UK advertising is a beacon of the UK creative sector and will be shining its light once again at SXSW with the UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG) planning to deliver an expanded programme.
Propeller directors will be on the ground in Austin ready to meet old friends, make new ones, talk business (and maybe rugby – UKAEG’s venue schedule will feature the England vs Ireland 6 Nations rugby clash) and champion British advertising excellence.
The U.S. is a significant market where UK advertising agencies can grow new revenues and is an important focus for Propeller. We have expanded our operations since setting up in New York in 2022 and now have a highly capable team of locally recruited talent experienced in helping UK businesses set up and launch into the country. The team, led by Associate Director and Vice President U.S. Mary Cirincione, knows how to build profile in the right places and has strong relationships with key U.S. journalists.
Propeller Group are proud to be part of the UK advertising community travelling to SXSW – the number of UK companies involved with UKAEG this year has doubled to 40 underscoring the significance of the festival as a showcase for the UK advertising sector. UKAEG’s packed schedule this year is taking place at UK House and will feature four days of programmed content and UKAEG will use the platform to unveil its narrative for the year – “UK Advertising Takes You Places.”
UKAEG’s plans include an Innovation Day in partnership with the visual entertainment platform Disguise and electric motorcycle company Arc Vehicle in collaboration with UKAEG companies, while the England vs Ireland 6 Nations rugby clash on March 10th will highlight the impact of brand engagement in sporting moments. This screening will have an exclusive commentary from former player Olly Barkly – presumably, it will present a chance to explain the rules ahead of the U.S. hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2031!
There will also be a Creative and Strategic Solutions day featuring a round table with the American Advertising Federation to discuss how advertising keeps its place in the boardroom and discussions on creative effectiveness including a VCCP and Cadbury masterclass on strategy. The week wraps up with a sustainability focus including a session on how sustainability can ignite innovation from BADSTAR Studios.
Aisling Conlon, International Trade Director at the Advertising Association, said: “This year’s curated line up by UKAEG appears to be our most ambitious and promising yet, setting the stage for what promises to be an extraordinary milestone in our SXSW journey.”
The full line up of UKAEG events can be found at https://sxsw.ukaeg.com/ and the visit is backed by a partnership established with the UK Government’ Department for Business and Trade, emphasising how important our sector is to the UK creative economy. Any companies interested in finding out more or wanting to attend UKAEG can contact Aisling via aisling.conlon@adassoc.org.uk.
Our Propeller ambassadors at SXSW will be Mary and Group Director of Business Growth Ben Titchmarsh. They’ll be out and about at events and gatherings and no doubt leaning at the bar occasionally. If you want to arrange a meet up, you can contact Mary and Ben directly by clicking those links – they’ll be happy to hear from you.