So Much Winning at SXSW (Top Chef, 3eb, WordPress, Beats by Dre) #ATTSXSW

I left Austin yesterday morning and I must say that SXSW has been amazing. Sensory overload at its best! I met so many awesome people from all over the world and I gifted 8 phones (plus other fun prizes) to lucky attendees who found me! To top it all off, AT&T made sure I was taken care of by putting me up in a gorgeous mansion.

AT&T also did an exceptional job creating a promotion that integrated guerrilla marketing with social media. I’m so grateful they gave me the opportunity to run the promotion! They trusted my knowledge in marketing and social media which made so many people happy. Check out the awesome video I made with @JenFriel and photos of some winners!

 

Not only did I make so many new friends and great connections, I left the conference feeling like a winner myself. There were so many highlights so I’ll share a few.

Top SXSW moments include attending my favorite panel- Top Chef: How Transmedia is changing TV. Everyone already knows about my addiction to food porn and cooking shows so it makes sense that Top Chef is one of my favorite shows. I am so impressed at how Top Chef has taken viewer engagement beyond the TV with online videos (Last Chance Kitchen), taking viewer suggestions through hashtags during the show and even encouraging their chefs to create their own Social Media presence. The panel absolutely rocked my socks off and to make things even sweeter, I met Tom Colicchio!

I got to experience some SXSW Music at the Third Eye Blind Concert! They were one of my favorite bands in the 90s and still sounded amazing live! I was honored to hear them play 2 new songs that have never been played live before and of course reminisce on their classic songs.

My absolute favorite booth at the SXSW Trade Show was the WordPress Happiness Bar! They  answer any questions you have about your WordPress site and will even fix any issues you have right there on the spot. I’ve been having issues with the URLs on my website being published with index.php and absolutely no way to change it without deleting the previous social sharing counts on my site. Their “Happiness Engineers” hacked away and coded a custom plugin for me! I seriously have been unsuccessfully trying to find someone for years who could do this and they did it in 30 minutes! The Happiness Bar proves true as I was beyond happy, I was jumping up and down ecstatic as I left their booth. They provided so much value to me and for that I’m also grateful.

Another highlight for me was winning $500 Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones by HP just by entering their Twitter contest @HPCloud! This is the true magic of karma!

I enjoyed my last day in Austin on Wednesday as a tourist! I wanted to take a day sans SXSW to enjoy the city. I visited the Cathedral of Junk, The University of Texas Campus and the State Capitol.

Austin, you’ve been good to me! I had such a great time working for AT&T and want to thank them again for having me as part of their team! I leave you with signs that you attended SXSW: No voice, dead batteries and insane amounts of branded swag adorning your home and office! Yep! That just about sums it up. Oh and of course great memories, new friends, a stronger network and a yearning to do it all again next year!

#SXSW I’m officially in you! Find me for @ATT prizes #ATTSXSW

I’ve officially arrived at #SXSW! I’m so glad I picked up my badge yesterday! Wow the line is around the convention center! I just picked up all the prizes and stuffed it in my nifty @ATT backpack. WOW my back pack is heavy and I’m telling you, you’ll want the stuff in it!

Who knows, you can win a flashlight, USB drives, t-shirts, duffel bag and I may or may not be giving out phones. You’ll just have to find me with this neon green backpack!

HERE’S HOW TO WIN: Just come find me! To do so follow me on Twitter @MyMelodie and the #ATTSXSW hashtag. You can also subscribe to my Facebook updates and follow me on Foursquare. Once you spot me post a picture with me on your social media channels with the tag “I want to be a brand ambassador #ATTSXSW” and you’ll score a prize. It’s that simple! Here’s what I look like!

PRO TIP- The first session I plan to attend is the yoga session at 2pm today! ACC Level 3 Room 8a #SXyoga. Can’t wait to meet you all!

