Twitter: The definition of Excessive Hype

In most of my marketing and advertising classes the topic of twitter comes up some way or another. I'm pretty surprised when the teacher will ask the class if they know what it is and half of them have no idea. I'm not saying they're stupid, I'm saying its surprising because of how much everyone is acting like its the next marketing messiah.

For those of you who don't know, Twitter has been around since late 2006. You are able to make a profile with a personal screen name. You are allowed to post updates similar to a Facebook status in 140 characters or less. I have no qualms about it being a useful piece of communication technology. I think its a great way to keep in touch with people or update them on short pertinent information. The only problem is that this is not the next new form for connecting brands with people. 

Here's an excerpt from Adscam:

(explicit language below)

Some douchenozzle over at AdAge is going on about how Twitter can transform the way ad agencies work. He actually says about Web 2.0 tools and social media... "Twitter can improve on a host of agency functions and often at a fraction of the cost. To be clear, Twitter won't displace all the functions of a marketing agency. Companies will continue to need brand identities, lead-generation programs and creative ideas that connect with people emotionally. Twitter, however, can serve as a marketing platform that allows companies to build brands, manage customer relationships, and share content. It's simple, it's powerful and it's inexpensive." Share content... In 140 characters! Build Brands... In 140 characters! Manage Customer Relationships...In 140 characters!

As usual, everyone is jumping on it as the "Next Big Thing." They even claim it will be a great brand building tool... Which is absolute bullshit. It may be useful in support of other communication efforts. On it's own, it's a giant wank... These same claims were made for Second Life and lots of major companies drank the Kool-Aid. How many are on there now? If you know your advertising history, you'll know that the argument was made sixty years ago that TV would kill radio. 

Click here to read the rest at adscam...