Brands rule everything around you at South by Southwest. You’ll walk down the street toward the McDonald’s land and Hulu branded buses will zip by. You’ll have to pass through an elaborate white-walled Converse store to enter Fader Fort. There, you’re surrounded by flashy Dell and Vitamin Water living advertisements shoving free product, virtual reality demonstrations and even environmental protection claims into your face. It’s the price of music at SXSW.
Every year, we enjoy casually poking fun at some of the brand fails at SXSW, and this year we put together some photos of our favorite examples. Consider it a travelog of brands in the center of the brand world.
Step one: Stuff yourself with tacos. Step two: Dance
Here’s what you want to do before hitting the club: Filling yourself with Taco Bell. You’ll be the coolest person in the club running to the bathroom every five minutes or suddenly vomiting on the DJ when his killer bass drops force that Doritos Cheesy Gordita Crunch back the wrong way.
And hey, check out this handy little thing. Too bad you’d probably get kicked out of your band if you used the “Cord Taco.”
Go green. Buy a computer.
We know that when you’re looking to analyze your own carbon footprint and impact on the environment, you look to Dell to start that dialogue. And we know that when you’re looking to share the many ways you go green, you’d like to do that by responding to a Twitter hashtag on a chalkboard. Dell asked SXSWers: “What’s Your #LegacyofGood?” The brave people of SXSW shared thoughts like, “SXSWasted,” “Beef Matters” and “Babes & Books.”
Are you as environmentally conscious as Dell?
No. We didn’t think so.
McSXSW
CC: Brand Hipsterization RT : Ronald. At . Dressed a little differently. .
— Arshad Parvez (@ArshadParvez)
The coolest brand on the planet is finally a SXSW sponsor. McDonald’s was all over Austin this year, providing festivalgoers with the finest food, the funnest parties, and sometimes a reluctant place to stand clear of the rain. There’s even a terrifying Ronald McDonald statue you can take selfies with.
And here’s a look at the McAftermath.
Nothing makes me want to buy burgers than the smell of fuel, ankle deep mud and a porta potty.
High pressure drone sales
You see a tiny hovering unidentified object and think, “Oh cool. I might get to fly a drone.” Wrong. You get to watch this guy have fun flying a drone while the other guy has you trapped for a lengthy sales pitch.
Is this a Lone Star and PBR advertisement?
It might as well be.
The Anti-Brand
Okay, this one is kind of cool. Who doesn’t love all these things? And who doesn’t love all these things more without branding and for free?
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