 

How To Win Big at #SXSW: Follow @MyMelodie and #ATTSXSW

In less than 48 hours I hop on a plane to Austin for #SXSW! I made the huge announcement that I’m attending #SXSW for the first time to run a Social Media promotion for AT&T! I mentioned that you’ll have to find me to win cool prizes. I now have more details so pay attention because I was just sent the prize list! It’s TOP SECRET because we want the winners to share and create buzz to attract more winners but let’s just say that I’m jealous of the people who will win and wish I could win the amazing prizes for myself.

HERE’S HOW TO WIN: You need to figure out where I am at SXSW and come find me! To do so follow me on Twitter @MyMelodie and the #ATTSXSW hashtag. You can also subscribe to my Facebook updates and follow me on Foursquare. I’ll be making my rounds  from Stubbs to parties to the convention floor. Once you spot me (HINT HINT I’ll have an AT&T backpack) post a picture with me on your social media channels with the tag “I want to be a brand ambassador #ATTSXSW” and you’ll score a prize. It’s that simple! This is my Halloween costume coming to life, where in the world is @MyMelodie?!

BONUS! They chose me and 1 other person to run this promotion. The other person is friend @JenFriel! Remember when we had a nerdy sleepover in San Diego? Us both being chosen is nerdsuniting at it’s best! You can also find her to WIN!

AND IT DOESN’T STOP THERE! I’M ALSO RUNNING A  RESTAURANT PROMOTION!  I know you’ll be in rush to make the next panel or see the next band so if you’re an AT&T customer, I’m going to make your life easier! You get to skip the line and head straight to the front at some of Austin’s hottest restaurants: Bottecelli’s, Elizabeth Street Café, Perlas and Lamperts.

As we get closer to the conference I’ll be posting even more details! Remember to spread the love on Facebook, Twitter and all over social media by tweeting me with the hashtag #ATTSXSW! 

I’m seriously so excited for this opportunity. Not only is this going to be great exposure for Marketing Melodie but I’m running a Social Media campaign for one of the largest technology and communication companies!

Marketing Melodie is off to Austin and #SXSW!

I have a huge announcement to make here at Marketing Melodie and I’m beyond excited!…

I’m headed to Austin and SXSW for the first time!

I just confirmed my flight and my conference ticket! I have always, always, ALWAYS wanted to go but the right opportunity just hadn’t come along yet, until NOW! This is the law of attraction working its magic! Yep the universe has once again proven to me that if I put something out there, it will come back to me. As I like to say “Ask (Social Media) and You Shall Receive!” I’ll be flying out of San Diego on March 8th and attending the entire Interactive portion until March 13th!

Social Media has allowed me to travel the world! From international hot spots such as Hong Kong to Beirut Lebanon to amazing cities such as Las Vegas and San Fransisco, it’s proof that Social Media is the real deal! And now I’m attending the largest interactive festival in Austin, Texas! I was approached by AT&T to run a Social Media promotion for them at SXSW. When I asked how they found me, they replied “We found you on Twitter and Klout”. Although I’ve received many awesome Klout Perks, this is the first time someone has actually mentioned it while hiring me.

If you’re going to SXSW you’ll want to make sure to follow me on Twitter @MyMelodie. I’ll be live tweeting with the AT&T hashtag (will be posted soon), checking in everywhere on Foursquare, posting photos on Facebook and giving you cool prizes when you find me! I’m also offering additional surprises for AT&T customers! On top of that I’ll be participating in a bunch of awesome promos, be filmed in an AT&T video and attending all the hottest SXSW events. The best part is that I get to meet so many awesome people in the tech and interactive space!

Oh and here’s a FUN FACT that I bet you didn’t know about me! While Southern California is my home and it’s where I grew up, I was actually born in Texas! Dallas, Texas to be exact! I only lived there for less than a year so don’t remember it but that still makes me a Texas native! I have family who live in both Austin and Dallas that I’ll get to see during my trip!

Please make sure you hit me up if you plan on going to SXSW! If you have any pro tips for a first timer on what to do, where to eat, etc, I would love to hear from you too!