Leo Burnett hit SXSW Interactive to tell the story of the conference through the lens of an advertising agency.

To break through the clutter of the annual event, we brought our own cameras and caught up with

speakers, panelists, press and our delegates to uncover the trends and technologies

that are shaping the future of the industry.

#SXLB | 2012

Delegate Perspectives

South byLeo BurnettInterviews with Leo Burnett’s intrepid team captured throughout the week.

First impressions from Brian Barthelt, Dan Edwards, Miles Green and Rob Allen on topics including engineering serendipity, brand participation and the proliferation of content creation.Watch on Vimeo.

Mobile payments, geo-location and the use of creative technology to create better user experience are a few subjects discussed with Ethan Goodman, Rock Darlington and Susan Treacy.Watch on Vimeo.

Delegates Mark Moll, Dustin Tomes and Dan Fisher bring the theme of social good to life, touching on how gaming can change the world and what SXSW can teach everyone about taking risks.Watch on Vimeo.

The week ends with conversations about storytelling, transmedia and content strategy with Carey Isom, Jake Setlak, Alina Cowden and Stephen Clark. Watch on Vimeo.

Read more on Deeper Dish: Carey Isom expands on the importance of storytelling; Fran Diamond dives into transmedia lessons gleaned from screenwriter/producer Joss Whedon’s seminar.

CEO and cofounder Brett Martin of location-based, meet-up app Sonar talks about uncovering hidden connections in data and using social information to navigate the physical world.Watch on Vimeo.

The StartupsFrom Twitter to Foursquare, new companies have flocked to SXSW for a shot at instant fame. A few of this year’s most promising entrepreneurs take the time to share their success with Leo Burnett.

Sonar

Easily one of the more buzzed-about startups at SXSW, Glancee is a mobile application that merges two huge trends —data and location—to allow users to discover and connect with like-minded people. Glancee has been hyped by everyone from Ad Age to CNET. CEO and cofounder Andrea Vaccari tells us how it came to be.Watch on Vimeo.

Glancee

Daniel Hengeveld stands out for capturing the entrepreneurial enthusiasm in Austin. Daniel is a cofounder of NeighborGoods.net, a co-sharing service that allows users to lend and borrow everyday items. He speaks about the inspiration behind the company and how NeighborGoods facilitates efficiency and a sense of community.Watch on Vimeo.

NeighborGoods.net

Cofounder and CEO of Meeps, Mat Ranauro, explains how the conversation app combines Web 1.0 with Web 2.0, taking the antiquated nature of AOL chat rooms into the 21st century via mobile, geo-location and shared interests... all for the purpose of sparking conversation.Watch on Vimeo.

Meeps

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Author, speaker and former chief evangelist for Apple, Guy Kawasaki is a SXSW celebrity. Here he talks about his latest book, “What the Plus!” and explains why it’s smart to jump on the Google+ platform. Watch on Vimeo.

Read more on Deeper Dish: Dan Fisher writes about Kawasaki’s keynote interview with Google’s Vic Gundotra.

The SpeakersSXSW Interactive attracts a wide range of A-list speakers and panelists, reaching across multiple disciplines. Keynotes and industry leaders share some one-one-one time with Leo Burnett to offer some insight.

Guy Kawasaki

Founder and CEO of Pandora, Tim Westergren, shares his insights about the evolution of the music industry in the digital era. Through personalization, discovery and data, Tim predicts that the future of music will give rise to a “musician’s middle class.” Watch on Vimeo.

Pandora

Funny or Die President and CEO Dick Glover and VP of Sales Ed Wise explain how keeping the cost of both content and marketing low is the secret behind their incredibly popular video site. The pair also talk about why relationships with both agencies and brands will be critical to their future success. Watch on Vimeo.

Funny or Die

Mobile web developer Jonathan Stark talks about how the unexpected genesis of Jonathan’s Card provoked a conversation about social good and explains why open APIs can bring big value to brands. Watch on Vimeo.

Read more on Deeper Dish: Dustin Tomes writes about lessons learned from Jonathan’s Card in a post about content and clutter.

Jonathan’s Card

As CEO of The Mobile Future Institute, Chuck Martin urges brands to harness the power of mobile. Chuck emphasizes the need for marketers to understand that the mobile phenomenon is just now underway, and recommends that they focus on carrying a mobile strategy through their entire media stream. Watch on Vimeo.

Mobile Future Institute

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#SXLB | 2012

As CEO and founder of trend-forecasting site PSFK, Piers Fawkes arrived armed with a handful of thoughts as to what attendees might expect. The hot topics he discusses include co-sharing, gaming for good and social pairing. Watch on Vimeo.

Read more on Deeper Dish: While Piers questions the role of brands at SXSW, Marina Molenda identifies five that ‘nailed it’ at the conference.

Press & PunditsFew at SXSW can provide an objective glimpse into what’s really happening at the event as well as the reporters who cover it. A few authoritative voices offer an honest opinion on the state of technology and advertising.

