Fight Fight Fight! Brands: We Want Twitter Feuds

March 15, 2017

When I was 15 years old, I got my first cellphone. Yes, I was 15, times have changed, right? I definitely see 7 year-olds walking around with iPhones these days…yikes!

Anyway, with my first phone I was obviously on the family plan with my parents and siblings. Our choice of provider was Verizon and to this day, after a couple of flip phones, a blackberry, and every single iPhone, I STILL use Verizon. But, recently I have been thinking about switching providers.

Here’s why…

Enter John Legere and T-Mobile. While T-Mobile’s Twitter is impressive, the face of the brand on social falls under CEO John Legere. He is blunt, fierce and quick to attack the competition (Verizon, Sprint and AT&T) at any given time.

Consumers can easily judge brands in 2017 with a quick tap on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and a simple name search. Personally, if a brand isn’t bringing its A-game on social…I am most likely not buying. Twitter feuds/competition are entertaining but also have the power to sway a buyer’s decision.

As consumers we want and need to see these fights on Twitter! They are important and each feud shows us these 4 things:

Your brand is personable: No one wants to be marketed to on social media by a robot-like company. Customers and prospects need brands to be “real” at all times and there’s no way an automated system can be behind the sassy comments in a Twitter feud. There is always someone or a team behind the computer creating your favorite tweets, so it is time brands start acting like it. Stay true to your brand voice, but show a little personality...

Real-Time Marketing is one of your skills: Real-time marketing was invented on social media and continues to be the area where it is used most frequently. Hot topics, breaking news and trending hashtags happen by the second on Twitter and brands need to take advantage of this. Many brands took to real-time marketing during this year’s Super Bowl and some, like Verizon & T-Mobile, took the opportunity to bicker (example tweet above.) Other brands like Pine-sol took a “friendlier” fight approach with Mr. Clean – a little less sassy, but still a good call-out. These brands took advantage of the trending game to showcase their business and made a few enemies in the meantime.

You don’t shy away from competition: After the Super Bowl I took part in Adweek’s weekly #AdweekChat on Twitter. Since brands were going at it on Twitter two days prior, it was one of the topics of the chat. While some participants expressed their concerns for these Twitter fights, others felt the same as me and wanted more. One of the best points made was, if you really feel you have the best product/solution and can beat the competition, then show it! Call out your competitors on their flaws, showcase what you have to offer.

PURE Entertainment: Plain and simple. Twitter feuds are entertaining, make us laugh and when they are really good, make our jaws drop. Here are some fan favorites.

One of company’s strongest strategies is social media, especially in 2017. If done successfully, it can be a major brand awareness and even sales booster. We need more Twitter feuds, they are hysterical and most importantly, WORK. I had a good run with Verizon but T-Mobile is beginning to look a whole lot better.

Ding ding ding – will your company take the punches or go for a total knock out?