This is a trend we are seeing across the industry -- using the power of the social graph to hyper-target content to consumers, both in paid advertising and through the content your brand publishes on Facebook and other networks.

If you start to think about these consumers -- Preppies, Techies, Alternatives, and Independents -- as tribes, and then think about all of their social activities, you can easily figure out how to reach them. Then you won't just be bowling in the dark. You will hit your mark every time.

Why should marketers and advertisers stop at targeting this generation of professionals? How can we take the momentum that marketers build around the event for professionals and translate it to teen markets, reaching the future attendees of SXSW?

When I was a teenager, I remember, one prevailing reaction I had to the media coverage of my generation -- it was jaded and wrong. Whether television, newspaper or radio, I always felt that adults were painting pictures of my peer group not in an effort to understand our teenage angst but rather to demonize its manifestations. Teens were something to be feared -- as was the march of time.

If your brand is doing something great, let teens know about it! They're not the biggest social sharers, so you can't count on Facebook and Twitter broadcasting to drive results.