• Interest targeting: Broaden your reach, reach the right audience

    Thursday, August 30, 2012

    Twitter brings you closer: Closer to people, to world events, to professional athletes, musicians, laureates, and world leaders — whatever your interests are. Our advertising products use this real-time interest graph to deliver relevant Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts to our over 140 million monthly active users. As a marketer, you’ve been able to extend reach and amplify messages by targeting users who share interests with your current followers. For example, Bonobos held a 24-hour sale exclusively on Twitter, and got word out by promoting Tweets to followers and users similar to their followers. This powerful targeting signal has resulted in a 1-3% average engagement rate for Promoted Tweets campaigns.

    Today we’re taking an important next step by allowing you to target your Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts campaigns to a set of interests that you explicitly choose. By targeting people’s topical interests, you will be able to connect with a greater number of users and deliver tailored messages to people who are more likely to engage with your Tweets. When people discover offers and messages about the things they care about on Twitter, it’s good for both marketers and users.

    How interest targeting works

    There are two flavors of interest targeting. For broader reach, you can target more than 350 interest categories, ranging from Education to Home and Garden to Investing to Soccer, as shown in the screenshot below. As an example, if you were promoting a new animated film about dogs, you could select Animation (under Movies and Television), Cartoons (under Hobbies and Interests), and Dogs (under Pets). 

    interest targeting on twitter

    The two-level interest hierarchy is composed of more than 350 categories.

    If you want to target more precise sets of users, you can create custom segments by specifying certain @​usernames that are relevant to the product, event or initiative you are looking to promote. Custom segments let you reach users with similar interests to that @​username’s followers; they do not let you specifically target the followers of that @​username. If you’re promoting your indie band’s next tour, you can create a custom audience by adding @​usernames of related bands, thus targeting users with the same taste in music. This new feature will help you reach beyond your followers and users with similar interests, and target the most relevant audience for your campaign.

    How interest targeting performs

    We have been testing interest targeting with a select group of beta advertisers. Many have seen significantly increased audience reach; others have creatively defined custom audiences to reach a very specific set of users. Across the board, they are seeing high engagement rates because they are reaching users who are interested in their content. Given these early results, we’re excited to make interest targeting available today to all of our advertising partners. 

    Oh, and... 

    We are also lowering the minimum bid to one cent for all of our auctions. As you know, our Promoted Products are auction-based, where winners are determined by engagement rate and bids. Great content matters: if you have engaging Promoted Tweet copy, you can win even if others bid higher. We believe the new lower minimum bid, in combination with interest targeting, will drive greater ROI for every campaign on Twitter.

    We've always taken a thoughtful approach to monetization, and early results show interest targeting creates a better experience for marketers and users. Today’s announcements are a big step forward for our advertising platform, and we can’t wait to see how you use them.


    Kevin Weil - @kevinweil 
    Director, Product Management

    Interested in advertising on Twitter? Click here to request more information.

    Posted by @ at 9:07 AM

  • #Election2012: Five tips for Twitter advertisers

    Tuesday, August 21, 2012


    The political conversation on Twitter is in full swing with nearly two million Tweets sent about the presidential candidates every week. That’s a significant increase in political Tweets since the last presidential election. In fact, the total number of Tweets sent on Election Day 2008 represent only about six minutes worth of Tweets today. Now candidates, reporters and millions of engaged citizens discuss campaign issues, ads and breaking news daily on Twitter – many are even calling Election 2012 the “Twitter election.” 



    Twitter Political Index

    To help voters, media and advertisers decipher the sentiment of all these conversations, we’ve launched the Twitter Political Index, a daily measurement of Twitter users’ feelings towards the candidates relative to other topics discussed on Twitter. Leading up to Mitt Romney’s (@MittRomney) selection of a running mate, the Twitter Political Index had showed mounting support for Paul Ryan relative to other presumed front-runners over several months. 

