Kraft Foods didn’t come to the South By Southwest Interactive festival with a plan to distribute umbrellas. But when the weather report indicated 3 days of heavy rain, our client moved quickly on a creative branding play.

IRL worked with the Kraft team on an aggressive plan to design and produce branded umbrellas, which included the Kraft Foods logo, and the slogan—”Keep Your Noodle Dry.” 

In a matter of hours, we were able to source and customize umbrellas in Los Angeles, and have them sent overnight to Austin.  Within minutes of landing, our street team hit downtown to hand out free umbrellas to soggy, but grateful SXSWs attendees. 

Of course, there was a catch. People who wanted to keep those noodles dry had to let us use their phones to take their photos holding the umbrellas. Then we asked attendees to upload that photo to Twitter with the hashtag #keepyournoodledry

Kudos to the Kraft team for identifying and moving at “thunder and lightening” speed on a huge opportunity for social engagement.  They used the terrible weather as a catalyst for providing value to appreciative SXSW attendees. A win-win across the board!

Photos by Erica Gannett for IRL Productions

We love any opportunity for thinking outside the box, and what better chance than with SXSW’s darling, the hot new app Highlight?! 

The young company had only been in the works for about 8 weeks by the time SXSW kicked off, and IRL was excited to help them take Austin by storm.

We designed and fabricated awesome neon-colored shopping carts, brought in an app-savvy street team, and hit the streets of Austin to gift attendees with groovy essentials during the long SXSW days and nights.

The carts were packed with items we all need and want during those days in Austin, such as coffee and granola in the mornings near the Conference Center, and snacks and water in the afternoon. Throughout the day, you could always snag some great Highlight gear as well.  

Oddly enough — NOT! — the late night shift seemed to be the most popular. The “neon roaming carts of awesome” as one attendee put it, had all the evening essentials — water, glow bracelets, band aids for the ladies’ sore feet, drunk-munchies and even packets of Emergen-C to help attendees avoid hangovers the next morning. 

And just like our intrepid attendees, the Highlight shopping carts were out to the wee hours of the night, rocking with tunes and goodies.

There was plenty of buzz at SXSWi about the freshness of technology behind the Highlight app, but the carts created a stir of their own as a unique way to interact with attendees.

Check this mention in Mashable: “SXSW Tour: Rain, Food Trucks and Whimsical, Bizarre promotions.”

Photos by Erica Gannett for IRL Productions

Conduit knows what you want at SXSW, which is why this year, they asked IRL to create ConduitCorner.  For a technology brand who’s tagline is “Engaging People” we decided to do just that!  

We found an empty parking lot in the heart of downtown Austin, and turned it into a daily, backyard block party.  

To start, we covered the 4600 sq ft lot in recycled astroturf from a high school football field.  Then we built multi-level decks and enclosed everything with 146 ft of fencing.

Our original design called for jumbo umbrellas placed throughout the space, but when we saw the soggy weather reports, we quickly modified our plans and opted for a 80 x 40 ft tent.   

We also sourced an extra generator, heaters and these great rubber boots in the nick of time.

Thus, ConduitCorner became many attendees’ home-away-from-home at SXSW — and on some days, the only dry spot available!

Our backyard included all the luxury amenities needed at SXSW to rest, recharge and refuel, such as picnic tables with power-strips and free wifi, hammocks and lawn chairs for snoozing breaks, and message therapists on site for backyard backrubs.  

And when we say, “refuel,” we meant it! Guests were treated to the first-of-its-kind, Kraft Mac & Cheese Truck.  Inside, NYC Chef Sarah Simmons of  City Grit whipped up 3 different rocking recipes, and if you “checked-in” from the truck on Foursquare, you were able to sample a VIP version.

Liquid refreshments were plentiful, too! Guests enjoyed free beer, of course, but we also had on hand Capri Sun pouches — everyone’s childhood hit that drew, “Awwwws” of nostalgia from delighted attendees.

And if that wasn’t enough, ConduitCorner also featured an Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Bar where you could design your own delectable cookie sundae.  

The breakout favorite topping? The Birthday Cake Cookie crumble, made from a special edition cookie created in honor of the brand’s 100th Birthday. 

Our friends at Recordsetter even stopped by to capture the record for the Longest Oreo Bridge between two foreheads. Looks delicious!

Despite the terrible weather in Austin, the community’s response to ConduitCorner was fantastic!

Every day, we opened the doors at noon and were were rockin’, until the last bowl of Mac and Cheese was served at 7pm. 4300 SXSW attendees were served across the 4 day activation!

A huge thank you to our event partners, Change the Ratio, The Daily Muse, Fashism, Lover.ly, New York Tech Meetup, Small Girls PR, and The Morris + King Co. who helped bring this program day to life everyone had a super time – including us!

Photos by Erica Gannett for IRL Productions