Verizon

Verizon: SXSW

Challenge: For SXSW, Verizon was trying to enter a marketed dominated by AT&T, culturally and physically.

Insight: For people who live in Austin, SXSW isn’t a celebration, it’s a disruption. Crowds, traffic, and constant activity interfere with everyday routines. If Verizon wanted to be welcomed into the environment, the brand couldn’t add to the noise. They had to reduce it.

Idea: Instead of relying on traditional tactics, we created an activation designed to connect with people where they were at. Using social listening, we tracked complaints as they happened in real-time and surprised residents with memorable experiences that gave them a reprieve from the insanity. By responding directly to real problems, the brand generated attention organically inside a competitor-led space without relying on paid media.

Role: As Creative Director, I helped develop the activation concept, collaborated with strategy and experiential teams to translate social insights into real-world responses, presented to client stakeholders, and supervised creative execution across the live experience and supporting content.

Outcome: The work earned engagement and visibility within a competitor-dominated environment and positioned Verizon as a brand acting for the community rather than advertising at it.