SXSW 2025: Day 2 Recap & Exclusive Interviews

SXSW 2025 is here, and Unofficially SXSW is your go-to source for real-time updates, expert insights, and must-attend sessions. Whether you're in Austin or following remotely, we’ll bring you the biggest trends, exclusive interviews, and daily highlights straight from the event. Stay connected for live coverage—follow us on Instagram and TikTok.

The second day of SXSW 2025 featured a mix of great speakers, sessions and even artists shaping the marketing world.

Here’s what you missed—and what’s coming up next.

📌 Spotify’s Marketing Revolution: The Future of Multi-format Advertising – In a ClickZ interview with Julia Machado, we discussed how Spotify’s integration of video, audio, and interactive formats is poised to reshape how brands engage with consumers, particularly through podcast advertising. As the platform continues to innovate, Julia anticipates significant growth in personalized and predictive marketing, especially in 2025, with an increasing focus on providing brands with more holistic, data-driven insights.

📌 Spotify’s VIP SXSW x Suki Waterhouse Event 🎤 - Suki Waterhouse performed at Spotify House last night in an incredible set and venue.

📌 Unlocking Snapchat’s Potential: Fospha’s Strategy for Full-Funnel Growth – We had the privilege of attending the exclusive Secrets of Scaling on Snap: Fospha’s Strategy for Full-Funnel Growth session from Snapchat and Fospha, featuring Jamie Bolton and Colin Duethorn. The session revealed how full-funnel strategies are the game-changer in overcoming post-iOS measurement challenges. Traditional last-click attribution has been massively underestimating Snapchat’s value, and Fospha’s powerful approach is unlocking huge opportunities for brands. See below for more.

📌 Empowering Women with the First At-Home PAP Smear Testing Device – The ClickZ team celebrated International Women’s Day by attending Jennifer Lo and Kara Egan’s panel at SXSW, where they spotlighted Teal Health’s collaboration with IDEO to create the first at-home PAP smear testing device. This innovative product empowers women to take control of their health and aims to prevent and cure cervical cancer. Teal Health places women at the heart of its design, ensuring the process is more accessible and comfortable. With the device currently under FDA review, Teal Health is poised to make a significant impact on women’s health in the U.S. and potentially worldwide.

In an exclusive interview with ClickZ, Julia Machado, Associate Director of Business Brand Marketing at Spotify, shares key insights on the growing impact of audio and video marketing, highlighting Spotify's role in shaping brand engagement through personalized, multi-format advertising.

🔈 The Rise of Audio Marketing
Julia Machado, emphasizes the underutilization of audio marketing by brands, especially as podcast consumption has surged. She notes that while audio platforms like Spotify see significant user engagement, particularly among Gen Z, advertising spend has yet to catch up with this shift in consumer behavior.

💠 The Power of Multi-format Advertising
Spotify's advertising strategy has evolved beyond audio to include video and interactive formats, with Julia mentioning the rise of video podcasts.

This evolution allows brands to increase engagement and see double-digit increases in key metrics by tapping into these diverse formats.

🎯 Personalization and Native Advertising
Julia highlights the importance of personalization in advertising, noting how consumers today expect tailored, culture-relevant experiences. She also touches on Spotify’s integration of native advertising through custom podcast segments, where brands can blend into content naturally, offering a more immersive, editorial experience.

🎤 Final Thought

Julia Machado’s perspective paints a clear picture of the future of advertising—one where multi-format, personalized strategies are not just an advantage but a necessity. As Spotify continues to evolve, its ability to blend audio, video, and native content offers a unique opportunity for brands to forge deeper connections with audiences. Advertisers who embrace these shifts will not only keep pace with the changing landscape but also set the stage for more meaningful, impactful engagement.

📏 Measurement Struggles in the Post-iOS Landscape
The session began with Jamie Bolton, VP of Growth at Fospha, and Colin Duethorn, Product Partnerships & Research at Snapchat, focusing on the challenges many businesses face with traditional measurement methods. With signal loss post-iOS changes and rising complexity in marketing channels, many brands are struggling to accurately assess performance. As one speaker noted.

