Take a quick look at Twitter at any given time and you’re sure to see a slew of brands, or celebrities and other influencers, shilling products and services with short 140-character messages. While promotional Tweets might be easy to spot now, they could be more difficult in the future, as the social media platform is reportedly working on a new product that would turn everyday users’ Tweets into ads for brands.
Digiday reports that Twitter is on the cusp of offering a new ad platform that aims to make it easier for advertisers to promote consumers’ messages about their products to a wider audience.
Under the product, which was shown to advertisers during last week’s Consumer Electronics Show, Twitter would create a repository of brand-related Tweets for advertisers to pick from.
To ensure that users are okay with their thoughts being blasted for all to see, Twitter will send a direct message to the Tweet’s creator asking for permission to use the message before reposting it.
Sources close to the project say it gives brands the ability to Tweet recommendations from everyday users located located near a viewer versus a celebrity.
The idea behind the program, Digiday reports, is that some consumers may view other Twitter users as more trusted than celebrities or other pitchmen.
It’s unclear when the new ad product might be available to companies. Twitter declined to comment on the product, Digiday reports.
Twitter’s new pitch to brands: Turn everyday fan tweets into ads [Digiday]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist