SXSW Interactive Adds Health And MedTech Expo

Just when you thought SXSW couldn't possibly get any bigger. Expanding upon the success of past programming on this topic, SXSW Interactive is adding the SX Health and MedTech Expo to the slate of activities for March 2015 in Austin. The brand new JW Marriott Hotel will serve as home for this first-year exhibit space.

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How Brands Can Leverage Social Media Influencers to Visually Connect With Consumers on Instagram

Instagram is undoubtedly one of the most influential social networks available in today's social landscape. With over 200 million users sharing upwards of 20 billion photos, the mobile platform is fertile ground for brands looking to connect with an exceedingly captive audience.

However, Instagrammers are notoriously resistant to direct advertising on Instagram, and the platform has only recently begun to cautiously implement promoted posts. Overall, users have been fairly receptive to the ads, but with all the marketing potential Instagram holds, there are much more effective means for engaging consumers on the social platform.

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MediaCom Wins Adweek Media Plan of the Year for Pennzoil SXSW Activation

A well-deserved win. Adweek has named MediaCom USA winner of the Media Plan of the Year for its Pennzoil "Mario Kart Reimagined" activation at the 2014 SXSW festival.

On a live custom-made quarter-mile race track in Austin, Texas, Pennzoil created Mario Kart Reimagined, turning the Nintendo video game into a real-life go-karting experience showcasing Shell's new Pennzoil Platinum synthetic oil.

Go-karts were outfitted with GoPros and RFID technology enabling classic game icons like the banana peel and red turtle shell to throw racers off their guard, while Pennzoil Power Ups served to increase the karts' speed and performance. It's said that SXSW attendees waited up to four hours to do their best Bowser or Princess Peach impressions behind the wheel.

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The 5 Worst Mistakes "Expert" Marketers Are Making in 2014

When online "experts" share their "expertise," it is always advisable to observe with some skepticism. While the Internet can be considered the modern bastion of knowledge, opinions, and ideas, it is not completely dependable.

In fact, most of what you can find on the web is unreliable information. Take the case of online marketing as an example. Many online marketing "experts" who preach their supposedly effective strategies embarrass themselves by the failure of their ideas in their own practical application.

The following can be considered the worst mistakes in online marketing in 2014. They represent the biggest misconceptions in marketing being peddled by self-proclaimed marketing experts and even by those who have had some real experience in online marketing.

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