Every year there’s an article that asks if SXSW has “jumped the shark.” Yet, every year, the event continues to draw thousands who could care less about the answer. Following these hordes of attendees are brands that compete for attention in ways that become grander every year. PRWeek’s Brittaney Kiefer asks industry experts and long time SXSW veterans for their perspective on the matter. Excerpt: SXSW started as a music festival in 1987 and added a film and tech event…

FOX News’ Robert Gray covered the launch of a new Silicon Valley startup Vurb. Robert and Brian talked about the significance of Vurb and what it means to the hyper local market segment. Excerpt. Brian Solis, who follows social media and mobile trends for Altimeter Group, is among the impressed. “When you hop apps all the time, it’s painful,” he said. “[Vurb] is what I call ‘the experience flow’ come to life. It’ll change the way we do things by…

Brands risk losing their relevance with today’s connect customer if they treat mobile as a bolt-on to a wider digital strategy, claims the research firm’s principal analyst Brian Solis. So says CMO in a recent article that dissects the latest research report by Brian Solis and Jaimy Szymanski. ather than re-imagining the mobile experience to better align with customer expectations, many brands and companies are bolting-on mobile to a digital strategy, missing the opportunity to integrate mobile with physical experiences…

Over the last year, Brian Solis spent time with the executives at HootSuite discussing the real importance (note: not trendiness) of social business and the future of employee and customer engagement. Please take a moment to watch the series and hopefully they will help reignite or spark your passion to fight for change. A New Era of Business Takes New Expertise Social Media Intelligence Social Customer Service Social Selling

Giselle Abramovich, Senior & Strategic Editor at CMO.com, challenged brands on whether or not branded content can make it on mobile.  She reached out to leading experts, including Brian Solis, to get their perspective on what works, why and how. Other experts include: Adam Broitman, VP of global marketing at MasterCard, Esmee Williams, VP of consumer and brand strategy at Allrecipes.com Jeff Hasen, CMO, chief strategist, and founder of Gotta Mobilize With more than half of digital content now consumed…

  On the heels of its latest investment, Snapchat is now one of the most valuable tech companies in the world. NPR’s Marketplace invited Brian Solis on the show to discuss why and how this is even plausible. Solis joins at 6:48. Source

Snapchat, the three-year-old messaging app with disappearing photos, could become the world’s third-most valuable tech start-up according to Jefferson Graham reporting for USATODAY. Snapchat is reported to be in talks to raise as much as $500 million, which would value the company at $16 billion to $19 billion. Graham spoke to Brian Solis to discuss why the company is garnering such a high valuation. Why is Snapchat worth so much? Because it reaches the “elusive” market of teens and young…

Nick Allen, Shuddle’s 36-year-old founder, brainstormed his idea for the kid-centric company while working at ride-hailing startup Sidecar, whose drivers often called in saying they had requests to transport children. (Photo: Courtesy of Shuddle) Reporting for USATODAY, Marco della Cava introduced parents to the new startup Shuddle, best described as an “Uber for kids.” Busy working parents plus super-scheduled children equals car-shuttling madness and missed appointments. Shuddle, A new ride-hailing start-up hopes to improve that calculus. Shuddle, which operates throughout…