SXSW is nearly a week over, and it seems that there is still so much to process about the event. A quick hashtag search for #sxsw on Twitter shows that I’m not alone, and people are still dissecting and discussing everything from media trends to hot music to the best parties and more. For me, however, the biggest buzz in my brain is lessons learned from interactive, and the way that it affects PepsiCo social media in the future.

When you look at talk from interactive, you can’t help but be hit by the big “wow” from the year, whatever it might be. 2007 and 2008 were the years of Twitter. 2009 saw the beginning of location-based tools, and this year, it was the big explosion. The two top dogs in the category are Foursquare and Gowalla, but the success of these tools has driven companies like Yelp and Twitter to add location to their basic functionality. PepsiCo got its arms around location before the conference even began, partnering with Foursquare for a number of functions, including the amazing PepsiCo Zeitgeist. Social networking is still rolling strong, and the Twitter stream was so heavy that it was nearly impossible to keep up. And beyond that, there are social networking tools and services, like MyTown, Whrrl, Spotify, and MOG,  that got a lot of attention, both positive and negative.

But for Pepsi, there was other important buzz as well: The Pepsi Refresh Project. As a SXSW ambassador for Pepsi, I could rarely go anywhere without people commenting on or asking me about Refresh. For me, it felt great telling people about the project and getting their reactions, which were unanimously positive. Giving people the chance to engage in a live vote at SXSW for a big grant ($50k) really highlighted what Refresh has set out to accomplish, and garnered an immense amount of good will. Much as with our first year, Pepsi received a lot of positive press on the way they interact with the vibe at SXSW. People were excited about the way we were getting involved and giving back, by empowering real people instead of just generic charity donations, and by using social media to fuel the projects that people really care about. In reality, a lot of this mimics what we saw with the Geo-location tools: Make it local, and you make it matter.

But all social media tools and projects aside, the biggest win for Pepsi is being there in the first place. By sitting on the forefront of the social media conferences that are driving innovation, Pepsi is creating a public image of embracing the social experience. Being at SXSW puts them at the edge of the buzz, ready to capitalize on the newest trends and technology. Social media is the big risk, the big question mark of the moment, but it’s a question that companies cannot afford to get wrong. Both the sponsorship and the SXSW Experience, of which I was happy to be a part, are important parts of our goals for tackling the social tiger, and I can’t help but think it would only be better by expanding it, having more presence, more feet on the ground. I can attest that it’s often more difficult than you would initially imagine to experience the festival and find time to share it all, and there is so much to see, digest, and share that it could only be a net positive to see more people making the trip.

PepsiCo has begun the process of building itself as a strong social brand. There is more work to be done to show the world that we are here to stay, but the work is already going on. By continuing to create strong social partnerships and encouraging social network participation both among our peers and with our consumers, we can participate and share the passions that drive all of us, and make both Pepsi and the world a better place.