy of Filter Magazine
Filter on Rainey Powered by Tumblr Activation
Some 97 different artists, including the likes of Cold War Kids and Macklemore, performed inside several music venues on Rainey Street, including Lustre Pearl and Clive Bar, from March 13 through 17.
Photo: Courtesy of Filter Magazine
MySpace Secret Shows Series
MySpace and Chevy teamed up for a series of Secret Shows at various locations from March 14 to 16. Playing off of MySpace's new online-offline model, artists announced the free, first-come, first-served show details directly to their fans via the Web site.
Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Myspace
Glad and Keep America Beautiful at SXSW
Plastic ware brand Glad and Keep America Beautiful partnered to provide 13 trash, compost, and recycling areas, diverting much of the festival's waste. To raise consciousness, they partnered with artist Jason Mercier to create a mural of America made from SXSW trash, with digital prints of the artwork available for download.
Photo: Alexis Black
Asos Music Lounge
For those who wanted a permanent souvenir of SXSW, the Asos Music Lounge, a three-day music venue and restaurant presented by British fashion online retailer Asos and held at the Cedar Door Bar & Grill from March 14 to 16, included an on-site tattoo artist for V.I.P. guests.
Photo: Rodrigo Gaya/World Red Eye