🔍 Full Funnel Strategy: A Crucial Shift
An effective measurement strategy, particularly in platforms like Snapchat, requires embracing full-funnel marketing. It’s not just about conversion ads but investing in awareness and consideration campaigns to reach a broader audience. Data showed that brands allocating at least 10% of their budgets to upper-funnel activities saw significant revenue lifts.

📈 Snapchat’s Unique Role in the Media Mix
Snapchat, in particular, is often underrepresented in media spend, primarily due to traditional last-click attribution. However, the session highlighted how full-funnel measurement tools, like those offered by Fospha, can unlock Snapchat's potential, showing that the platform drives much more value than traditionally measured.

✨ The Importance of Creative Fit
Creative quality was stressed as a key factor in campaign success. The advice was clear: ads need to feel native to the platform. Snapchat’s audience responds best to authentic, unpolished content that fits naturally within the app’s experience.

Cove Smart, a home security brand, initially struggled with Snapchat advertising, as they were using last-click attribution to measure performance. This led them to pause Snapchat ads due to poor results. However, after integrating Fospha’s full-funnel measurement tool, they realized they were missing over 99% of Snapchat-driven revenue. By reassessing the impact of Snapchat and diving deeper into the data, they re-launched their Snapchat campaigns and saw a remarkable 50% increase in blended revenue. The turnaround was quick, with Cove achieving their highest-ever revenue day just weeks after the relaunch.

Oh Polly, a luxury women’s fashion brand expanding into the U.S., decided to scale their Snapchat ad spend during a testing period with Fospha. Initially, they were spending below the optimal 12-24% range on Snapchat. After increasing their budget allocation, they saw improved performance, including a 50% growth in blended revenue within months. This outcome demonstrated that Snapchat had untapped potential for their customer base, and investing more in the platform led to better results than anticipated.

Last night, ClickZ got an exclusive invitation to the Spotify House to catch Suki Waterhouse in action – and the ambience was off the charts. The crowd was a cool mix of influential creatives from every corner of the industry, all buzzing with excitement under the iconic Austin skyline. Suki’s set was absolutely mesmerizing, and her track “Good Looking” felt tailor-made for the SXSW vibe: breezy, energetic, and just the right amount of dreamy.

If you missed today’s sessions, don’t worry—there’s more to come:

The Last of Us Panel at SXSW 2025
SXSW 2025 brought together the stars of HBO's The Last of Us for an exciting panel on March 8, where Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey shared a heartfelt moment that echoed the father-daughter dynamic of their beloved characters, Joel and Ellie. The panel also revealed a thrilling new trailer for season two, which promises to take viewers deeper into the post-apocalyptic world with new characters and intense action sequences. The show’s creators, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, were joined by returning cast members and newcomers, including Kaitlyn Dever and Gabriel Luna, offering fans an exclusive look at what’s to come.

Disney’s Big Reveals at SXSW
At SXSW 2025, Disney executives shared exciting updates about the future of its theme parks, including new features and experiences coming to its popular Star Wars and Pixar attractions. Alan Bergman and Josh D'Amaro teased a brand-new story for Star Wars: Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, where guests will have more control over their adventures. Pixar’s creative officer, Pete Docter, unveiled plans for a Monsters, Inc.-themed land and a thrilling suspended roller coaster inspired by the Cars movie. Disney also hinted at its ongoing collaboration with Epic Games to bring even more immersive experiences to its parks worldwide.

Celebrity Sightings at SXSW 2025
SXSW 2025 saw a star-studded lineup of celebrities gracing Austin with their presence. Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick wowed crowds at the premiere of Another Simple Favor, while Pedro Pascal charmed fans during a panel discussion on The Last of Us. Seth Rogen, in town for the debut of The Studio, was spotted enjoying the festivities, and Khalid captivated the audience at the Sips and Sounds Music Festival. The event was full of stars, from movie premieres to music performances, with celebrities bringing an extra layer of excitement to an already buzzing festival atmosphere.

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for more live updates.

Stay tuned—this year’s event continues to shape up to be even bigger!

See you tomorrow,
The Unofficially SXSW Team

📢 Unofficially SXSW is an independent publication and is not affiliated with SXSW.

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