SXSW London: Day One Recap

The inaugural SXSW London kicked off yesterday, and the schedule was overflowing. From climate messaging and inclusive leadership to community-driven branding and the future of purpose, this is our take on the signals, soundbites, and shifts that you need to know:

1. Leadership for a Resilient Future

Theme: Urgency meets strategy in the climate fight.

In the room: Kerry McCarthy, the Undersecretary of State for Energy and Net Zero at the UK Government; David Gelles, H.E. Antonio Patriota, Brazil’s ambassador to the UK and Climate Correspondent at the New York Times.

Overview: Panellists addressed the urgent need for global climate action. David and Kerry emphasised the need to make the green transition inclusive, affordable and accessible, while Antonio highlighted the Amazon’s role in international climate stability and COP30 ambitions (Brazil is hosting). 

Speakers called for leadership rooted in public trust, international cooperation, and cultural engagement. Key messages included reframing climate action messaging away from crisis to messages about security, growth, and community. Creatives were urged to share hopeful, empowering stories to sustain momentum. 

Key Takeaways

• Change the climate conversation. Messaging that leans into optimism, not just emergency, will inspire more people to act.

• Get serious about climate alignment for your brand story, especially if Gen Z are your prime audience. They can tell the difference between carbon neutral and carbon performative.

2. Was DEI a Dud to Begin With?

Theme: Rebuilding inclusive leadership with receipts.

In the room: Hannah Roberts, VP of Global Marketing e.l.f Beauty, Sam Rowlands, Founder of Pink Chip

Summary: This session challenged DEI's failure as a performative policy and offered data-driven, strategic alternatives. Hannah and Sam emphasised that past efforts often excluded those in power and lacked systems-level impact. e.l.f. Beauty shared how they demonstrate inclusive leadership with structural change, including employee equity ownership and diverse leadership boards. Sam from Pink Chip explained how they tackled investor bias by proving that women-led firms outperform financially, reframing DEI for capitalist logic. Key themes throughout the chat were Gen Z's intolerance for inauthenticity and the need for durable, embedded equity models.

Key Takeaways:

• Outsmart bias: To move the system, talk in the language of power: performance, profit, resilience.

• Real change isn’t cosmetic, it’s structural, measurable, and market-driven: Purpose must be built into the business model, not bolted on

• Your campaigns need to match your cap table: Inclusivity is structural, and the brands that win start from within.

3. Inclusion & Innovation: Conquering the Loneliness Epidemic

“Brands keep calling customers their community. But a real community calls you back.”

Theme: Loneliness is the real pandemic, and community is the cure.

In the room: Hinge’s CMO, Jackie Jantos, Intrsxtn  Surf's founder, Jessa Williams, AdWeek’s Creative Editor, Brittaney Kiefer

Summary: This session tackled Gen Z’s growing loneliness, which has worsened due to the pandemic and digital isolation. Jackie and Jess shared how they build intentional community online and IRL. Hinge’s “One More Hour” programme funds grassroots groups to encourage offline connection. Intrsxtn Surf, founded during lockdown, uses surfing to foster belonging among Black women and women of colour.

Key Takeaway: Brands can’t fake community: Supporting and collaborating with those already doing the work is crucial. Authentic partnerships, creator-driven campaigns, and designing “with, not for” are the keys to success. Authentic connection requires vulnerability, consistency, and shared space: Don't call it community if you’re not creating real spaces for people.

4. Future of Purpose Marketing

Theme: Purpose is nothing without alignment and longevity.

In the room: Amy Brown, Head of Creative Strategy at Google, Steven Watson, Head of Brand and Content at Airwallex and Iona Martin, Strategist at The Upside

Summary: The session explored how purpose-driven initiatives must align with a brand’s core mission to be credible and enduring. Google’s AI Campus in Camden exemplifies localised, inclusive impact, bridging tech education with underserved communities.  Sam at Airwallex discussed balancing philanthropy and profit through scholarships, hardship funds, and a 1% equity pledge. Both highlighted the need for long-term trust over splashy campaigns and emphasised partnerships, persistence, and internal alignment. 

Key Takeaways:

• Size doesn’t matter: Start small, stay authentic, and embed impact where it matters most: your operations, people, and community.

• Purpose has to match your brand DNA: Don’t chase social good. Instead, focus on what only you can do authentically and credibly.

• Slow burn vs splash launch: Trust is built through consistency. Show up. Stay in it.

• The next purpose frontier is infrastructure: Invest in systems, processes and initiatives consistently to shift the dial

• It’s bigger than a moment: Go beyond hype to connect your P&L to its purpose and anchor it in long-term brand equity.

5. View from 2050

“If everything’s viral, then nothing’s viral. Authenticity is the last frontier.” 

Theme: Tech, trust, and the texture of future life.

In the room: Chris Balance, CEO of Oxford Ionics, Eben Upton, Lucy Guo, Scale AI, Kate Goodlad, Nato Innovation Fund, CEO of Raspberry PI. Moderated by Tom Standage, Deputy Editor, The Economist

Summary: This forward-looking conversation explored how quantum computing, AI, defence tech, and ubiquitous computing (a computing paradigm where computing capabilities are integrated into everyday objects and devices, becoming seamlessly available and unnoticed by the user) will reshape our world by 2050. Panellists highlighted quantum's potential to solve once-intractable problems, AI's evolution into human co-pilots, and the dual-use impact of defence innovations. We’re moving toward a world of ambient intelligence, where robotics, personalised medicine, and autonomous systems transform daily life. However, equity, infrastructure, and cultural attitudes toward tech will shape adoption. The panel urged optimism tempered by caution: technological leaps will change everything, but only if society, policy, and people evolve alongside them.

Key Takeaways:

• AI is the co-pilot, not the enemy: Expect a shift from content to contextual tools: autonomous assistants, co-designers, medical copilots.

• Ubiquitous computing will change brand touchpoints: From smart fridges to personalised billboards, brands will be ambient.

• Urban rewrites incoming: Think robot-nurses, driverless commutes, and restructured cities.

OUR Final Word: Day One – SXSW London

There was a lot of talk about the future, the frameworks we need to build sustainable brands, and the role of said brands in shaping a world we want to live in.

Three things to keep you thinking big:

• You can’t outsource leadership to your values deck.

• If your message doesn’t make people feel seen or powerful, it’s noise.

• Communities share values and belonging - otherwise it’s just a group 

We’ll be back later this week with more highlights help you break the ice.