Billboard approached NVE to help them activate for the first time at SXSW, which is now partially owned by their parent company Penske Media. In partnership with Samsung, Billboard wanted to create a content house in which news segments could be taped alongside live panel conversations. Additionally, they wanted to host concerts during the music portion of SXSW and drive engagement for the Billboard and Samsung brands at SXSW.
Billboard wanted to capture content for their news segments and socials, host talent, and create experiential moments and buzz around the new Samsung line of devices, while merging brand identities.
From venue scouting, and creative development all the way through artist relations, NVE produced every aspect of the content house and 3-day concert series. Artists that took stage included: Gunna, Young Thug, Frank Walker, Kygo, Sebastian Yatra and Shawn Mendes. There were dedicated VIP areas that incorporated Samsung phones into a “Best View in the House” activation where attendees could use the phones zoom feature to take photos of the performances and showcase the newly released Samsung Galaxy phone.