Twitter has launched ‘conversational ads’, a new format that helps brands encourage users into spreading their message with the promise on bonus content or offers.
The new format unlocks pieces of exclusive brand content, such as movie trailers, recipes or interviews, when replied to or retweeted.
The ads, currently available as a beta testing, features a call-to-action button that brings up a pre-composed tweet with a brand message.
Users who want to tweet it can then personalize the message before sharing it with their followers.
“For many years, marketers have successfully increased their brand engagement using Promoted Tweets with compelling images or videos and campaign hashtags that drive retweets, likes and follows,” Twitter stated. “Conversational ads take this a step further by including call-to-action buttons with customizable hashtags that encourage consumer engagement.”
According to Twitter, the new feature is powerful because the paid posts spawn organic posts, creating an opportunity for more earned media at no additional cost.
Twitter claims the retweets and responses of people interacting with the conversational posts have netted an average of 34 views for every 100 of the actual ad — what it calls an earned media rate of 34 percent.
Coca-Cola, Marvel, AMC and Unilever-owned Axe body spray were among the brands with early access to the features.
AMC used the opportunity to hype its series The Walking Dead during San Diego’s Comic Conlast month. The campaign enticed fans with an exclusive trailer that they each had to individually tweet in order to view.
While the content reward feature seems most immediately well-suited to entertainment brands, Twitter pointed to an ad from Barista Bar offering its “100-year-old secret family recipe” as an example of how other classes of advertisers could also take advantage.
In another brand-friendly test that began last month, the company is showing Promoted Tweets to people who visit the website without logging in.