Recently there was an interesting article in the Tech Crunch about the value of Twitter Traffic and the staggering amount of money that people are willing to pay for a slot in the top 20 of the suggested list on the Twitter site. From Jason Calcanis’ Twitter stream:
“It’s actually a standing offer to Twitter. $120k for one of the twenty slots. In fact, I’ll pay $250k for two years in advance.”
Calcanis went even further to outline why he was willing to pay that amount of money for such a placement, indicating that he felt such a place in the top 20 would be worth $1M in 5 years time – equating it to levels spent on ads in the Superbowl.
I believe Calcanis is not alone in this theory. Even though he doesn’t claim to be willing to pay the same upfront costs as Calcanis, Guy Kawasaki professes his willingness to pay upwards of $500/month for using Twitter. He talks about his prolific use of Twitter in marketing his brand and that of Alltop in a recent interview with Jennifer Jones on Marketing Voices. He says “I don’t know how we would do Alltop without Twitter” and likens it to a “free and instant announcement system“. With more than ninety thousand followers being constantly exposed to his ‘brand’ and that of Alltop via his Twitter stream – it’s not surprising to see his loyalty and willingness to pay for this communication vehicle.
David Veneski Twitter Guy Kawasaki, Twitter
Michael Jordan did it for Nike, Gatorade, and Hanes (the list goes on and on). A celebrity lending their likeness, their name, and their affinity to a brand. Athletes have a long history of being ‘pitchmen’ as do movie stars, former politicians, and even now with the eruption of reality tv – everyday, normal people who have had their 15 seconds of fame are getting the chance to be the ‘face of the brand’.
Why not bloggers? Arguably, with the meteoric rise in social media, these purveyors of information have a far greater reach and more penetrating influence on those that look to them as ‘trusted advisors’ in consumerism. Companies are beginning to take notice of this level of influence and are tapping into a resource that has exploded on the scene. Take Audi and Guy Kawasaki for instance. Must be nice to be him, rolling in his new A8.
There are different levels of ‘promotion’ associated with the blogosphere’s superstars. At my company, we have our Intel Insiders on board and they are “helping Intel learn how to better connect with online audiences interested in technology and innovation“. That’s smart – what better way to connect with an audience than working with a group of folks whose job it is to do that every day – on their terms, and on their turf? Other brands approach it with a different eye as is depicted in this AdWeek article where my professional collegue, Chas Edwards, is quoted on the need for advertisers to become publishers:
“….the reality of digital media means advertisers will need to become publishers. While they can create their own content, they are more likely to both aggregate content from professionals and pay for exclusive content.”
David Veneski Blogging, Digital Marketing Audi, Chas Edwards, Guy Kawasaki, Intel Insiders, Michael Jordan