    When @MittRomney officially selected Ryan (@PaulRyanVP), conversations on Twitter peak at 3,749 Tweets per minute. The Romney team acted quickly and capitalized on these real-time interactions on Twitter. The campaign used Promoted Tweets in search to bid on keywords related to the trending topics about the Ryan selection.



    Governor Scott Walker case study

    Many other campaigns and issue groups are actively boosting their reach and impact with Twitter’s Promoted Products. The Governor Scott Walker (@ScottKWalker) campaign is a recent high profile success story. Facing an historic recall election in Wisconsin, @ScottKWalker used Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts to amplify his campaign message, share real-time updates and connect with highly influential voters.



    With Twitter, the Governor never lost momentum or control of the narrative. His Promoted Tweets got an average engagement rate of six percent. He increased followers by 408% and mentions by 521% over the month prior to his Promoted Products campaign. And, on June 5, @ScottKWalker became the first U.S. Governor to keep his seat in a recall election. 

    Tips for political advertisers 

    As the #TwitterElection approaches, here are five best practices for political advertisers:




    The political conversation will continue on Twitter through the conventions, debates and day-to-day breaking news at the national and local level. Join the conversation by adding Twitter Promoted Products to your online strategy. Contact us about Twitter’s convention packages today.

    - Peter Greenberger, Director of Political Ad Sales (@pgreenberger) 



    Posted by @ at 12:22 PM

  • Pepsi #SummerBeats concert: Live stream today on Twitter

    Monday, July 30, 2012

    Dust off your cowboy hat. The @Pepsi and @Billboard Summer Beats Concert Series is heading to Nashville today. Part of Twitter’s global partnership with Pepsi, this evening’s pop-up concert will feature top country music group @GlorianaTheBand. The performance will stream live exclusively on Twitter.com/Pepsi and Pepsi.com/NashvilleNOW at 8 pm CT, giving fans around the world the chance to experience live music in a new way.



    Today’s concert will be the second in the #SummerBeats series, which kicked off with Katy Perry last month in Hollywood, California. Leading up to the concert, Billboard and Pepsi gave away over 500 tickets to fans through a series of Tweets that revealed the locations of pop-up street teams around Los Angeles.



    People have always turned to Twitter to have conversations about real-time events. Now, Twitter is the place where people go to experience live events like NASCAR, Euro 2012 football championship and The Olympics. Today’s live stream with Pepsi is just one example of how brands can partner with Twitter to deliver unique experiences that harness the power of events in real time.

    Posted by @ at 2:08 PM

  • New targeting adds greater relevance to your Promoted Tweets

    Thursday, July 19, 2012

    It's a fact — brands have been on Twitter since our earliest days. They use the platform to connect with consumers in meaningful ways, offering everything from special discounts and exclusive content to new product information.

    But what if your Tweet is only relevant for a subset of your followers? What if you want to make an offer just to New York Twitter users? Until today, it’s been impractical to send these kinds of highly tailored Tweets, since there was no way to reach people in New York without also reaching followers in Norway, Nebraska and Nigeria who can’t take advantage of your offer.

    Today we’re introducing targeted Tweets, an enhancement that enables brands to reach specific audiences on Twitter without first sending a Tweet to all followers. 

    Now global brands that have different launch dates for several countries can send tailored messages at different times, customized for the users in each country. Mobile app providers who only want to reach customers on one device can do so without also sending the message to desktop users.

    We’ve been testing this for several weeks with a group of current advertisers including @British_Airways, @CocaCola,The Washington Post (@wpsocialreader), and @Wendys. The feature is now available to all advertisers globally who use Promoted Tweets. 

    Here’s a targeted Promoted Tweet that British Airways sent to its UK followers during the beta test:

    British Airways targeted Tweet


    Advertisers can compose targeted Tweets using the newly enhanced Tweet box in ads.twitter.com. As with all Promoted Tweets, advertisers only pay when users engage with it, and Tweets that generate the most engagement are likely to appear more often. Simply put, advertisers are rewarded for messages that resonate with audiences. 

