SMU Advertising

Student: Boxiong Cao
After the first two great mandatory talks we attended on Saturday, March 8th, where sessions talked about how AI impacted advertising and how we can integrate AI to advertising to improve performance, and enhance storytelling. Me and Grant got to the event we were most excited about – The main sponsor of SXSW 2025 Rivian’s Off-Road Experience in downtown
Austin, and it did not disappoint.
The experience was set to demonstrate Rivian EV’s off-road ability as well as its raw power, torque and versatility. We quickly checked in, signed our waivers and got a briefing from the team before hopping into the R1T (Staff were super friendly). We got to experience the ride while a professional driver took us through some steep hills.
We were welcomed by the luxury interior the car offered, and the driver wasted no time putting the truck to the test. When we hit the first steep incline, the car got up the hill effortlessly its 1500nM+ torque. The descent was equally impressive, where the car’s descent control allow the car to glide down smoothly without the driver touching the brake. Unlike gas-powered cars, there was no engine howl, just us saying wow inside the car. Right after the hill, we also tackled a 40-degree side incline, where the R1T effortlessly maintained stability(even though I was crouched in the middle seat), showcasing its independent air suspension system in action. Despite the extreme tilt, the vehicle remained composed, proving just how well it adapts to challenging terrain.
Overall, it was a great experience to attend SXSW where I not only gained more insights to advertising, AI, and I also get to experience this beast in a off road setting, it was a true immersive experience that showcased Rivian is all about: Adventure, pushing boundaries and proving that EVs belong to the wild just as much as they do in a city sitting.

Students: Paulina Esparza and Kelsey D’Esopo

The Female Quotient Equity Lounge & Panels – SXSW Day 2

Paulina: One of my favorite parts of this weekend at SXSW was the Female Quotient’s Equity Lounge that launched on International Women’s Day and provided incredible panels and activations. One of my favorite Panels that we sat in on was the “Algorithm for all: AI as Co-creator”, in which the speakers talked about how AI can help in the development of products and brand growth through methods that we don’t always think about. One of the speakers mentioned how they have trained AI to have their desired consumer traits and voice with their own consumer research and data (videos, stories, etc.). They then use this AI to represent their consumer voice and can test with projects that are being developed. This was just one of my favorite panels that I got to sit in on, but I also really enjoyed all the activations they held at this event, which I felt were incredibly relevant to the brand and day. FQ collaborated with Ulta Beauty to hand out products and held a makeup and hair retouch booth. There was a Customize your own tote bag section and many other things that connected so well to the brand.

Kelsey: The FQ Lounge was absolutely one of my highlights of the weekend – with amazing pop-ups, speakers, and guest appearances, Paulina and I kept finding new things to do every time we visited. Every discussion session was incredibly interesting and insightful, ranging from AI integration to understanding needs of brand personas and messaging to how disrupt using AI. Additionally, with a coffee bar, books to take home, and a flower wall, there was a little bit of everything for everyone. NASA astronaut Cady Coleman was also in attendance, promoting her new book “Sharing Space”!

‘The Last of Us’ Cast on Season 2 Panel & Meeting Gabriel Luna – SXSW Day 2

Paulina: One of the highlights for me this weekend was being able to get into the panel with the cast of “The Last of Us”, where the cast and creators spoke on season 2 and premiered its trailer for the first time. As a fan of the show, this was a surreal moment for me, and I loved being able to see some of my favorite celebrities like Pedro Pascal (of course), Gabriel Luna, and Bella Ramsy. And the most star-stucking moment of all… running into and meeting Gabriel Luna after the panel!

Kelsey: Coming into SXSW, I was excited for many panels, but nothing compared to finding out that the cast and crew of The Last of Us season 2 would be in attendance a few days before traveling down to Austin. I love Pedro Pascal’s acting overall, especially in this series based on the beloved video game, and was thrilled to hear him and all of the cast discuss the highly-anticipated season. They premiered the brand new trailer at our panel, showing off to the world for the first time the incredible new season. Each member of the panel had super fun answers to all of the questions, with Gabriel Luna shouting out his hometown of Austin first thing. In a surprising turn of events, after the amazing panel, we ran into Gabriel Luna, not once, not twice, but three times as we bopped around to other activations!

Filming with Elmo & Cookie Monster for Sesame Street – SXSW Day 3

Kelsey: We accidentally stumbled upon the filming of social media segments focused around healthy relationships with screens, social media, and screen time for Sesame Street featuring Cookie Monster and Elmo (two characters we were hoping to see this weekend!) After getting in a short queue that was behind the filming area, we found out that we could be in a video, as we were the last group allowed to join the line! Elmo asked each of us one question about screens, with mine focusing on how to spread kindness online. Paulina then answered and we were able to get a picture with Elmo and then everything dispersed with the end of filming. I felt extremely lucky that we just so happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet the characters from one of my favorite shows growing up. It felt so rewarding that on pure luck we were able to stumble upon the “celebs” we were hoping to meet all weekend (a common theme overall).

