SXSW Day 01 - The direct connection with users is the language of innovation.

Josh D'Amaro showing an ultra-realistic lightsaber developed by Imagineers, the innovation team responsible for bringing to life everything we see in movies and TV shows.

Day 01 of my first time at SXSW, I woke up with a racing and anxious mind, and had the opportunity to attend incredible sessions that were great choices to start my adventures in Austin.

Among the many amazing contents, the most memorable ones for me were "Creating Happiness: The Art & Science of Disney Parks," presented by the president of Disney Parks, Josh D'Amaro, and "The Future of Search: The Rise of Social Search Among GenZ," moderated by Dulma Altan, a TikToker and brand strategist, and featuring Laura Vestal of the startup Invisibly, Mostafa ElBermawy of the agency NoGood, and Jacob Bolvig of the gamer brand SteelSeries.

The first session was a show in itself, one of the most popular and highly anticipated of Day 01 of the event. In it, the president of Disney Parks focused on the importance of creating unique emotional experiences for consumers and the connection that generates with the brand. A relationship based on emotion and heart. D'Amaro emphasized the importance of maintaining the brand identity, but also of innovating and adapting to market changes. This is an intelligent and important strategy for maintaining a base of loyal and engaged fans.

Experimentation is also present in the daily life of the park. A group of engineers and creatives, called Imagineers, are always attentive to fans' demands and creating the impossible! What is the next universe that will be created? How to connect the fan and insert them into this universe? These are the questions they seek to answer and thus bring to reality things like: the floating mountains of Pandora, details on the ground of Star Wars environments, and animatronic characters that respond to visitors' stimuli.

Innovation doesn't stop there. In order to establish even stronger relationships and bonds, Disney invests in the Flavor Lab, whose mission is to create foods and drinks that connect with these unique universes and activate memories that will be forever etched in the lives of those who experience them.

During the presentation, D'Amaro brought some surprising elements to the stage, including an ultra-realistic lightsaber, a robot that skated and had captivating expressions, the Hulk, and even a live hologram of Tinker Bell, which provided a magical and captivating environment for the audience. A true lesson on how to create a connector, creative, and innovative storytelling that uses and abuses technology guided by a purpose, to create happiness.

The second session was about how social search is important for Gen Z and how it is changing the way search platforms are viewed and used.

The participants discussed how younger generations prefer to search for information on social networks such as TikTok, rather than using traditional search engines. Today, about 40% of Gen Z prefers to use TikTok and Instagram for searches instead of Google. This is an important trend to be taken into account by companies that want to adapt and grow in a constantly evolving and increasingly competitive market due to the high level of information that users and consumers possess.

For this generation that hates ads and always seeks authenticity, hearing from a sincere creator who connects with them is much more interesting and genuine than simply being bombarded by a ton of ads.

The panel also brought valuable tips for brands on how to better participate and be present in their users/customers' "social searches." Perhaps Gen Z is not your customer now, but they will be in the near future.

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Food for thought:

• On which social networks is your user most active and seeking information?

• What keywords does the user write in the platform's search field to look for recommendations or information about your brand? What keywords does your brand activate? (Here is the gold)

• Which creators are already generating engagement on the keywords that your brand should activate? How can your brand take advantage of this and ride the same wave to reach the target audience in a more effective way?

In summary, the first day of Sxsw 2023 was exciting and full of learnings. The Disney Parks lecture was inspiring and captivating, and the lecture on the future of search was enlightening and informative. It was a day about creating real connections, whether through a brand that delivers dreams or by being present and speaking the same language as your audience.