The sun was finally out, and spirits were high as the growing number of attendees yet again descended on Darling Harbour and surrounds for SXSW Sydney. Day 3 for me began with a buzzing atmosphere at Clear Hayes House (Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium), with the beer taps and gyoza’s temporarily replaced with coffee and croissants for the Labelium Group half-day takeover.
Crafting Authentic Brand Partnerships with Creators
In a panel discussion moderated by 1000 Heads APAC General Manager Fiona Harris, key panellists Chantel Mila (@mama_mila_au), Jiny Maeng (@jiny.maeng), Nick Cole (YT @gearseekers), and Ramon Israel (@ramonisrael) shared how authenticity and trust in creators fosters impactful brand partnerships. As Jiny Maeng explained, “There’s definitely risk from the brand’s perspective because you have to give that creative freedom to the creator you’ve chosen…but if you make your video authentic to your page, then obviously it’s going to get great feedback.”
In reference to “when the magic happens”, Chantel Mila used the example of how her recent work with Dyson went beyond just a single post and how Dyson leveraged their partnership with her for her to talk to the media and share long-form content through her channels to assist in expanding the conversation. It was agreed by all creators that campaigns that span multiple posts rather than a “one-and-done” approach, allows creators to develop a story over time, making the brand a natural part of their content.
On the topic of trends, it was highlighted that speed of approval and flexibility from brands was still one of the more challenging areas for trend-based content. As Ramon Israel pointed out, “If we are doing a trend-type content, I’m going to need that approval by end of day, because that trend is just going to disappear tomorrow. No one’s going to care.”
‘Niching down’ was a new term learnt during this discussion, with Nick Cole, who runs a tech-focused YouTube channel, explaining the impact of ‘niching down’ on his approach: “We’re specifically PC tech…using the latest and greatest hardware for workstations and gaming. That’s our niche.” By narrowing his focus from tech to PC tech, Nick is able to connect with a highly passionate audience, proving how niche content not only strengthens audience loyalty but also enables brands to reach specialized communities with targeted messages.
In an industry now valued at over $24 billion according to Harris, it is clear that the creator economy is showing no signs of slowing down with brands needing to lean in on how they can continue to refine the art of authentic, lasting creator partnerships.
From Eyeballs to Influence
In a World-First Study by QMS and Amplified Intelligence, Dr. Karen Nelson-Field shared a groundbreaking look into how people pay attention to different ad formats across Out of Home advertising. With a study measuring 1.23 million humans across 3 Australian cities and 2 unique formats, Nelson-Field explained how “at its most basic, attention can be defined as concentrated awareness towards a reduced number of stimuli in our environment while ignoring other stimuli”.
The study’s findings were compelling with the ‘active:passive ratio’ that Amplified Intelligence were able to gather proving that “OOH should no longer be considered as only a fast glance medium”. The study showed how Street Furniture with a High Dwell Time had a whopping 9.4 seconds of active attention time (17.4 seconds of passive attention) while Large Format OOH with High Dwell time had 4.4 seconds of active attention time (3.6 seconds of passive attention).
Attention measurement and media planning is still in its infancy, however, this world-first study is a strong step in the right direction for the kind of insights and research that we will continue to see in this space. As Nelson-Field boldly declared – “It’s Time to Pay Attention to Attention”
Navigating Change – It’s All About Mindset
In his panel titled “Through Shifts and Shocks”, Steve Vamos, former CEO of Xero, shared insights from his 40-year career working for companies like Xero, Apple, Microsoft and IBM. Vamos emphasized how being good at change during times of technological acceleration like we are in today all comes down to mindset – “You have to be conscious of your mindset, as it determines your ability to adapt and succeed through change.”
But being good at change, according to Vamos, is more than just having the right mindset but also following this up with “what you do” and “what you say,” with Vamos explaining, “It’s about driving clarity, alignment, and performance in your actions, and having the courage to communicate openly—especially when it means having difficult conversations.”
Change, upon reflection at my time at SXSW so far, has been a theme sitting in the background of many conversations and talks. There is no doubt that change is accelerating more and more as technological leaps like the development of AI change the way we work and live. A great reminder that our mindset and subsequent actions will define how we respond.
See also:
• SXSW Blog Day 1: Sessions with Canva’s Melanie Perkins and Meta AI guru Manohar Paluri