    To learn more about advertising on Twitter, visit business.twitter.com. 

    - Kevin Weil, Product Manager (@kevinweil)

    Posted by @ at 10:01 AM

  • Twitter celebrates users and brands around the world at #CannesLions

    Tuesday, June 26, 2012


    At Twitter, our goal is to reach every person on the planet. We’re also working to serve the needs of advertisers around the world.

    Last week, a small group of Twitter employees attended the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity to meet with advertisers from across the globe and discuss plans to expand our advertising business in nearly 50 countries by the end of this year. In response to tremendous advertiser interest in one of our fastest growing markets, we will begin to offer Promoted Products to marketers across Latin America this summer, and later in the year, we’ll open our first office in Brazil. We will also begin to offer our products to marketers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands starting this summer. This will be the start of a sustained effort to expand our footprint in key markets around the world. 

    During the festival, our CEO Dick Costolo had an opportunity to address the international audience in a seminar entitled "Harnessing the Power of Real-Time Connections,” in which he shared insights from global brands finding success on Twitter. 


    The common theme for brands like Cadbury, P&G’s Tide, Burberry, H&M, Audi and Porsche: ads on Twitter aren’t an interruption; they are part of the conversation. Today’s most successful marketers harness the immediacy and emotion of these conversations to make authentic connections with consumers. Even better, brands can extend the life of offline campaigns by integrating Twitter across live events and TV ads to stimulate conversations that translate into free earned media. 



    Costolo closed with a call to action to marketers and creatives: “On Twitter the conversation is the canvas.  This is your canvas, and we can’t wait to see what new and creative ways you come up with to use it for your customers and ours.”  Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey shared a similar sentiment later that day when he accepted the Cannes Lions award for Media Person of the Year on behalf of our 140 million users for their “breathtaking and brave creativity.”



    As we look back on one of the biggest advertising industry events of the year, we are humbled and inspired by the conversations that took place in Cannes within the conference halls, meeting rooms, and of course, on Twitter. Here are just a few stats that highlight the incredible growth and volume of the global conversation for this year’s #CannesLions.

    • There were 103,389 mentions of #CannesLions on Twitter during the six days of the festival - a substantial increase from the 20,000 in 2011. Over 5,000 pictures were tweeted.
    • That’s 17,232 Tweets a day and 718 Tweets an hour with a peak of 3,000 Tweets an hour during key seminars - up from 40 per hour on average in 2011.
    • The total #CannesLions earned media on Twitter has been calculated at over 61 million impressions.

    Thanks to @TheBuzzRadar for compiling these stats.

    Posted by @ at 10:48 AM

  • Twitter brings you closer to the #CannesLions Festival

    Monday, June 18, 2012

    The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, arguably one of the advertising industry’s most important events of the year, is underway in the south of France. While festival attendance is at its highest of all time --up from 9,000 registered delegates in 2011 to almost 11,000 this year-- the global conversation on Twitter has grown significantly too. According to Buzz Radar, which is powering the festival’s Social Command Center, Tweet volume related to Cannes Lions through the first day of the event has already surpassed total social media mentions during last year's festival.  There have been over 15,000 online posts across social media referencing #CannesLions as of Monday afternoon, with 95% coming from Twitter, and most delegates are still just arriving. Whether or not you’re at the #CannesLions Festival, you can share in the experience and follow the conversation on Twitter here.



    Posted by @ at 7:33 AM

  • New #Twitterbird: What your business needs to know

    Wednesday, June 6, 2012

    Starting today, you’ll notice we’ve updated the design of Twitter’s little blue bird. From now on, this new bird will be the universally recognizable symbol of Twitter. There’s no longer a need for text, bubbled typefaces, or a lowercase “t” to represent Twitter.


