Nominees for Public Voting

We are proud to share that four submissions from the VML Network have been nominated for South by Southwest (SXSW) 2025 and have been moved to public voting.

Your Support Matters!

The SXSW PanelPicker voting is now live! This is your opportunity to vote (and comment) on the content and ideas that will be presented at the 2025 event, which will be held March 7-15. Take a minute to vote for submissions from our colleagues and help put our VML thought leaders on the SXSW stage in 2025! Voting ends Sunday, Aug. 24.

About PanelPicker

PanelPicker is a session proposal platform that gives the SXSW community a significant voice in programming conference activities (presentations, panels, discussions, demonstrations, etc.) for the SXSW Conference and SXSW EDU. Prospective speakers submit their session ideas to PanelPicker, then the community, SXSW Advisory Board and SXSW staff choose the best proposals.

Vote here.

Nominees from the VML Network:

Let’s be honest, love can hurt and for many, it’s not worth the risk. Amidst a relentless permacrisis and growing social and political division, the state of love and relationships has plunged into a terrifying and bewildering abyss. Join me, Carly McCracken, secondary research specialist at VML, and Canvas8 as we unmask the three fears that are halting love across all generations: the fear of vulnerability, the fear of mismatched values, and the fear of harm. By dissecting these fears, we will discover the vital spots for brands and society to spark real connections and write a new love story.

SPEAKERS:

Carly McCracken, Secondary Research Specialist, VML

Vote here.

Cognitive offloading to AI reduces mental effort, with side effects: loss of critical thinking, reinforced biases. People use AIs as a substitute for thinking. But AIs are sycophants. Asked to validate your worldview, it’s going to agree with you. It’s articulate, so we don’t check its answers. An analyst that helps without judging. How can we know it’s right? Do what Reading Rainbow tried to tell us: READ. If we know the Ais inputs, we can validate its outputs. Know the human content the AI uses, and we’ll know when it isn’t telling the whole story. We can resist cognitive offloading.

SPEAKERS:

Joshua Davenport, Director, ME&I, VML

Vote here.

This interactive workshop presents the innovative "Justice to Shelf" framework featured in Adweek, demonstrating how purpose-driven partnerships, data-informed strategies, and cultural relevance can accelerate brand growth. Participants will learn practical and data driven approaches to identify strategic partners, leverage cultural insights, and build equity-focused business relationships that drive authentic audience engagement and sustainable growth.

SPEAKERS:

Brian Owens, Managing Director, Strategy & Demand Creation, BAV Group

Vote here.

In a world obsessed with noise—viral moments, endless notifications, and LOUD campaigns—quiet can be a superpower. Growing up, compliments to me always came with a huge but: “She’s too quiet.” I believed quietness was a flaw to overcome, a belief I carried into my career. But over time, I realized my quiet nature wasn’t a weakness, it was a strength. Inspired by tennis star Jannik Sinner, a quiet and commanding champion, and the quiet luxury trend, where subtlety outshines flash, this session explores strategies for brands to achieve success without having to SHOUT in an already LOUD world.

SPEAKERS:

Aylin Yasa, Director, Marketing Effectiveness & Intelligence, BAV Group

Vote here.

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