We’ve all wondered, since its inception, how and when Twitter would make money. The answer comes tomorrow. Twitter will be releasing its new advertising platform, consisting of promoted tweets.
TechCrunch started the rumor mill, which has since been confirmed as true. Look for promoted tweets to start appearing in Twitter search results on Tuesday, with a slowly-but-surely rollout style into your main feed soon after.
Advertising Age is reporting some more depth on the story, and gives us a look into the thought processes behind the sponsored tweets as well.
Users will be able to re-tweet the advertisement, which will be found at the top of the search results page. In case you’re wondering, yes, the ads will be very akin to Google AdWords. Ads will appear based upon search keywords, but the interactive model should prove interesting, as an even more immediate feedback model is available with Twitter.
Starbucks, Bravo and Virgin America will start the sponsored tweets campaign. These companies are a perfect fit, according to Twitter Chief Operating Officer Dick Costolo. When you take a company that is already active in conversation over Twitter, the sponsored tweets idea is a logical step.
Twitter is claiming to be taking its time with the new model. There is no profit goal set for the first year, but rather the focus is on the user experience. Ads will be sold on a CPM basis, but the company is already looking at a performance-based pricing strategy as well.
It will be interesting to see whether Twitter is able to keep the user experience the same, while still promoting a rollout of a product this large. Our bet is on some pushback from the Twittersphere, but the end result looks promising.
What are your thoughts? How likely are you to jump into conversation about or the retweeting of an advertisement?
Why would I retweet an ad without payment from the advertiser? Why would I accept “semantically targeted” ads in my timeline? I'll hold off judgment until I've heard the details at Chirp Wednesday, but just off the top of my head I'd say they've got a *boatload* of work to do before this makes sense.
I think I'm with you on this, znmeb. At least with the RT's and social aspect of it. Ads in the timeline? I've had that for a while with ubertwitter and some other clients. I'm OK with that.
So what's next? Twitter goes Freemium on us? I pay for no ads and a Verified Account badge, maybe they'll start throwing in a free app or two for perks. I don't like it, but can live with it.
I'm very unlikely to retweet an ad. Why would I? Am curious to see how this is going to work.
Is that it? I was hoping Twitter would come up with a model that blew us all away – something none of us expected, like becoming the backbone and charging for API access (there is a longer thought to that statement for another time.) But advertising? If they IPO on the back of an advertising business model the market will lump them in comparison with Google, just like they do most other stocks (Yahoo & Microsoft two prime exmaples.) So when they don't achieve revenue in line with expectation or when the next recession comes, Twitter will be as susceptible as all other ad funded businesses which will suffer a downturn in revenue.
I am really disappointed.
Bearing in mind how diluted and crap search results are this isn't the worst idea in the world.
hmm – so are the targeted keywords going to be like adwords or is it still going to pick up the ad with tweet content through normal search?
If the keywords work like adwords, it'll be spam-o-clock.
Surely using more subliminal Tweets from 'real' Tweeters is a better way of reaching ever-more-cynical social media audiences than clearly-sponsored Tweets? W
actually, if you use Digsby you've gotten sponsored tweets for a while. And I must say, not as irritating at it might sound. But Twitter needs to keep em to a minimal, so you don't get more ad-tweets than normal tweets :S
I think it's interesting to see the corporate accounts who are the first advertisers. They are all brands with strong loyalty.
It seems like, unless a company is promoting very informative content, these ads could spell disaster if users don't like them.
Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/585…
I agree with you Jamie. Twitter's advertising model isn't something I'm impressed with! Where is the innovation at?
Am curious to see how this is going to work? Will than every second tweet be a Starbucks, Bravo or Virgin America Tweet ???
I think this ad platform will be helpful in targeted marketing or artificial intelligence at work which in turn helps generating web traffic.
Are these ads going to be showing up in my feeds no matter what? Because I'm really not into adding to the noise ratio with crap from Starbucks.
And if someone I follow starts retweeting ads then I will be unfollowing them immediately. I don't follow marketing wonks and am already beset by ads and marketing everywhere else I go. I don't need more, I need better. If this is better then it might work but if its just eyes on ads then it will fail and I'll install the first good workaround available.