Goals
Generate buzz and awareness of agency's mobile capabilities, coinciding with Austin’s 2012 SXSW conference.
Strategy
In mid-January (6 weeks prior to the conference) Waggener Edstrom approached tenfour with a proposal to extend the functionality of their existing app on three native platforms (Android, iOS, WP7). I countered with a recommendation to look at new mobile web app concepts that better fit the bill, time, cost, distribution and reach for the target audience in Austin.
In mid-January (6 weeks prior to the conference) Waggener Edstrom approached tenfour with a proposal to extend the functionality of their existing app on three native platforms (Android, iOS, WP7). I countered with a recommendation to look at new mobile web app concepts that better fit the bill, time, cost, distribution and reach for the target audience in Austin.
Tweet-a-Beer was one of three concepts I hatched a few hours after the initial meeting. At its essence, Tweet-a-Beer allows people with Twitter and PayPal accounts to send beers via tweets. The service actually transfers $5 between PayPal accounts…loosely earmarked for beer. Tweet-a-Beer leverages the Chirpify commerce platform that had debuted only weeks earlier.
We vetted the concept with Chirpify and learned that they were just beginning to develop an API. tenfour was the first to use the third-party API from Chirpify and help battle-test it in the three weeks prior to launch. During the development of our back-end and API, the UX and branding efforts were brought to life with a brewpub aesthetic and unique brand voice.
Beyond just integrating the API, tenfour automated the process for crafting the proper tweet format of outbound payment tweets to ensure typos didn’t corrupt a transaction. With backgrounds in online finance, our team also added enhanced security settings (session and secure log-outs) on top of Chirpify to ensure that lending someone your phone didn’t equate to lending someone your wallet. Tweet-a-Beer also integrated Foursquare to recommend nearby watering holes and display photography from venues.
Motivation
Combining Twitter with beer was too good pass up. It enabled people to do something nice for others – even strangers – nearby and on the other side of the world.
1. Targeted – a commonality between all SXSW interactive, music, and film attendees
2. Scaled – beyond Austin and around the world
3. Original – different enough to garner attention and be memorable
4. Baked-in social hooks – each beer is sent via a public tweet with a mention back to the app.
Combining Twitter with beer was too good pass up. It enabled people to do something nice for others – even strangers – nearby and on the other side of the world.
1. Targeted – a commonality between all SXSW interactive, music, and film attendees
2. Scaled – beyond Austin and around the world
3. Original – different enough to garner attention and be memorable
4. Baked-in social hooks – each beer is sent via a public tweet with a mention back to the app.
Rollout
Both agencies coordinated a three-day soft launch to iron out any final bugs with friends and family (‘Beers for Bugs’) and then began the formal PR campaign and outreach efforts four days prior to the start of SXSW. Key editors, bloggers and press outlets were identified early, promotional imagery, quotes and a behind-the-scenes video were produced and available to media for launch. Lastly, dozens of key celebrities across the Twittersphere were singled out to receive gifted ‘beer-outs’ with custom messages that were particular to them.
Both agencies coordinated a three-day soft launch to iron out any final bugs with friends and family (‘Beers for Bugs’) and then began the formal PR campaign and outreach efforts four days prior to the start of SXSW. Key editors, bloggers and press outlets were identified early, promotional imagery, quotes and a behind-the-scenes video were produced and available to media for launch. Lastly, dozens of key celebrities across the Twittersphere were singled out to receive gifted ‘beer-outs’ with custom messages that were particular to them.
Results
Local press and twitterati jumped on the app and praised its ingenuity. Broadcast news channels began rounding out their broadcasts with segments on Tweet-a-Beer and local mentions started surfacing. Quickly, national and international blogs picked up the story and then on the opening day of SXSW, Mashable’s in-depth review prompted coverage on CNN.com and Tweet-a-Beer became the number-one trending story on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Mashable. Thousands of beers have been purchased around the world; during the launch flurry we had ten beers being sent per minute and tens of thousands of Twitter mentions.
Local press and twitterati jumped on the app and praised its ingenuity. Broadcast news channels began rounding out their broadcasts with segments on Tweet-a-Beer and local mentions started surfacing. Quickly, national and international blogs picked up the story and then on the opening day of SXSW, Mashable’s in-depth review prompted coverage on CNN.com and Tweet-a-Beer became the number-one trending story on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Mashable. Thousands of beers have been purchased around the world; during the launch flurry we had ten beers being sent per minute and tens of thousands of Twitter mentions.
At the end of the day, we doubled the traffic typically seen on our agency websites, have been invited to speak at conferences, fielded dozens of business and sponsorship opportunities and have been invited to sit down with many large brands to discuss their mobile initiatives since launching Tweet-a-Beer. All parties involved have been floored by the enthusiastic response from around the world.
// DECEMBER 2012 UPDATE
Resulting new clients: adidas, The Coca-Cola Company, TMZ, Google, Hasbro et.al
Awards
• 2012 The Bees International Social Media Marketing Award Winner – "Best use of App for Social Media Marketing"
• 2012 SoMe Social Media Awards — "Social Media Agency of the Year"
• 2012 SoMe Social Media Awards — “W00T!” Award honorable mention for Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 SoMe Social Media Awards — People’s Choice Award runner-up for Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 How Interactive Design Award — App Design, Merit – Tweet-a-Beer
• Bulldog Reporter Digital/Social PR Awards — Best Digital/Social Word of Mouth Campaign (Gold) for Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 PR News Digital Award — Twitter Campaign – Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 PR News Digital Award — Social Networking Campaign Finalist – Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 PR News Platinum PR Awards — Twitter Campaign Finalist – Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 Ragan's PR Daily Awards — Best Viral Campaign, Finalist – Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 Ragan's PR Daily Awards — Best Mobile App, Finalist – Tweet-a-Beer
Resulting new clients: adidas, The Coca-Cola Company, TMZ, Google, Hasbro et.al
Awards
• 2012 The Bees International Social Media Marketing Award Winner – "Best use of App for Social Media Marketing"
• 2012 SoMe Social Media Awards — "Social Media Agency of the Year"
• 2012 SoMe Social Media Awards — “W00T!” Award honorable mention for Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 SoMe Social Media Awards — People’s Choice Award runner-up for Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 How Interactive Design Award — App Design, Merit – Tweet-a-Beer
• Bulldog Reporter Digital/Social PR Awards — Best Digital/Social Word of Mouth Campaign (Gold) for Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 PR News Digital Award — Twitter Campaign – Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 PR News Digital Award — Social Networking Campaign Finalist – Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 PR News Platinum PR Awards — Twitter Campaign Finalist – Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 Ragan's PR Daily Awards — Best Viral Campaign, Finalist – Tweet-a-Beer
• 2012 Ragan's PR Daily Awards — Best Mobile App, Finalist – Tweet-a-Beer
Related presentation:
Behind the Scenes:
My initial sketches
The team
