FINDING MEANING WITHIN THE MADNESS OF SxSW:  Today is the bridge day between Sx Interactive which has been running since Friday and the chaos of Sx Music which starts this afternoon and runs through Thursday.  As a witness to this year’s craziness I can tell you even the soaking rain of Saturday didn’t diminish the crowd’s passion and enthusiasm for Sx.  And since many of you have never attended, I thought the following AdWeek piece would help explain what Sx means to digital marketing, how it’s evolved over the years, and how it’s fought to stay relevant in the space shifting world of tech.  I’m sure over the next few days you’ll see reports about the newest Japanese Cyborg which can learn to cook your favorite meals (yes, they exist).  But for now just take in the big picture implications from the intersection of marketing and tech.  (link)

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN . . . THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON AUDIO:  Staying on Sx for this one, there was some buzz in Austin around Pandora’s release of a first-ever neuroscience study on the way the human brain processes and remembers audio ads vs. visually based ones.  The breakthrough here is the hard science behind the results.  For years scientists (and radio sales reps for that matter) have implicitly connected audio signals to memory.  Think about songs you don’t even like but can’t get out of your head.  But nobody’s ever had any science to back up the theory . . . until now.  Thanks to a brain wave analysis conducted by the research firm Neuro-Insights we now know that audio messages make a bigger impact of your brain than other ad formats.  AdWeek unpacks the story in the following easy to understand summary of the study.  (link)

THE 11 BEST AD CAMPAIGNS OF THE PAST YEAR:  Every year Business Insider compiles the “best” advertising campaigns of the previous year into one all-star list.  Granted, the term best is sort of a loose one – does it mean most creative, highest ROAS or some other ad effectiveness measurement?  Regardless of the definition, this year’s list has some real beauties on it.  Here are my favorite three:  #3) The McWhopper Proposal . . . Burger King pitches the idea of a joint product to McDs, McDs turns it down, but the rumor leaks and goes viral yielding 9M earned social impression on a concept that never even happened.   #4 Brewtroleum . . . the Kiwis (New Zealanders) may have saved mankind with their plan to convert left over beer yeast into renewable energy.  How quickly can we test this theory?!?  And finally my favorite is #11 Share The Blood . . . The Romanian National Institute of Blood’s creative approach to solving their nation’s blood shortage due to a national phobia of vampires (yes, it’s a real thing).  They offered a free ticket to the Untold Music Festival in return for a pint of donated blood.  I can’t make this up people!  After reading these you’ll really appreciate the creative genius found in so many parts of the marketing industry.  (link)

Have a great Monday guys!