This guest post was written by aWeber Education Marketing Associate Amanda Gagnon.
Let’s face it, the biggest draw of South by Southwest isn’t the announcements of technical innovations (though I’m sure they’ll be trippy) or music (though I’m sure it’ll be satisfyingly edgy). You’ll learn an awful lot no matter what sessions or shows you attend.
Instead, the biggest draw is the massive collection of savvy, creative individuals and the ensuing melee.
So what you really need to know as you prepare to fly to Austin in a couple of weeks is where this crowd will be eating, where they’ll be shopping and where the good parties are.
Ad agency GSD&M has made that information available with their campaign for SXSW 2012, SXSurvival. The ad agency’s main site for the campaign includes tweetable suggestions and blog posts, but its primary focus is getting viewers to Pinterest.
GSD&M used the up-and-coming network to create a survival manual: a series of virtual bulletin boards “pinned” with the areas best resources for those attending SXSW. Boards include The Refresh (outdoor rec spots around Austin), The Parties (hosted by vendors & participants) and The Eats (the best local cuisine sources), among others.
By capitalizing on their Austin expertise, they attract the attention of the hordes headed to SXSW. Then they’ve got hordes of ad-minded Pinterest followers they can market to however they’d like.