Paulina: Another incredible moment for me happened at the very start of day 3, where we accidentally stumbled upon Sesame Street Filming content with Cookie Monster and Elmo. Immediately, Kelsey and I got in line and turned out to be the last ones that got to participate and film on that day. It was such a surreal moment for me that brought back so much nostalgia. Sesame Street was such a big part of my childhood and to be able to have had this incredible opportunity honestly brought me to tears.

‘From Clicks to Careers: Marketing & Branding to Recruit Gen Z’ Session – SXSW Day 3

Kelsey: Having the opportunity to hear from some of the women behind Handshake, Google, and Axios was absolutely amazing! Each woman had such interesting and valuable insights in regards to how Gen Z (our generation) is navigating early career fields, opportunities, and the job market and how different this generation is from those previous. Katherine Kelly (Chief Marketing Officer – Handshake) talked in depth about how the new generation is approaching searching for jobs, as well as how career goals and benefits for Gen Z have changed in comparison to others, focusing more on benefits having higher importance (pay, insurance) as opposed to the values of the company being applied to, something I found very interesting in a post-DEI world.

Paulina: One of my absolute favorite sessions of SXSW was being able to hear this panel talk about how companies are adapting their hiring processes to Gen Z and the trends they have witnessed with my generation. As a Gen Z who is about to graduate and enter the job market, it was so interesting to hear what the professionals on the talent acquisition side are thinking when it comes to the changing workforce. An important insight that they shared was on how my generation uses LinkedIn differently than other generations, but still remains incredibly important when it comes to building a personal brand.

Use this link to access all of our pictures and videos of our highlights above!

Student: Ali McKelvey
I’ve always been fascinated by the accelerating changes in AI technology, so I made sure to attend a session at SXSW that would dive deep into this topic. I attended “The Auto-Evolving Business: AI’s Agentic Near Future” with Niel Redding, where I learned some eye-opening insights. One of the main ideas discussed was that AI is becoming an “invasive species,” and as a result, humans need to learn how to develop a symbiotic relationship with it. Redding emphasized that businesses and individuals who fail to embrace AI risk being left behind or even losing their jobs. This is where the mental model of AI evolution comes in, which progresses in five stages at an increasingly rapid pace. The session broke down each stage, beginning with Prompt (such as chatbots) and moving to Participate (where AI helps us complete tasks), then onto Delegate (where AI begins to take on more responsibilities), followed by Initiate (AI acting autonomously, like sending emails or enhancing visual experiences through smart glasses). The final stage, Symbiosis, is where businesses and AI evolve together, benefiting both the technology and the planet. This evolving relationship will reshape industries and daily life, and it’s clear that to stay competitive, we need to start building toward this symbiotic future.
Another fun session I attended featured actor Ben Stiller and Apple’s Eddy Cue, where they discussed the hit Apple TV+ series Severance. As someone who recently finished Season 1, I was thrilled to hear them talk about the show, which has become one of my current obsessions. It was exciting to get an inside look at the creative process behind Severance, especially with exclusive clips from an unreleased episode that will air next week. What I found particularly interesting was hearing Ben and Eddy discuss the storytelling techniques used in Severance and how they integrate Apple products into the narrative. Their insights into the casting process and the evolution of the show added another layer of appreciation for the series. It was a fascinating session that not only gave a behind-the-scenes peek into the making of Severance but also highlighted the ways in which storytelling and technology come together in innovative ways.

Student: Ellie Pierce
I had no idea what to expect before attending SXSW, but I am happy to report that I was beyond fulfilled with my experience. From the various activations to the many panels I attended, I felt like I learned so much from an advertising standpoint. My favorite panels were the marketing panel hosted by NBCU as well as the disruptors panel. Each of these panels had higher-ups in marketing / advertising speak that each gave such amazing advice regarding ways to stand out and make your mark in the industry. I took extensive notes and found everything very insightful as someone about to start their career in advertising. In addition to this I was so inspired as a young advertiser; I hope someday I can make an impact on the industry and be called upon to speak at something like SXSW.
As for the activations – it was so fun getting new merch and trying new products I wouldn’t have been able to try otherwise. It was also a really interesting way to view how to creatively advertise your brand to people in person; there were so many cool collaborations and executions. The What-a-burger activation was such a creative way to put the brand out there.
Furthermore, I loved the entire group who came for SXSW. I felt like I became closer with a lot of my peers in the major. I had so much fun hopping around activations and going to panels with the whole class. I felt like everyone had their own unique perspective and knowledge about everything going on at SXSW, and I was able to experience and learn more than I would’ve if I had gone alone.