Votes for VMLY&R! — for SXSW 2024

When Cars Fly, How Will We Use Our Hands?

Imagine a future where cars autonomously roam the sky freeing passengers to embrace productivity, entertainment, and social connections. In July ‘23, the FAA certified the first flying car, which when combined with AI and cutting edge route mapping, clears a path to a new era of travel. We’ll explore the impact of hands-free transportation on human behavior and look at how brands can fuel a shared transportation economy. Together, let’s envision a world where cars become dynamic spaces for nurturing family conversations or hubs for brand experiences and content. It's all closer than you think.

Speakers

• Lance Wolder - Head of Marketing and Strategy, PadSquad
• Kaleeta McDade - Chief Experience Design Officer, VMLY&R

VOTE HERE

Night and Day: Creating the Intel One Mono Typeface

After the release of their VMLY&R- and Tobias Frere-Jones-designed corporate font, Intel asked: Could the pair create a monospace version to support Intel's thriving developer community? After months of research, VMLY&R, Frere-Jones, and Intel's brand team took the opportunity to create a font for vision-impaired developers, then release an open-source version on GitHub encouraging users to create their own characters, glyphs, and even fonts. After thousands of downloads, Cannes Lions honors, press from Fast Company, and more, Intel One Mono is a new milestone in user-centered font design.

Speakers

• Robb Smigielski - Chief Design Officer, VMLY&R
• Michael Eppelheimer - Executive Design Director, VMLY&R
• Fred Shallcrass - Typeface Designer, Frere-Jones Type

VOTE HERE

Tony Soprano, Shiv Roy & How Brands Can Become Antiheroes

From Sopranos to Succession, viewers have fallen hard for the unrelenting antiheroes who unapologetically act out our darkest urges on the screen. It took a tremendous leap of faith for TV execs to back series leads that weren't “good,” but the result has been one appointment TV megahit after another. Is it time for brands follow suit? Should yours? This session will introduce you to a brand-new brand development tool, Antihero Archetypes, and show you how to use it to help your brand break bad.

Speaker

• Trevor Thomas - VP Strategy, VMLY&R

VOTE HERE

Educating Generative AI on Race and Gender Using Research

AI is biased. Visual, textual and general outputs from generative AI pull from the state of the world as is. As AI evolves, it will learn from the world we now create in ads, culture, brands and research literature. It is imperative (if not an emergency) that we practice inclusion in intention, words and actions.

Especially for growth audiences like Gen Z, inclusive AI is key to create and deliver what they want from brands and us as culturemakers. Give people what they want, and watch them make magic from it - if we don't believe in the power of such ideas, nobody will.

Speaker

• Sarah Fahim - Senior Strategic Researcher, VMLY&R

VOTE HERE

Behind the scenes of the Oscar Charleston baseball docudrama

Behind the scenes of the the making and marketing of a documentary about Oscar Charleston, regarded among baseball experts as the best player in Negro Leagues history. During his prime in the 1920's, he became a legend in Cuba and one of Black America’s most popular figures. Yet even among serious sports fans (despite being a Baseball Hall of Famer), Oscar Charleston is virtually unknown today. You will hear about the unique role the director, writer, producer and brand marketer played in educating a new generation about this crucially important part of the American experience.

Speakers

• Jon Goynshor - Head of Global Partnerships, VMLY&R Commerce
• Jerald Harkness - CEO, Studio Auteur
• Jeremy Beer - CEO, AmPhil
• Adrienne Lopez - Talent Booker, Tamron Hall

VOTE HERE

Creating Meaningful Change through BOLD Brand Partnerships

When the world came to a standstill due to COVID, the lives of countless people in the music industry did too. Since then, Wild Turkey set out to give back to those who kept the music alive and have impacted the careers of over 100 artists along the way. In partnership with Spaceflight Records, Wild Turkey celebrates the conviction of those who Trust Their Spirit by giving up-and-coming artists a platform to share their stories. In this panel, learn how global brands can partner with local grassroots organizations to drive real, meaningful change that leaves a lasting impact on communities.

Speakers:

• Paige Raiczyk - Strategist, Berlin Cameron
• Brett Orrison - Founder, Spaceflight Records
• Kalu James - Musician, Kalu & The Electric Joint
• Mark Watson - Marketing Director, Dark Spirits, Campari

VOTE HERE

Raising Gen AI: A SXSW Meet Up

Are you there ChatGPT? It's me, Margaret. From actors to activists, everyone is discussing how their digital footprints are feeding the machine. As parents who tech — we have a responsibility. What happens when the age of "sharenting" collides with the age of AI? Let's meet up and talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of raising kids growing up in Generation AI. Together we will discuss and debate how AI may benefit our children and how it may harm them. Our collaborative meet up will strive to co-create guidelines for parenting and protecting kids in the age of AI.

Speakers

• Laura Jones - Chief Strategy Officer, BAV Group
• Vanessa Fuss - Group Director, BAV Group

VOTE HERE

The Age of Authentic Ad Experiences: Representing Each of Us

Brands know that representation in advertising matters, but we are far from getting it right. Consumers want to be recognized as the individuals they are and the communities they represent. Personalized advertising helps brands do exactly that, and when done right, consumers notice and respond favorably, creating lasting impact for brands. In this session, we’ll discuss the how and why of personalized ads and share success stories of how leading brands are seeing 5X more ad engagement with meaningful creative that gets representation right

Speakers

• Lance Wolder - Head of Marketing and Strategy, PadSquad
• Erica Jones - Senior Manager, Cultural & Inclusive Marketing, Kellogg
• Walter Geer - Chief Experience Design Officer, YMLY&R
• Jerry Daykin - Head of Global Media, Beam Suntory

VOTE HERE