PSFK

Emily Hare and Nick Parish from trends/tech/commerce publication Contagious chat about why SXSW Interactive matters. Emily describes it as a “convergence of consumer culture, marketing and technology,” while Nick offers some advice to agencies on how to make the most of the conference. Watch on Vimeo.

Contagious Magazine

Brian Morrissey, editor in chief of Digiday, uncovers a number of ideas circulating in Austin. Brian talks about the challenges faced by ad agencies at SXSW, but emphasizes that startups can learn a lot by following their lead. Watch on Vimeo.

Read more on Deeper Dish: Jake Setlak writes about the relationship be-tween major internet players and advertising.

Digiday

Silicon Valley-based USA Today reporter Jon Swartz reflects on how SXSW has become a launching pad for new ideas and creativity. Jon talks about bringing digital serendipity to real life, and explains why larger tech companies come to SXSW to scope out startups. Watch on Vimeo.

USA Today

Sarah Kessler, startups reporter for Mashable, gives an objective review of the latest and greatest startups, notably the location-based apps Highlight, Glancee, Sonar and Banjo. Watch on Vimeo.

Read more on Deeper Dish: Ana Maria Matta outlines three lessons that agencies can learn from the startup culture at SXSW.

Mashable

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#SXLB | 2012

Publisher and Editor of Screen Magazine, Andrew Schneider, describes the role of content interaction design in the world of production. Andrew also explains why we need to rethink our use of social platforms like Facebook. Watch on Vimeo.

Read more on Deeper Dish: Nick Fotis on ‘Contradictions, Facebook and Agency Responsibilities.’

Screen Magazine

Bringing a unique perspective at the crux of the SXSW Interactive and Music events, Syracuse University student Joseph Ahern analyzes what the music industry can expect in the coming years. Joseph explains that user experience is increasingly becoming a crucial part of a band’s success. Watch on Vimeo.

Joseph Ahern

The Future of MediaCompanies looking to improve, customize and disrupt the content landscape are full-force this year. Three major players changing the distribution of everything from music to film discuss the implications for brands and media.

Spotify’s David Altarescu chats about the role music plays in social identity, the importance of open APIs and the future of Spotify as an advertising platform. Watch on Vimeo.

Spotify

David Jones, executive vice president of marketing at Shazam, talks about the future of the music discovery application and the company’s growing need for advertising. Watch on Vimeo.

Shazam

Avner Ronen, CEO and cofounder of Boxee, outlines his vision for the future of television. As the worlds of television and internet collide, Avner explains that consumers will place more importance on ownership of content and the video discovery process—and why that’s an opportunity for advertisers to create more cohesive, branded experiences. Watch on Vimeo.

Boxee

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#SXLB | 2012

No, there wasn’t a Twitter or Foursquare breakout startup among the mix of new players in 2012. But the most hyped ‘next big things’ all seemed to have similar purposes in mind: Merging the online and offline worlds.

Sonar, Glancee and Highlight, the three top startups on Radian6’s 2012 Twitter buzz list, each take insights from information posted to social networks and fuse them with location data to uncover hidden connections in real environments – whether that’s in an early-morning NoSQL seminar or at a late night 6th Street bar.

Four FindingsTo wrap, here are four topline findingswe uncovered from our interviews:

1. Betting on Data and Location

South byLeo Burnett

It’s not “Mad Men” but it’s also not that clip of a piano-playing cat your aunt forwarded. It’s not Radiohead, though it’s certainly not your uncle’s after-work garage band’s performance last weekend.

It’s an emerging ‘middle class’ of content providers that caught our ear in Austin this year… and an influential cast of new media tech players that are staking a claim. While TV set-top device Boxee is urging all to ‘cut the cord’ and subscribe to a new delivery model, providers like Funny or Die are dedicated to keeping the cost of production and marketing low in order to deliver a quality product.

Meanwhile, players like Pandora are working to perfect algorithm-based music personalization models that provide the serendipity of discovery, bringing users’ attention to a range of unlabeled artists that are precisely suited to their tastes.

2. Rising ‘Middle Class of Content’

“Doing good is good for business.”

That’s been a recurring theme, though we heard many more talking about social good this year. One of the major emphases in 2012 has been gaming. Applying game mechanics to change behavior and habits for the better – whether that’s in the realm of health care or environmental responsibility.

Many of our delegates came away enthusiastic about the possibility of changing the world for the better. Social good isn’t just good for business… it’s hip.

3. Actualizing Social Good

While the concept of ‘transmedia’ has circulated for years, until now it’s been largely relegated to the worlds of alternate reality gaming and ivory tower pontification. No longer. As platforms and channels – both on and offline – continue to proliferate, agencies and marketers are being required to rethink their delivery system for messages.

Storytelling remains as essential as ever, but taking narratives to a higher participatory level will be tantamount. Brands should think in terms of a broader content strategy and create an ecosystem that tells its story across channels in a natural, cohesive way.

4. Moving Toward Storytelling 2.0