‘Gamechanger’ or ‘chaotic’? Twitter’s new TV ad leaves people confused
To promote its flashy new Moments feature, Twitter went old school.
Last night, Twitter debuted its second-ever TV commercial during Game 1 of the World Series in an attempt to get people excited to use its recently unveiled chaos-taming tool. Weird and loud, the 30-second spot showcases trending moments during the Major League Baseball playoffs through tweets and memes.
Reactions to the spot were decidedly mixed. One user called it “incomprehensible” while another commented hesitantly that it’s “strangely re-watchable.” Here’s what people on Twitter thought about Twitter’s ad:
After that ad for Twitter I’m gonna keep using Twitter for free
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger_sherman) October 28, 2015
Cool @twitter ad touting moments during #WorldSeries. — Rob Biedermann (@robbieder) October 28, 2015
First @twitter Moments World Series ad made product seem chaotic, “young” and meme based $TWTR
— Ryan M Craver (@ryanmcraver) October 28, 2015
Nothing has made me want to stop using twitter more than the tv ad that was just on — alexander Hemsley (@AlexHemsley) October 28, 2015
Love the new Post Season @twitter ad. Watching sports with @TwitterMoments is an absolute #gamechanger. #LGM https://t.co/SGehGLXJKe
— Jared Podnos, CFA (@jpodnos) October 28, 2015
People don’t know what Twitter is let alone Twitter moments. Really poor way to start a tv ad campaign — Anthony Quintano (@AnthonyQuintano) October 28, 2015
Obviously, the ad isn’t intended for people who spend all day on Twitter transcribing their thoughts. The ultimate goal, as Twitter’s CFO Anthony Noto told the Verge, is to attract new users by “using their interests as hooks, rather than Twitter itself as the hook.”
Twitter could use all the help it can get after yesterday’s dismal earnings call revealed that growth has virtually stalled in the U.S. for the past year. CEO Jack Dorsey said Moments was part of his turnaround plan, saying that it “represents a real shift in our thinking.”
The ad was designed by TBWA\Chiat\Day, the agency behind Apple’s iconic “1984,” which is credited with helping turn the company around. While it’s miles ahead of Twitter’s first boring 2012 TV ad that focused on NASCAR, last night’s ad didn’t appear to have the intended impact.
A TBWA\Chiat\Day spokeswoman told Digiday that more commercials, both on TV and online, are rolling out in the “weeks to come” with a second online-0nly spot debuting tomorrow.
More in Marketing
Hyve Group buys the Possible conference, and will add a meeting element to it in the future
Hyve Group, which owns such events as ShopTalk and FinTech Meetup, has agreed to purchase Beyond Ordinary Events, the organizing body behind Possible.
Agencies and marketers point to TikTok in the running to win ‘first real social Olympics’
The video platform is a crucial part of paid social plans this summer, say advertisers and agency execs.
Where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on big tech issues
The next U.S. president is going to have a tough job of reining in social media companies’ dominance and power enough to satisfy lawmakers and users, while still encouraging free speech, privacy and innovation.