SXSW’s popular PanelPicker is back in action, allowing the SXSW community to submit their programming picks for the Music, Film and Interactive conferences. We have two submissions in play this year – check them out below and rock the vote so we can be the best reasons to go to #SXSW16!
Celebs vs. Civilians: The Battle for Influence
While enlisting celebrities to drive social engagement has been a popular marketing tactic, the influence tides are shifting from a celebrity-driven to civilian-led effort, with consumers listening more to trusted friends’ recommendations than that of a paid celebrity promoter. Just look at CrossFit’s meteoric rise: its popularity was driven by personal recommendations from micro-influencers to their networks, not celebrity endorsements.
In this session, Mavrck Co-Founder and CEO Lyle Stevens will argue that celebrities are no longer the holy grail of influence and that it’s more impactful to have real people with influence sharing actual experiences. He’ll also address HOW to identify and engage with the right social influencers online.
Click below to cast your vote! 
Customers Are Not Created Equal: Only 10% Matter
Not all customers are equal. In fact, 90% of them simply don’t matter. They don’t care about your brand and you shouldn’t care about them. Instead, live and die by your top 10% – those that are true brand fans and micro-influencers who make the difference for your brand.
In this session, Lyle will detonate the “customer acquisition is priority #1” argument, highlighting instead why brands should focus on their best customers. He will show how engaging the top 10% with VIP treatment and exclusive correspondence not only nurtures their loyalty, but also drives them to refer others to the brand – creating a snowball effect of social capital with real bottom-line impact.
Click below to cast your vote!
