Author: JD

iCrossing, a global digital marketing agency, today announced that four iCrossing thought leaders will speak on how digital can be used to create connectedness – or more personal relationships between brands and consumers – at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, March 9-13 in Austin, Texas. In addition, to kick off SXSW iCrossing released two exclusive interviews with music mogul Jermaine Dupri (@Mr_Dupri). iCrossing’s speaker roster includes: Gabriela Lazzaro (@supersonicgaba), senior audience manager of iCrossing’s Live Media Studio, the interactive industry’s first-ever resource dedicated to real-time marketing, will sit on a panel, Stand with Planned Parenthood: A Crisis Response (#StandwPP) on Sunday, March 11 at 9:30 am CST. The panel will examine the strategy behind last year’s successful “Stand With Planned Parenthood” advocacy and support campaign. Tarah Feinberg (@TarahFO), head of Live Media Studio, will lead a panel Are We Killing Social with Social?(#killsoc) on Sunday, March 11 at 11 am CST. This interactive session will explore why people adopt new social networks and work with the SXSW crowd to create a collective manifesto about how to put the “social” back into “social networking.” Rob Garner (@robgarner), iCrossing’s vice president of strategy, will also take the stage on Sunday at 3:30 pm CST in a Future 15 session, Dot.wtf?top.level.domain.names.will.change.the.web (#dotwtf). Garner will discuss the implications of dot-brands – also known as gTLDs – and what CMOs need to know about gTLDs and vanity URLs in 2012. On Tuesday, March 13 at 3:30 pm CST, Todd Pruzan (@toddpruzan), Live Media Studio editorial director, will wrap up the conference with a panel, Let’s Get Lost: Surprise and the Social Media Age (#nowgetlost). He will join executives from Wired, Pandora and OKCupid to explore whether social media can provide authentically random experiences that inspire discovery of new ideas. The iCrossing Live Media Studio produced two interviews with Jermaine Dupri released today in conjunction with SXSW. Building a Connected Brand with Social Media (available in two parts here and here) addresses how Dupri has created a closer relationship with audiences through his Global 14 social community. iCrossing’s chief strategy officer Adam Lavelle speaks about the lessons brands can learn from Dupri’s experience. In How to Be a Killer Creative, Dupri is interviewed by iCrossing’s Nick Burd about the secrets of being a successful Grammy award winning producer, songwriter, and business executive. Follow @iCrossing and @ContentLab on Twitter (#sxsw, #sxswic) to receive real-time updates from SXSW.