Three things we’re taking from SXSW London
Last week, we hit the streets of Shoreditch for the iconic SXSW festival’s first foray across the pond. What started as an event to spotlight Austin’s music scene in the late 80s has become a global phenomenon bringing together the brightest minds in culture, creativity and technology.
The festival swept over several East London locations. It was a feast of ideas and compelling conversations, covering topics ranging from what the retail stores of 2050 will look like to how we can all live happier and healthier lives. Here are our key takeaways:
1. FINDING THE HUMAN IN AN AI WORLD
You’d be hard-pressed to find a talk that didn’t include some mention of AI: we heard predictions of cities dominated by driverless cars, fridges that do your weekly food shop, and quantum computers that will cure cancer. But amid all the hype around automation and algorithms, one theme stood out: an obsession with tapping into what it means to be human.
For mission-driven Monzo, it’s the small, empathetic touches—for example, having confetti come up when your salary lands in your account—that demonstrate a deep understanding of their customers and the emotional resonance of financial milestones. It’s no wonder that the talk with Monzo CEO TS Anil was titled ‘Building a Bank that People Love’.
Hinge CMO Jackie Jantos spoke about their recent ‘No Ordinary Love’ campaign, which features an anthology of stories by real-life couples that met on the app, brought to life by contemporary writers. By humanising the dating experience and leaning into long-form content trends popularised by mediums like Substack and #BookTok, Hinge is connecting with Gen Z in an authentic and human-centered way: a living expression of their purpose ‘designed to be deleted’.
2. TAPPing into new audiences in sport
If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that sport has skyrocketed up the cultural agenda. From the success of F1’s ‘Drive to Survive’ to the record-high viewership of women’s football, sports are more accessible - and marketable - than ever.
This shift is pushing brands to move beyond passive sponsorship towards integrated campaigns. For example, Elemis's pioneering partnership with Aston Martin strategically targeted a fast-growing, 41% female audience previously underserved in the sport. Their activations, from a Pro-Collagen car at Harrods to pop-up spas at races, drew new fans by bridging trade and track experiences, and breaking down barriers for women in motorsport.
But Elemis isn’t the only beauty brand turning heads on the track: young racer Chloe Chong embodies Charlotte Tilbury’s partnership with the F1 Academy. It’s not just about the infamous pink-lipped car: the brand is trying to tell a bigger story about confidence, which is being played out in the very real highs and lows of the F1 journey that Chloe shares on social media. By rooting the partnership in authentic, player-driven content, Charlotte Tilbury isn’t just tapping into fans' desire to understand the emotional aspect of the sport; they’re finding a way to make the brand’s purpose meaningful and build genuine connections with a whole new legion of young fans.
3. centering Equity in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape
Health was another hot topic on the agenda at SXSW. We heard about how AI is being integrated into drug discovery, saw videos of drones optimising the delivery of NHS services, and explored the complex physical and psychological landscape of the rapidly growing weight-loss drug market.
The talks on women’s health, in particular, drew overflowing crowds, with companies like Clue, Flo Health, and Hormona spoke about the dire need for better data, education, and access to expert care. From personal stories of misdiagnoses to gaps in menopause training, these brands are stepping into the void with personalised, data-driven solutions that empower women to understand their bodies better and take control of their health.
But this democratisation of health also raised tough questions: Who actually benefits from these innovations? Are we inching toward a two-tier system which only exacerbates existing health inequalities? Can greater VC investment and more female decision-makers help close the access gap? And how do we integrate these tools into an already fragmented healthcare system? The answers remain uncertain, but the conversations are long overdue.
AND ON A FINAL NOTE…
One of the week’s most surprising highlights was a keynote from Ochre Bio. They are using human biological data to train AI for disease research, bypassing inaccurate animal testing models. Their talk illustrated AI’s ability to distill complexity into human-level insights and made us think about the ongoing dialogue between humans and machines.
We kept hearing one phrase again and again: “garbage in, garbage out.” It left us wondering: what are we, as marketers and communicators, feeding into AI systems today? And what would we do differently if we focused less on reacting to trends and more on actively shaping the future?