Every year, there are amazing experiences created at South by Southwest.
Mr. Robot put up a Ferris Wheel at Fourth and Congress one year, and General Electric had a solar-powered carousel.
Giant Spoon created one of the most talked about experiential marketing activations ever at SXSW when it recreated HBO’s Westworld in a ghost town just outside Austin. The next year, Giant Spoon launched a Game of Thrones experiential marketing activation at SXSW.
Amazon Prime also has a history of putting on incredible events at SXSW. It has hosted a Good Omens’ Garden of Earthly Delights activation featuring angels and demons. Last year, it held a Lizzo-themed marketing activation to promote Lizzo’s show “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.” That event also had a carousel.
This year, the activations are back! Amazon Prime Video, Showtime, HBO, and the film Dungeons and Dragons all have experiential marketing activations at SXSW 2023.
Amazon Prime Video plans to establish Prime, Texas at Hotel San Jose on South Congress. The venue will highlight a variety of titles such as Daisy Jones & The Six, The Boys, Swarm, The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Power, Academy of Country Music Awards; I’m a Virgo, Harlem, and Carnival Row.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson even plans to attend Prime, Texas, on Friday to accept the key to the faux town.
The town features sound and photo studios, a nail salon, a semi-permanent tattoo parlor, a plant shop, and a mysterious power room. There’s also locally sourced, Texas-inspired food and beverages with a Prime Video twist.
The venue will also feature music from Prime, Texas’ main stage from DJs CRG, TJ the DJ, Christy Ray, Disko Cowboy, and Just Jim. Amazon Prime will also have drinks at the Six Saloon and food at The Prime Cantina. “On Sunday, Chef Damien Brockway, a 2022 James Beard award semi-finalist Pitmaster will serve modern African American fare and local Southern BBQ comfort food at a Harlem-themed influencer brunch,” according to a press release. “Partnering with online thrift store Goodfair, guests will also have the chance to personalize a denim jacket in collaboration with a local artist at PRIME DenimCo., leaving with a customized item to remember Prime, Texas.”
Prime, Texas, opens at noon on Friday, March 10th, and runs through Sunday, March 12th, at the Hotel San José, 1316 S Congress Ave.
Prime Video is also hosting the Swarm Mini-Mart pop-up at the Austin Motel with an exclusive first look into the world of Swarm by co-creators Donald Glover and Janine Nabers.
Showtime is putting on Camp YellowJackets at the Fair Market. The 3-day interactive experience celebrates the release of the series’s second season, Yellowjackets. It kicks off on Friday.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Tavern Experience will take place at The Highball at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. It will serve fluorescent “Dragon’s Brew” in the “antagonist Gelatinous Cube.” The tavern opens at 11 a.m. on Friday and runs through Sunday.
HBO Max also announced it will have an in-person activation with Coffeehouse in Austin on March 11 and 12th, featuring HBO and HBO Max content. HBO Max’s Human powers the event by Orientation and Pa’lante! Multicultural marketing initiatives. It’s focused on elevating LGBTQIA+ and Latinx communities. The event will feature invite-only and public events. HBO hasn’t published the Coffeehouse location yet.
