sxsw Archives - Ann Handley

Empathy, Marketing, and ‘Misterogers’

This post on empathy and marketing is an expanded version of the intro to my forthnightly newsletter, which features a letter from me to you along with ideas worth sharing and a healthy dose of fun. Not on the list? You can subscribe right here. I moderated a panel about Empathy and Marketing last week at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. “Empathy” is one of those words that feels impossibly squishy and subjective in a business context: It’s scrubbed clean and sitting in the front row along with “authentic” and “engagement” and “best practices.” But in marketing, I think of empathy as feeling with people—signaling through our actions, words, and tone that We get you. You belong here. And it helps marketers articulate how our products or services fit into the context of their customer’s lives, and can make their lives better. Too high-minded? I don’t think so. […]

SXSW 2014 PanelPicker: This Election, Cast A Vote for Simple

Every fall, the SXSW PanelPicker process turns prospective speakers into something akin to politicians in election years. I’m allergic to asking for votes for anything, but in this case my friend Tim Washer and I had a little fun with the idea. Here is our smear campaign to promote our SXSW 2014 Interactive Festival proposal this year — which (incidentally!) is how to create compelling content. It’s called Hollywood Stories on a Boring Brand’s Budget. (See what we did there?) Please consider a vote for our 2014 SXSW panel here: http://bit.ly/sx2014story. (Note: You’ll have to register. Sorry about that.) I’m also participating… err, hopefully participating… in two other awesome sessions at SXSW Interactive: Beyond Social Media: Marketing in the Post-Ad Era with organizer Mark Schaefer and SXSW virgin Mitch Joel. Please cast a vote for us here: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/25837 and Influence Marketing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly with organizer

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