How’s this for a hypoglycemic twofer: a 62-foot-tall Doritos vending machine and rapid-fire interviews for a job at Pizza Hut. Both companies are launching elaborate social media campaigns during this year’s SXSW, except neither really seems to be about their products.
Doritos, like last year, will be erecting an enormous vending machine-themed theater, the Doritos #BoldStage, for a three-day hip-hop music showcase, with artists Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Doug E. Fresh, and NCIS: Los Angeles star and occasional Grammy host LL Cool J.
But it wouldn’t be SXSW if it weren’t interactive: Three undisclosed acts have been selected to duke it out, battle-of-the-bands style, to be the opening-night band; that winner will also be considered to join LL Cool J on his upcoming tour.
It’s all being done pseudo-American Idol-style, where fans vote on Twitter and Instagram using the #BoldStage hashtag. Austin-based social media technology firm Mass Relevance will be tracking the results using their fancy software. The hashtag will also be a part of the concert experience, affecting how special effects are used.
The stage and the voting are all part of a brand relaunch for Doritos, which has a new logo and packaging rolling out worldwide.
Pizza Hut, meanwhile, is also using Twitter to find its next digital media manager. For four hours on Sunday, March 10, at the Hilton in downtown Austin, Pizza Hut honchos are holding 140-second interviews for the position, a la Twitter’s 140-character count. (Fear not, aspiring pizza empire employees. They’ll also be conducting those interviews over Skype.)
Appropriately, the Plano-based company will be pushing details for how to apply for the gig through its Facebook and Twitter pages. These are, we assume, the first of many waves to be made by big brands — and social media gurus — during SXSW 2013.
Doritos will be erecting an enormous vending machine-themed theater, the Doritos #BoldStage, for a three-day hip-hop music showcase at SXSW.
