Twitter’s @Earlybird: Missing the Core Values
I’m annoyed by twitter’s latest (if only their second) official @Earlybird deal of the day. It’s not that offering people $40 bucks off a $430 TV is a bad deal. It’s not. It’s an OK deal. But it is a bad idea that damaged Twitter’s chance of succeeding with Earlybird.
Why? Because it doesn’t fit with Twitter’s core values. Twitter is at its best when they push people to interact with each other. Millions of microposts a day push ideas around the internet. Users reach news organizations. They organize #WorldCup meetups, donate to haitian relief and, basically, SHARE their excitement about something.
Now twitter wants to use that excitement to fuel their financial ends. And I’m all for that! Old Spice just pulled that feat off in a spectacular way. People were ecstatic to be part of a two way marketing dialogue. To a lesser extent, I think people were excited over @Earlybird’s first offering too: When twitter users bought a ticket to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, they got a second one free. Take a date! Organize with your friends, get out and DO something. I like that.
Even if the movie was lame, the idea was good. It was active. And the barrier to entry was low, so people could actually take a chance on it.
But 9% off a $400 TV? Excuse me for not jumping out of my seat. Where’s the community spirit here? Did I somehow land on Overstock.com? Twitter has a brief moment to prove that @earlybird is a cool new aspect of the twitter community, or else they are going to end up as the first official Twitter spam bot, with a quick #UnfollowFriday doom to follow.