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All AI, no 'aha': Has SXSW lost its creative spark?
advertising ai conference marketing sxsw tech

Once the industry’s most inspiring week, SXSW 2025 leaned too heavily on AI and left creativity to the sidelines. If it wants to stay relevant for brand and agency leaders, it’s time to refocus on substance over spectacle.

SXSW: Five days that make Black Mirror look like Bagpuss
advertising creativity marketing sxsw By Damon Collins

Some mind-boggling presentations at South By Southwest left Joint’s Damon Collins, a regular attendee, feeling excited but also a little nervous.

Why LGBTQ+ programming dwindled at SXSW this year
dei diversity gender equality inclusion mastercard sxsw By Jessica Heygate

Discussions about transgender inclusiveness disappeared at the Texas-based festival as programming avoided wading too deeply into the most hot-button issues facing the LGBTQ+ community.

At SXSW, creatives and technologists clashed over AI
ai digital marketing gen ai sxsw tech By Jessica Heygate

Technology leaders reflected a state of ‘irrational exuberance’ for AI, while creative industries prioritised protections.

‘I don’t want to be the villain’: Dylan Mulvaney calls for brands to protect talent and celebrate trans joy
sxsw By Jessica Heygate

Nearly one year after facing hate for a partnership with Bud Light, the trans influencer discusses healing through humor and putting safety measures in place for diverse talent at SXSW.

AI, Web3, purpose and SVB: Takeaways for marketers from SXSW 2023
ai sxsw By Jessica Heygate

Amidst the AI hype, discussions about new technologies struck a more cautious tone than prior years as advertising and tech workers hone in ethical and commercial challenges.

At SXSW, LGBTQ+ programming focuses on fundamental rights
lgbtq sxsw By Jessica Heygate

Nonprofit Do the WeRQ, which created an alternative SXSW calendar to draw LGBTQ+ programming together, says the community is in survival mode.

From platform power to people power? Navigating Web3 hype at SXSW
sxsw By Hannah Matthews

Being back at SXSW after a three-year Covid-19 hiatus is a joy, and we should be proud of marketing industry representation.

Would you kill for the last piece of rendang?

animation food indonesia sxsw By Ad Nut

Indonesian creative studio Percolate Galactic delivers a deliciously gory animation about an unlikely food fight.

3 out-of-the-box brand activations at SXSW
sxsw By Surekha Ragavan

From an immersive Game of Thrones world to a 'tree' that serves beer from its branches.

Accenture Interactive shows off top XR tools brands are already adopting
accenture sxsw By Oliver McAteer

The company played host to the most technologically thrilling experience at SXSW.

SXSW is growing a tech conscience, so why isn't the ad industry?
advertising ethics sxsw By Justin Billingsley

Discussions are no longer about technology itself but about its human and societal impact. So why is the ad industry not yet asking the same tough questions?

SXSEast: China looms large in Texas
sxsw By Doug Baker

Amid the smell of BBQ food and Texan drawls, one word keeps popping up at this year’s SXSW: China.

Open communication draws Panasonic back to SXSW
japan sxsw By David Blecken

The electronics giant's increasingly open-minded approach to innovation is something others can learn from.

Printed sushi & super jumping suits: Japan at SXSW
ai Dentsu Hakuhodo sxsw By David Blecken

Dentsu and Hakuhodo are among the major Japanese companies stepping up their presence at the festival this year.

Why a Japanese startup consultant is opening in the US
quantum sxsw TBWA Hakuhodo By David Blecken

TBWA Hakuhodo's Quantum hopes to connect more startups to Japanese corporations through an operation in San Francisco.

From SXSW: Giddiness and terror over AI
advertising consumer marketing sxsw By Staff Reporters

Takeaways from the conference, contributed by a team from JWT.

Panasonic aims to lighten the pull of its legacy
sxsw By David Blecken

The 99-year-old company is working to implement a culture of open innovation. It’s no easy feat, but is an important step to re-energising the brand.

Brands should pay attention to what people are trying to shut down
sxsw By Jay Morgan

How brands and agency creatives can learn to spot the subcultures that might be the next big thing.

Hakuhodo Group company SIX Inc. becomes Asia’s second and Japan’s first SXSW Accelerator competition finalist
Hakuhodo sxsw By Press Release

Hakuhodo Group creative agency SIX Inc. (Minato-ku, Tokyo; Takeshi Nozoe, President & CEO) has been named a finalist in the Entertainment and Content Technologies category of the SXSW Interactive Festival’s 7th annual SXSW Accelerator competition.