To give a simple explanation, this concept replaces actual money for tweets in exchange for products. Tweets as currency isn’t exactly a new idea. In the past, you have been able to pay for music and books through a tweet and now we’re seeing brands use it more often, Kellogg’s even had a whole shop dedicated to the concept! Most recently, Uniqlo have partnered with Starbucks to host a Twitter vending machine where a simple tweet from the device will get you a t-shirt.
Our UT Vending Machine will be exclusively at @StarbucksUK Conduit St, London this Friday 10th only! pic.twitter.com/Pmme9tOTL2
— UNIQLO UK (@UNIQLO_UK) July 7, 2015
Why have brands started experimenting more with social media as some form of currency?
A big part of social media strategy is focus on numbers. Sometimes, quality is lost as numbers become the priority. Tweets as currency seems to be the best way to go because let’s face it, who doesn’t like free stuff?
At live events, tweets as currency not only drives conversation online, it also encourages people to attend the event. In this case, people will only be able to grab the product whilst they are at the particular store. This means it’s highly likely more people will attend the event, going out of their way to do so.
On this occasion, the partnership between Uniqlo and Starbucks means an opportunity to reach out to different kinds of audiences. This will in turn increase enagagement and boost the overall reach. Further engagement can be driven via the blogging world too, particularly with fashion bloggers. Not only do they love fashion (especially limited edition ranges through Uniqlo), some (stereotypically) also enjoy their Frappuccinos in the summer. They will undoubtedly engage with an opportunity such as this. As we consider bloggers to be influencers in this field, many will be handpicked to attend these events first to drive preawareness about the ‘tweet as currency’ aspect. This introduces a wider stream of audiences wanting to get involved outside of the event itself, creating a national discussion rather than a local one.
If I were to put my blogger hat on right now, I’ll be saying #win.
If you’re up for a free t-shirt just by sending a tweet, the Vending Machine is at Conduit Street for today only so you better be fast!
What do you think of tweets as currency? Tweet us at @WolfBExp