Here is a press announcement from Powered about the interview series I’m conducting with Aaron Strout at SXSW.

2009-03-12 11:13:00

Austin-Based Powered Explores Social Marketing With Podcast Series From South by Southwest Interactive 2009

Powered Sponsors Live Event With Mashable and Blurb and You are Invited

AUSTIN, TX–(eMediaWorld – March 12, 2009) – Powered, the social marketing company, is embracing the innovative environment of the 2009 South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival and Conference in Austin, Texas March 13 to March 17 by conducting a podcast series with social media and Web 2.0 thought leaders throughout the week. These podcasts will be available on “The Engaged Consumer” blog at http://blog.powered.com beginning at 12:00 p.m. CDT on Monday, March 16. In addition to the podcast series, Powered is sponsoring a “real-life social networking event” at SXSW, the Mashable + Blurb SXSW Bash ‘09.

As SXSW descends on Austin, Texas for a week of music, film, and most importantly, interactive technology, Powered is seizing the moment and gathering the collective brain share of social media mavens at the event to discuss their thoughts on social networking and brand-managed online communities. Coming off the success of its “45 in 45″ blog series which features interviews with 45 social media luminaries in the 45 days leading up to SXSW, Powered will be exploring social marketing trends, strategies and case studies as well as some of the innovative social media technologies that are coming down the pipeline.

Susan Bratton, host of the DishyMix podcast and founder and CEO of Personal Life Media, an online media network offering blogs and podcasts on various lifestyle topics, and a member of Powered’s advisory board, will be conducting interviews with social media thought leaders including:

• Guy Kawasaki, founder of the online magazine rack Alltop (http://alltop.com/)
• Robert Scoble, social media blogger for Scobleizer and video blogger, and columnist for FastCompany
• Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs (http://newmarketinglabs.com/), a social media agency, and co-founder of PodCamp (http://www.podcamp.org/).
• Angela Benton, founder and publisher of blackweb2.0 (http://www.blackweb20.com/), a blog focusing on culturally-relevant Internet industry news from an African-American perspective
• Chris Pirillo, founder of Lockergnome (http://www.lockergnome.com/), a content publishing network, and organizer of the GnomeDex (http://gnomedex.com/) conference
• Cathy Brooks, business development and content expert and founder of Other Than That

• Henry Jenkins, Director of Comparative Media at MIT and author of 9 books including “”Textual Poachers”

Please check out The Engaged Consumer blog throughout the week for updated podcasts as well as ongoing SXSW coverage.

Powered will also be sponsoring the Mashable + Blurb SXSW Bash ‘09, an opportunity for the social media-minded to mingle and network with over 600 of their compatriots from around the world. The event will be at the Six Lounge on 117 W. Fourth St. in Austin on Monday, March 16 from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Registration is free and available at http://mashablesxbash.eventbrite.com/.

ABOUT POWERED

Austin-based Powered is driving the evolution of social marketing with intelligent programs that engage consumers and drive business results. The world’s most innovative brands including HP, iVillage, Motorola, RadioShack, and Sony rely on Powered for intelligent social marketing programs that drive sales, build brand loyalty and deliver a significantly higher ROI than other marketing programs. Powered is the only social marketing provider that offers community management, relevant engagement, insightful measurement and dedicated expertise to ensure that clients engage their target audiences, develop sustainable relationships and achieve bottom-line results. For more information, please visit www.powered.com.