One of the highlights of the American and international sporting calendar, the 2014 Superbowl drove home a major success for social media network Twitter. Statistics show that this year, the number of top brands opting to use Twitter for real-time marketing (RTM) during the NFL championship game nearly tripled, whilst fewer brands opted to use Facebook.

Leaving Facebook in the dust
This is a clear indication of the increasingly common view that Facebook is used more for discussing events and issues before and after they’ve happened, whereas Twitter is at the forefront when it comes to live interactive marketing. Twitter’s ability to create online trends through its popular trending feature and the use of customised hashtags has made it the go-to social network for brands that want up-to-the-moment interactive advertising.

Twitter’s leading position in this respect was consolidated just one year ago at the 2013 Superbowl, when global biscuit powerhouse Oreo used the Superbowl blackout as a prime marketing opportunity, with their tweet: “You can still dunk in the dark.” The ingenious tweet got over 15,000 re-tweets, increased Oreo’s Twitter following by 8,000, and placed the brand in the international spotlight for its quick thinking and creative use of social media in the face of a potential disaster.

Strategising for spontaneity
However, Oreo’s famous tweet was no accident: according to the Vice-President of Cookies at Oreo’s umbrella company Mondelez International, the blackout tweet was the result of a carefully constructed social media RTM strategy that made the brand ready to respond to any and everything that happened during the Big Game.

This is the kind of responsive, reactive marketing strategy that is essential for modern-day marketers. The era of social media calls for businesses to think on their toes, with a backup plan for every eventuality. In this respect, Twitter seems to be the way forward for many businesses who may have previously opted to stay with the more familiar territory of Facebook.

Luckily, Twitter allows for lots of creativity in RTM. Take our live Twitter Walls, for example.

Point and Stare generates a fully branded and moderated live Twitter feed that can be displayed on screens throughout any company event, where people at the event or anywhere around the world can have their tweet featured by using the customised hashtag or bespoke URL. This means businesses can leverage any corporate event as a prime marketing opportunity to build brand awareness and brand affinity.

Taking on the challenge
Twitter’s Superbowl success this year serves as a reminder that today’s marketing calls for innovation and immediate responsiveness above all, so embrace it and remember that every event (be it a blackout or otherwise) could be the marketing opportunity that will catapult your brand to international greatness – all in under 140 characters so, get in touch today.

 
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