The PR Warrior

Twitter Turns Four - How's It Been For You?

On the eve of Twitter's fourth birthday, I thought it apt to reflect a little on the micro-blogging platform and how it's affected me personally, the PR/media/marketing industry specifically, as well as broader populace generally. 

In true Twitter form, I've kept my snippets to 140 characters. A hard call, I know, but my sweat is your gain! (Inspired by @AdamVincenzini)

But firstly, how's Twitter been for you?

I would love to hear from you - in 140 character bursts if possible :) - how has Twitter affected your life? Your business? Your cause? Put it out there folks! I would love to hear from you...as would other tweeps!

Before we kick off, here's the first tweet - from one of Twitter's three founders, Jack Dorsey (the other two are Evan Williams and Biz Stone). Not exactly awe-inspiring, but hey, they've had a pretty big impact, heh?

 

Okay, on with the rest of the post:

Through Twitter I have been lucky enough to have met some of the most fascinating, interesting, clever, motivating and inspiring peeps!

My company @parkyoung was launched on Twitter - I took a pic of my new business card & put it out there for all to see (making it official).

Twitter is the 'glue' that holds together all of my social media efforts - the oil that keeps my 'connection engine' running at full steam!

Twitter provides momentum for my thoughts and ideas - it takes readership of my blog posts and Posterous posturings to the next level.

When bored, I can always count on Twitter to provide me with endless laughs and opportunities to interact with a whole bunch of cool tweeps!

Twitter has significantly expanded my network of friends and contacts - who I hang with today doesn't resemble who I hung with 1-2 years ago.

Twitter allows me to share the shizzle with @sammartino and @IdeasCulture at the RACV Club.

If it wasn't for Twitter, there would be no Tweetupmellers events or, for that matter, Social Media Melbourne brekkies or @SMCmelb.

Twitter enables me to see 'the other side of the story' It's always good to take into consideration other points of view!

Twitter is proving to be one of my key sources of news and information - if it's not my number one source, it's damn well close to it!

IMAGE SOURCE: Theroxor 

Twitter has been great for non-profit organisations.

Not a day goes by when I'm not inspired in some way by the odd tweet or five! Keep it up folks! God knows, we all need inspiration!

One of my fave pictures - the Lingerie Football League in action #justsaying. Where else but Twitter could I share such gems?

My company @parkyoung recruited its first employee via Twitter - ladies and gentlemen, introducing Mizz @KimberleyL!

Through Twitter I've met that many new people over coffee that some Melbourne cafes are worrying if Twitter carks it, so will their trade!

Apparently 'We're all a 'Twitter'? If not for Twitter, what would newspapers have to write about?

This Twitpic (actually, yFrog) was one of my more popular offerings (big spelling mistake by the Fin Review). Thank God for newspapers!

This is one of my favourite T-shirts, as announced on Twitter. 

Twitter is the source of a lot of insightful posts & articles - here is a selection! 

Tweeps thought Julia Zemiro looks hot! (ahem...they're RIGHT!).

In April '09, @IggyPintado and I created a one-day 'TweetBlitz' for Iggy's book Connection Generation. Crazy times, huge buzz!

Twitter has become a fertile hunting ground for newspaper and broadcast journalists hunting for a 'news' story. Oh for art thou Tweetdeck!

I love toying with tweeps! Who is this mysterious blonde? Hint, she's a prolific Melbourne-based tweeter!

Quite a few PR Warrior blog posts have been about Twitter - here's a selection. 

If it wasn't for Twitter, I wouldn't have been in The Age newspaper.

Twitter helps tweeps discover the PR Warrior's weakness! Trust me, only in a moment of weakness will I reveal my weakness!

Twitter allows me to convert people to the Geelong Football Club cause! Go boyz!

If not for Twitter, how could I have possibly written this post about 'plundering the Twitter Treasure Trove'?

Without Twitter, you wouldn't need to come up with the 11 Commandments of Corporate Tweeting.

Where would the New York Times be without Twitter?

If not for Twitter, how on earth would the PR Warrior make the Top PR People Worth Following on Twitter?

I bet the producers of the film Bruno wished Twitter never had existed!

Thanks to Twitter, more people are talking (and hearing) about Starbucks!

Apparently Twitter will change the way we live.

Why the New York Times should acquire Twitter.

Apparently Twitter is dead anyway! Who would have thought?

(Oh, and journalists hate Twitter - can't see the need to be on it).

Here is one CEO who loves Twitter!

Who needs 140 characters? Sometimes, one word is all that's needed to create interest!

Would Zappos ever sold for close to a billion dollars had it not been for Twitter?

Hat-tip to Heineken for this Brilliant PR Stunt

I love it when marketers commit to big, bold ideas. Promotional stunts that have the ability to cross boundaries are 'gold' if relevant to the brand.

This one, by Heineken, certainly fits the bill. It generated plenty of traditional and social media chatter - the ideal starting point for positive word of mouth.

It also fits in nicely with Heineken's 'Made to Entertain' proposition.

I'm not going to say anything more about it - please watch, and enjoy. Interested to hear from people whether you think it's an effective stunt or not.

Hat-tip to @oliyoung.

Marketing Today is a 'Game of Inches'

I love this scene from the film Any Given Sunday in which Al Pacino's character - a wily American football coach - revs up his team at half-time.

Throughout the speech, Pacino's Tony D'Amato constantly refers to the need for his players to grind out the game "inch-by-inch". 

It's a "game of inches" he explains.

"We can climb out of hell, one inch at a time," he says.

And this: "The inches we need are everywhere around us".

All this talk of inches got me thinking about the challenge of marketing in today's hyper-connected environment.

True PR and communications - and especially now the social web is with us - is often about taking small steps, the 'inches' as it were. Building a base of communication with customers and stakeholders. Deepening the intensity of connection with the people that matter to your business (or cause or issue).

Taking the American football analogy further - yes, you may achieve some significant yardage during a game (in PR terms this might be a 'big media hit' - a feature article in a national magazine for example, or a blog post or video that goes viral on the net)...but much of what we do in communications is of the 'grinding-it-out' variety. After all, building reputation and relationships takes time and serious ongoing effort!

Ad agencies might always be looking for the big crowd-pleasing touchdown but as Tony D'Amato stresses, success comes from grinding out the game, and that's where PR comes in.

It might not always be sexy but it sure as hell is effective!

Something's Gotta Give!

One of the side-effects of social media has been the amplification of public suspicion (criticism?) of major companies and brands.

Here's a slide I have been using in my presentations of late. Depending on the audience, the content of this slide generally hits home pretty hard.

 
What we have is a situation whereby companies are obsessed with pushing their message out in to the marketplace.

On the other hand,people aren't that interested - ever-growing numbers of consumers do not want to be on the receiving end of inane, incessant chest-beating ads and corporate collateral materials.

Something's gotta give!