This blog post is to add some clarity (maybe) to the hashtag #sxswships. Some people had asked me to add a little more detail than 140 characters about this concept. I listened and decided to take it one step further from idea or concept to a start of a business plan around scholarships to South by Southwest Interactive in Austin, TX March 12-21st, 2010. It all started with a conversation between Lisa Grimm @lulugrimm, Scott Straten @unmarketing and me @keithprivette about how all three us could get to SXSWi in March with very limited access to capital. You see all three of us are not flush with cash like Chris Brogan and Gary Vaynerchuk from book sales or speaking engagements (no offense guys get yours!). So we started to kick around ideas to create a Win+Win situation for us and potential sponsors to go to SXSWi. I thought of the idea of getting scholarships for the conference, in the same spirit how smart or athletic kids get scholarships for college. Why not give some passionate and proficient social media kids a scholarship to a conference of high learning, right? With social media being relatively new we are all kids learning this stuff anyways, why not create a Social Media Scholarship program for SXSWi.
Here is some background information to show how we have gotten to this point in the adventure of the #sxswships hashtag. The first thing that happened in regards to the scholarships was, Scott, Lisa, and I started banging around ideas through our favorite medium Twitter about how we could get sponsored for the conference with the use of a scholarship framework. Secondly, I developed the hashtag #sxswships to start organizing the discussions, ideas, the people and exchanges in a very open and transparent way (go figure me and #hashtags!). Thirdly, I started figuring out a way for the three of us to actually get a South By Southwest scholarship. Then I remembered a while back I had developed a concept for a cross country tour where people with an affinity to social media leaving from their respective locations to travel to Austin for SXSWi and through social networking and social technologies we would pick up people along this adventure and finally TweetUp in Austin for the SXSWi festivities. This would also be an opportunity for most of us to finally meet each other in real life (IRL)! This concept was born out a discussion I had with the ladies of the Looking Glass Lane: Leigh Ria Morgan Suzanne Jen at one of their virtual events they are famous for back in April 2009! Oh the reason this discussion was sparked was I was chatting about the Pulling Tin lifestyle, go figure.
The name of this adventure we would be embarking on was the "Standby Your Product" Tour. The concept of the tour is that it would be completely funded and sponsored by Brands with full disclosure of this sponsorship, but the hook is we are going to put the Brand's product or service to the test and "social mediatize" it. At this point, the Looking Glass conversation and the scholarship discussion became one and I decided to produce a business plan to make it happen.……….do I still have you? If I do that is awesome because it gets better!
So fast forward to 2 weeks ago, when the discussion took on some more players and a twist in the tour road map! I am so glad I am invested in this social community because it is pure joy for me to get to share ideas and actually try and make them happen. This coupled with the people I get to interact with on a minute by minute basis (yes I have a slight addiction, but my passion offsets the need for treatment) is icing on the cake. We have since picked up an RV provided by the ever accommodating Tara Hunt @missrogue. She is willing to lend me #Whuffaoke or better known as #Winnie for the "Stand by Your Product" Tour. She used this vehicle when she moved from San Francisco to Montreal (see Whuffaoke for more details). So this RV is decked out waiting for its next adventure. I must have built up some #whuffie to have such a quick yes come from her upon asking in a 140 character post. I sure hope Pulling Tin doesn't get jealous……
So here is the high level business plan, but keep in mind the "stratactical" and tactical details of the actual tour and brand affiliation needs to be developed. I figured if I am going to ask Brands to participate I better bring the goods on why this is good for them, what they get in return and how does it make their business money or increase awareness. Yes until you can show how this integrates to dollars and cents for a Brand the argument of "well you need" social media to survive just does not hold water, yet! So to reiterate, this is a High Level business plan, no Brands onboard, and tour details would still need to be worked out!
