Tex messages

Matt Butterworth examines some of the learnings he took away from this year’s sxsW tech conference.

- Matt Butterworth

The first rule of the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference is take a punt now and again and go for a few curve balls that always deliver unexpected surprises. So, what did I learn from my seven days in Texas in March.

I’ll start with something very different. ‘Do You Speak Dog’, presented by world-renowned authors Steve Dale and Loni Edwards. Believe it or not they run a ‘Dog Agency’. It was a fantastic one-hour session understanding how technology and science further enhances the bond between dogs and their owners. Is it possible that through pet wearables and the internet of things we will soon be able to track our dogs’ moods and energy levels, helping us cater to their needs and allowing us to ‘speak Dog’? Dogs have creative thought, emotions and feelings like any other animal, and like humans they cognitively process information. If we can teach dogs to sit still, then they can sit in a MRI scanning machine which means we no longer need to look for vets to second-guess health issues. We will be able to understand why they suffer stress, and create activity diagnoses to manage their anxiety, all using technology and heat-mapping software. What surprised me was the social media phenomenon around dogs, and how brands are working with pet influencers more than ever. Did you know there are more dogs than babies featured in Super Bowl ads?