Chernoff Newman Digital Duo Heads to International Festival, South by Southwest
March 8, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – March 8, 2012 – Austin, Texas, is home to one of the mosthotly anticipated gatherings of the year in the world of digital: Southby Southwest. Two of the attendees doing much of that anticipating areWilliam McCain and Shane Howell of Chernoff Newman, one of the topinfluential communications firms in the Southeast with offices inColumbia and Charleston, S.C. and Orlando, Fla. McCain, InteractiveProducer and Strategist, and Howell, Front End Developer, are attendingSouth by Southwest and sharing their first-hand look at the mostadvanced digital and creative thinking.
South by Southwest beganas an avant-garde music festival. Today the event has expanded toinclude film and interactive trend setters gathering in the city tolearn from thought-leaders and industry experts through lectures andinteractive sessions. South by Southwest founders envisioned thefestival serving as a tool for creative people and companies to developand share ideas. The interactive sessions will take place from March 9to March 13. Between the interactive session and the film session, whichalso takes place this week, South by Southwest attracts 32,000attendees.
“South by Southwest is a conference that’s about beingahead of the bleeding edge of technology and interactive development,”said McCain. “Topics are focused on the future of the industry, andwhether you’re in a session or talking with other people in between,you’re sparking ideas. We’re excited to bring back to Chernoff Newmanclients and put them to work.”
South by Southwest is known forfostering a number of trend-setting ideas and applications, perhaps themost widely known is Twitter, which saw a jump from 20,000 tweets perday to 60,000 after the event in 2007. This year’s anticipated themesare expected to be focus on the hyper-local mindset and the blending ofoff-line lifestyle with online lifestyle, said McCain.
McCain andHowell will attend sessions throughout the five day conference andshare their thoughts and insights live on Twitter and their South bySouthwest Blog, http://sxsw.chernoffnewman.com/. Some of the sessions they’re most looking forward to:
- Viralis a Dirty Word explores the myth of a purely viral video and how goodinteractive strategies don’t rely on just gaining huge viewer numbers.
- WeMade This and It’s Not an Ad looks at how agencies can foster acreative, technical, managerial and entrepreneurial spirit to embraceproduct design, creating new businesses or building complex real-worldexperiences that move consumers beyond ads.
“Monitoring trendsand updates from South by Southwest has always been a passion for ourChernoff Newman digital team,” said Tye Price, Vice President ofMarketing Strategy. “Now that Will and Shane are on the ground inAustin, they’ll have the chance to think specifically about howinnovations can enhance current client projects and the future potentialfor brands and campaigns.”
Anyone with a passion forinteractive, social media and digital trends can follow the ChernoffNewman duo on their blog or on Twitter, usernames @Shane_Howell and@Willimac, or via their South by Southwest hashtags, #ShaneSXSW and#WillSXSW.
About Chernoff Newman
Recognized asone of the top influential communications firms in the Southeast,Chernoff Newman is a full-service advertising, public relations,interactive and marketing communications firm with offices in Columbiaand Charleston, S.C. and Orlando, Fla. Through a client-focusedapproach, Chernoff Newman consistently develops and implementssuccessful communications efforts for a variety of clients, includingleaders in banking, education, energy, food services, health care,technology, tourism and more. For more information, visit www.chernoffnewman.com, follow us @chernoffnewman and like us at facebook.com/chernoffnewman.