Business Plan & Strategy
The strategy would be to get brand sponsorship to pay and or donate products and services for us to travel to SXSWi in March 2010. The money factor is the big part! We need funds to sustain the adventure across the US and Canada and back home to our respective locations. In return for brand sponsorship in the form of paying for expenses, giving us products to use, and or services to use we fully integrate them into our travels. We would also continue this adventure with the Brands at the SXSWi Conference.
Return on Participation & Investment
The brand would be getting impressions, honest product feedback from people that are using and know how to express that through social media channels, retaining current customers with introducing them to new product lines or decreasing their flight risk, and finally finding new customers. There are several different calculations a brand could use for receiving this return on invest in this spectacular adventure (choose the one that suits your business)! Now the investment would be a fully disclosed transaction within our messaging. Brand X is reimbursing us for gas, Brand Y is reimbursing us for accommodations, Brand Z reimbursing us food, Brand A is giving us air card access, Brand B has provided us with clothing to wear to see how RV travel works with the Brand……etc etc etc. The possible Brand immersion and impressions to see a return is not endless, but the pool is pretty big. Guestimating the cost would be roughly around $15,000 to $20,000 (this is to sustain 4 people) in total costs. This factors in lodging, meals, conference costs, potential event costs, gas, and airline tickets. This does not factor what it costs a Brand for us using the products and services they will have us test out. This adventure does not have to be taken on by one Brand either. We will explore opportunities to collaborate with many different types of Brands, making sure all the participants feel comfortable it fits their personal brand promise, also.
Participant Investment
All the participants have to take time off work from their respective employers because none of our employers are sending us for their Brand, well at least not yet…… Who knows what is going to happen after this hits the intertubes.
The participants are investing their personal brand reputation to help Brands potentially make money during this experience. One thing I have learned, the one constant we all have is ourselves and what we choose to do with it. So there is some risk to our personal Brands doing sponsored activities. This is some unchartered territory when it comes to ideas like this, but I think if full disclosure is happening we can take that risk together.
- Time away from families is a soft cost investment, but one that needs to be considered.
Equipment\Software Needed: Potential Brand Sponsorship
Laptops, Web Cameras, Flip Cameras, Wifi enabled Laptops, Air Cards, MiFi devices, Digital Cameras, New Generation Smartphones w/gps,cameras,video, Production Quality Video Cameras, Facebook Fan Page, Twitter Accounts, Flickr, Youtube Channel, Twitvid, Viemo, Ustream, Livestream, Posterous, Tumblr, Brighkite, Foursquare, Video Editing Software, Picture Editing Ssoftware, Blogs, Product and Service Website integration and space to promote, Clothing, Food for the Road, Shoes, Socks, RV TP, RV Toilet Solutions, Pull a Vehicle or Chase Vehicle, Skype, TinyChat, Hats, Mugs, Tshirts, Stickers, Reusable Bags, Reusable Drinkable Containers…………..This is just a start to tactical logistic implementation of this adventure.
Participants
Lisa Grimm @lulugrimm
Keith Privette @keithprivette
Scott Stratten @unmarketing
Kasey Skala @kmskala
Ryan Knapp @ryanknapp
Dates, Times, and Map of Travels
Step 1: Ryan, Kasey, Lisa, and I would fly to Montreal from Minneapolis
Step 2: The four of us would pick up Whuffaoke from Tara Hunt @missrogue
Step 3: Drive From Montreal to Toronto to pick up Scott
Step 4: Scott, Kasey, Ryan, Lisa, and I would drive from Toronto to Austin, TX
Start Date: March 12th, 2010
End Date: March 21st, 2010
View Larger Map
So there it is so far! Many of the details cannot be filled in like, where do we stay along the way, what events to create along the way, who can we pick up along the way (some of the people mentioned above are on the way, hint hint). The biggest question is what Brands will take this chance on 5 people mashing their Brands with our Brands and making social media music? Are you that Brand? Do you have the curiosity and willingness to collaborate to answer the call above? Maybe you are! If so find us, it won't be too hard trust me! Lets us know if you are interested in exploring in more details.
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