    What does this change mean for your brand?

    • If you’re an advertiser using any one of our official buttons, these will automatically update today. There’s no action required on your part.
    • If you’re currently using any other Twitter “t”, bird, or other similar marks on your website and marketing materials, you’ll want to update those icons with the new correct assets. We’ve revamped our Twitter brand resources page to provide advertisers and partners everything you need to help you promote your presence on Twitter, including updated brand guidelines and new logo downloads. Please pass this information to any internal team that works with Twitter marks regularly. 
    • Have questions about using the new mark? Our trademark team is always available to review mock-ups and provide guidance: email trademarks@twitter.com.
    Inspired by a brand focus on simplicity, the new #Twitterbird also reflects our goal to transcend borders and reach every person on the planet with our service. Likewise, one powerful way to extend the reach of your brand is to integrate Twitter assets (including our buttons, your username handle and relevant hashtags) across your marketing channels. Use our brand update as an opportunity to reassess how you’re promoting your Twitter presence  to grow your followers and increase engagement.  

    To learn more about extending the reach of your brand to Twitter's 140 million users, check out these case studies: https://dev.twitter.com/case-studies

    Posted by @ at 10:19 AM

  • Pepsi and Twitter bring fans closer to what’s hot in music

    Wednesday, May 30, 2012

    Today we announced a global partnership with Pepsi centered around one of the leading topics of conversation on Twitter: music. With this deal, Pepsi will give Twitter’s 140 million active users around the world a unique and real-time way to discover and consume music. Pepsi will break new ground by bringing fans closer to what’s hot in music and connecting them with the artists they are most passionate about, all through Twitter.

    Part of Pepsi’s new “Live for Now” campaign, this partnership involves three elements that speak to  the key ways consumers find and enjoy music: music downloads, original content and live concerts.

      Pepsi Live for Now
    • Fans can LISTEN to weekly free music downloads from Amazon MP3. Starting today, the @pepsi account will tweet about new and notable music using the #LiveforNow hashtag. Every week, fans can also follow @pepsi for free download codes they can use to discover more music through Amazon.com’s MP3 Store. The open, public and unfiltered nature of Twitter lets everyone have conversations about this music, creating a more sharable, interactive experience for Pepsi.

    • Fans can WATCH a new weekly video series, “Live for Now Music”, based on the top music and artists trending on Twitter. This is the first time any partner will use Twitter’s real-time data to develop original programming. By using Tweets to take the pulse of music lovers around the globe, Pepsi will uncover what’s hot in music every week and give fans a bite-size snapshot of the conversation on Twitter in Pepsi’s videos. The “Live for Now Music” video series will be streamed on pepsi.com and twitter.com/pepsi. 

    • Fans can EXPERIENCE a series of pop-up concerts in the U.S. this summer and fall. This is first time any brand has created a pop-up concert series with Twitter at the center. Each concert will feature a major artist with a large Twitter following and will be announced first on Twitter so fans can spread the word. Every concert will be streamed live on Twitter through @pepsi’s enhanced profile page, allowing anyone in the world the chance to watch and experience live music in a whole new way. 

    Twitter users love music: the top five most-followed accounts are all musicians. Now, Pepsi and Twitter are making it easier to indulge this passion. This partnership illustrates just how authentically brands can connect to the core interests of consumers by creating new, real-time experiences with multiple touch points on Twitter.

    Posted by @ at 9:22 AM

  • #Twitter4Brands event in NYC

    Monday, May 21, 2012

    What happens when Twitter brings together the industry’s top brands and agencies during Internet Week New York? A national trend.

