Thought Leadership Examples — A Global Consultancy at SXSW
Case at a Glance
Global management and technology consultancy
Extend SXSW participation into durable thought leadership
Eight long-form audio interviews, produced on location in Austin
110,000+ logged streams — an average of more than 13,750 per episode
How can a consultancy turn an international technology event into long-term thought leadership?
By producing assets rather than coverage. SXSW brings together entrepreneurs, technology leaders and emerging ideas from around the world — but event impressions disappear when the conference ends. Startuprad.io co-founder Chris travelled from New York to Austin and conducted eight long-form interviews on location, built for substance rather than event updates. A decade later those episodes have logged more than 110,000 streams, averaging over 13,750 each. They were produced with audio alone, years before Startuprad.io's video, short-form, radio and search infrastructure existed. The asset outlived the event by more than ten years.
The situation
A global management and technology consultancy wanted to create relevant technology and innovation content around SXSW.
The opportunity was larger than reporting from an international technology event. The challenge was turning access to that environment into substantive conversations that would remain useful beyond the event itself.
The approach
Startuprad.io produced an on-site interview series from SXSW in Austin. Startuprad.io co-founder Chris travelled from New York to Austin and conducted the interviews directly at the event. The project focused on long-form conversations rather than short-lived event updates.
At the time, Startuprad.io was an audio-only platform. The first episode was published on 10 April 2016.
What the partnership created
- eight long-form audio episodes produced around SXSW
- on-location interviews from one of the world's major technology and innovation events
- substantive content designed to remain relevant beyond the event itself
- an independent media context connecting a global consultancy with technology and innovation conversations
- reusable audio assets rather than temporary event coverage
The outcome
The eight episodes have generated more than 110,000 logged streams — an average of more than 13,750 per episode.
What it demonstrated
Major events create considerably more commercial value when organisations treat them as opportunities to build lasting intellectual assets rather than temporary coverage. For consultancies and other knowledge-driven businesses, expertise is part of the product.
Relevant for
Management and technology consultancies; professional-services firms; strategy and transformation advisors; financial-services consultancies; law firms; executive-search firms; research and advisory organisations
Facing a similar challenge? Review our partnership framework