Walking around Austin, Texas, during South by Southwest this year, Rivian was nearly omnipresent.
That’s due to a two-year headlining sponsorship deal that Rivian inked with SXSW in December. The singular headline sponsor is a new model for SXSW, which has tiers of sponsorships for brands to choose from, and generally has several in the category of “super sponsor.” This year, Rivian’s position feels more like a subhead, with “SXSW, driven by Rivian” cropping up over the city. Rivian and SXSW declined to share the price of the sponsorship.
“Having SXSW 2025 driven by Rivian has created a huge impact, and validated our strategy shift,” Peter Lewis, chief partnerships officer for SXSW, told ADWEEK.