    Yes, our first-ever #Twitter4Brands event sparked so much conversation that the event hashtag trended nationally on Twitter. Over 250 leading marketers attended last Thursday's morning session in NYC. Twitter’s President of Global Revenue, Adam Bain, provided an update on Twitter’s advertising business, including a number of key statistics about growth: 

    • Twitter has 140M+ active users.
    • 55% of users access Twitter on mobile, with 40% growth quarter over quarter.
    • Twitter users create over one billion Tweets every three days.
    • 60% of Twitter users tweet; 100% are listening.
    • 79% of people follow brands to get access to exclusive content.
    • During this year’s Super Bowl, one in five commercials contained a hashtag.
    • Promoted Tweets get an average engagement rate of one to three percent.


    Joel Lunenfeld, VP of Brand Strategy at Twitter, shared how brands are taking advantage of Twitter’s powerful ‘conversation canvas’ to tell stories, broadcast content, participate in cultural events, connect directly with consumers, and drive transactions. ESPN's Lisa Valentino also took the stage to discuss the network’s first-of-its-kind partnership with Twitter. By creating custom sponsorship packages for major sports events, Twitter and ESPN will help advertisers reach fans wherever they are across TV and digital. Valentino, Vice President of Digital Ad Sales at ESPN, said the relationship with Twitter is about “opening a window for conversation and completing connections.” 

    American Express presented a history of the company’s Twitter efforts, including the recent “Sync. Tweet. Save.” program that lets you use special offer hashtags to load exclusive Cardmember offers directly to your Card. Leslie Berland, AmEx’s Senior Vice President of Digital Partnerships and Development, said the brand began using Twitter just three years ago, with a focus on customer service. Since then, the company has pioneered the use of social platforms like Twitter to bridge consumer and merchant needs through initiatives like the @AmexSync program, which offers a frictionless way to redeem discounts through Twitter. @AmexSync launched with 16 merchants, a partnership network with over seven million followers and strong redemption rates - so strong that Berland told the #Twitter4Brands audience: “Out of all the social and digital platforms, Twitter has had the most impact on our business.”


    Thanks to everyone in NYC who came out for the event and contributed to the lively conversation on Twitter. For those of you who missed it, just search for #Twitter4Brands for great insights, stats, quotes and pictures from the event.


    Posted by @ at 2:36 PM

  • Twitter and ESPN team up to help marketers reach sports fans on-air and online

    Friday, May 18, 2012


    With Internet Week wrapping up in New York City today and the TV upfronts in full swing, what better time to share that Twitter and ESPN are teaming up.  Earlier this week, we announced a strategic partnership with ESPN that offers fans and advertisers a unique, interactive way to integrate broadcast TV with online social conversations around major sports events. This relationship marks the first time Twitter has partnered with a network to create custom sponsorship packages. 

    Now, marketers will be able to make a single investment to reach consumers on-air and online, across ESPN networks, ABC, ESPN.com, ESPN Mobile and Twitter during marquee sports events. The first program that ESPN and Twitter have co-created, GameFace, will kick off during the NBA Finals. This first effort, which will be integrated throughout live TV broadcasts with a dedicated Twitter hashtag, #GameFace, encourages fans to tweet photographs of their “game face” throughout the finals. At the end of every game, the best photographs will be featured on-air as well as online in a photo gallery on ESPN.com/NBA and tweeted via @NBAonESPN. After the NBA Finals, ESPN will select the favorite photo and the winning Twitter user will receive a grand tour of ESPN headquarters.


    Twitter and ESPN will create additional programs around fan favorite events like the Global X Games, Road to the BCS National Championship, NFL Monday Night Football, the World Series, and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Every event collaboration will offer marketers an interactive experience that engages the audience around ESPN’s premier content across screens and drives the sports conversation on Twitter through dedicated hashtags.

    This program was developed by Twitter's Brand Strategy team in collaboration with ESPN. The Brand Strategy team focuses on partnering with large brand advertisers on creative custom packages that make the most of the Twitter platform. This year, the team worked with American Express on the launch of Twitter's advertising offering for small businesses, as well as the launch of the AmEx Sync program in March.

    Posted by @ at 12:17 PM